Technical Issues
The Club’s aim is to help owners resolve issues which are specific to their Ronart W152 or Lightning: we seek a solution through either our members or Ronart Cars.
So, below is a slowly growing list of problems & resolutions which we hope will help somebody, sometime.
And below that, a list of issues we are compiling to assist members who still have to get their W152 cars through the SVA/IVA test.
W152
| Problem Area | Symptoms | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Electrics | Low voltage: dim lights, reluctant starting | Obvious, but tried every other possibility before finding that new battery had a defective cell (Graham Hallett). Moral:- always fit good brand. |
| Rear Shockers | Rattle in rear suspension | Lower bush compresses with wear; there is a mod to fit large washers either side of the lower bush to prevent movement. (Gordon Mills) |
| Rear Shockers | Bang when going over bumps/potholes | Often a bump-stop-rubber is not fitted to rear dampers. These can be retro-fitted. Also, raising ride-height can mitigate the symptoms. (Graham Hallett & Tony Legon) |
| Rear Radius Arms | Rattle in rear suspension | The rubberised bush at the axle-end of the radius arm flexes as the suspension moves and can bang the axle brackets. There is a modification which involves a large nylon spacer on either side of the bush. This has the effect of reducing the clearance and cushioning the blow. (Graham Hallett & David Small) |
| Wheel Spinners | Tighten up over time. | Regularly loosen-off and re-tighten moderately (Graham Hallett, Orson Equipment) |
| Petrol Pump | Fuel feed falters or fails | SU Petrol pump clogged with swarf from petrol tank gaskets. (Dislodged by enthusiastic cornering at Laon – Tony Legon) |
| Petrol Tank | Overflows when full. | Either put restrictor in breather tube, or cut out breather tube and put self-sealing breather in the filler cap. (Freddie Trodd can describe the fix) |
| Rear Wing Stays | Fatigue and break | Usually rhs fractures because of extra weight and wind-resistance of the number-plate assembly.
For a long period a strengthening fillet near the chassis mount was omitted by the factory. If this fillet is missing it is an easy welding job to fabricate and strengthen the mounting (both sides). (Graham Hallett & Peter Jordan). |
W152 SVA Test
| Item | Problem | Work Around |
|---|---|---|
| Number Plates | Temporarily use modern type | |
| Petrol Filler Cap | Protrusions | Leave off |
| Windscreen | Leave off | |
| Aero Screens | Use BS-marked version or, better, leave off entirely | |
| Rear View Mirror | Radii | Racing mirrors n/s and o/s OK because within the outline of the car. There must be an adjustable central mirror of a certain size; the normal pedestal-type mirror will fail on sharp edges – maybe a temporary racing mirror will get through. |
| Bonnet Catches | Protrusions | Leave off old-style quick-releases; key-lock type are OK |
| Front Suspension Nuts | Radii | Fit plastic covers to bolt-heads; fit hose over whole track rod. |
| Steering Wheel | No holes allowed | Borrow plain wheel from Ronart Cars |
| Wire Wheel Spinners | Winged spinners not allowed! | Borrow late hex-headed nuts from Ronart Cars |
| Inner Panel Switches | Mount whole panel using plastic screws or velcro (to show that it will break away under impact) | |
| Instrument Bevel Radii | Use SVA-friendly bevels (Speedy Cables) | |
| Dashboard | Radii of edges | Wood dash can be radiussed. Alloy dash will fail, so glue rubber moulding temporarily or fit wood dash temporarily. |