Noblecars.blog: September 2010

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Thursday, 16 September 2010

Noble M12 buying guide

ServicingMain dealers and specialists can carry out servicing but if your undertaking major work, check out the forums listed at the bottom of this page and seek recommendations. With the early cars it's important that they have been serviced by main dealers as the factory changes will have been carried out free of charge on these cars. Double check the stamps in the service book with the garage that serviced the car to ensure they are genuine.
EngineThe 2.5 engine received a host of upgrades during its life so ensure they have been fitted to the Noble you are looking at, and for track work a baffled sump is required to prevent oil starvation.The Magnetti Marelli ECU fitted to the 2.5 engines were susceptible to failing but the MBE systems used in newer cars have proved reliable and have improved mapping. A swap from one ECU to the other is expensive though and comes in at £2000 due to the fact that the complete engine loom has to be changed. To check which ECU your car has, it's located in the rear wheel arch and will have MBE written on top of it. If not negotiate the price of a possible ECU change into the price. The MBE ECU can be upgraded by the factory to 340bhp and this also improves engine response and gives a fatter torque curve. The remap come in at £2000. The are no big changes between the 3litre engines but make sure your car is running with the latest version engine map.The first GTOs suffered from overheating this was sorted by the factory with the use of a shroud instead of the fan being mounted directly to the radiator, check that this has been carried out. Rough idling or acceleration is not uncommon and is usually down to loose pipes in the engine bay. Fuel filters can also be a cause of fuel starvation on cars taken on track so its worth checking the state of the filter before taking it to a trackday and its also advisable to have at least half a tank of fuel to avoid lean running conditionsGearboxesDiffs on the early car can fail but there is an optional LSD available directly form Noble, this LSD is the standard one that came on all the cars with the six peed gearbox. The 5 speed transmission can suffer from difficult changes, this can be solved by having the linkage properly adjusted.SuspensionWishbones should be rust free but track rod ends and the hubs themselves can become rusty. Ball joints often failed on early cars due to heat from the brakes but uprated ball joints are available from Noble at £11 each and cost around £50 to fit. Some cars have been fitted with aftermarket Nitron single way adjustable dampers and these are required to be set up accuracy.BrakesEarly cars had flexible brake pipes which heated on track but these were changed to solid items later. Pedal fell is helped by bleeding the brakes with the factory recommending DOT5.1 fluid. The handbrake light can come on during hard cornering but this is down to insufficient fluid or it could mean the pads are worn. When checking the brakes check both sides, inside and out as they wear unevenly.Chassis/BodyworkCheck the join between the flat floor and the car as water can get trapped causing degradation of materials. The bodywork is fibreglass so can be cracked by stone chips. Check the front clamshell for stone chip damage. This can be fixed for between £300 and £700 depending on how bad it is.WheelsTwo main alloy wheel designs exist on the Noble, the 5 spoke and the 3R design. The 5 spoke is obviously easier to clean but is more prone to kerbing.ExhaustThe early 2.5 Noble's had side exit exhausts, later models exited above the rear diffuser. The two types make a very different note. Mounts have been know to be a weakness but should be replaced at service time. The earliest three litres frequently blew baffles but this has been rectified on the later models.
InteriorNoble interiors are available in alcantara or leather. The 3R seats are widely thought to be the best but can still cause aches and pains in the back. The 3R seats are not compatible with the other models. Dashes can be brought back to life with a bar of soap. The air con can suffer intermittent failures due to heat soak from the turbos shutting the compressor unit down. The compressor will work again after it has cooled down.

with thanks to strike engine for info