markbg Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hi As you may know I currently have a Fox CVRW but have always aimed at getting a CVRT - there are a number available and Im assuming there will be more in the winter - engine wise I think Im ok to check but what else should I look for in terms of problems with the CVRT? - final drive is something Ive heard of sorry bit of a large topic but I havent found much on any checks to do for the cvrt any thoughts let me know cheers Mark B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I think you will find there are not that many avaliable, and the turrreted variants do sell very quickly. There was a Sabre on milweb on Friday which is sold already. Engines - make sure you have a spare. Track, Roadwheels etc - if they are worn out you will have to spend a lot to replace them all. You will need spare wheels anyway. Gearbox - Expensive if it goes wrong. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbg Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 ok but the same could be said of a fox? theres no new gearboxes at all , Ive had to replace a complete hub assembley due to the knocking sound etc so the fox aint great either - I agree with road wheels and track expenditure but if they are in a good condition when bought then there shouldnt be too many problems? I dont have a spare engine fif the fox so do rhey wear out so quickly on a CVRT? Would not the samd be true if a 432? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) PM sent. Edited July 31, 2011 by sirhc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Hi As you may know I currently have a Fox CVRW but have always aimed at getting a CVRT - there are a number available and Im assuming there will be more in the winter - engine wise I think Im ok to check but what else should I look for in terms of problems with the CVRT? - final drive is something Ive heard of sorry bit of a large topic but I havent found much on any checks to do for the cvrt any thoughts let me know cheers Mark B Mark As Chris says the turreted variants do tend to sell quickly so good luck with finding one but that can only be a good thing if you need to sell it in future right..?! The variants (non-turreted) also seem to be quite popular these days esp the Spartan as you can get more of your mates in it. Chris has more experience of these things than I do, but based on my more limited knowledge of owning, maintaining and driving here goes... Engines - take-outs are readily available very cheaply but can be of variable quality (see Chris' Youtube clip for how to test one before fitting). I bought 6 by mistake from Withams and a box full of carbs so chances are someone will have what you need. Recons are available for just under a grand. Gearboxes - very difficult and expensive if something does go wrong but provided all the gears are there when you test it and you change the oil and filters from time to time they seem to be pretty reliable in private hands. Final drives - have heard of one of these failing but doesnt seem to be a major problem - maybe I've just been lucky. Spare final drives are reasonably available if you do need one. Tracks, roadwheels, sprockets all seem to be reasonably available at the moment at not bad prices but availability of this type of item does tend to ebb and flow. For the average private owner you would be hard pushed to wear out tracks and roadwheels for quite a long time. Helped fix a failed Scorpion at W&P last week - would not engage forward or reverse - turned out the selector rod had failed - a good quality bodge was applied in 20 mins and was up and running again. I also had mine stick in various gears - turned out the rocker pedal spindle had not seen any grease for a very long time - quick clean up and grease and it was good as gold. So two gearbox problems both solved in 20 mins or so. Overall you will find it a very much easier vehicle to work on and keep going than your Fox I suspect. The AFV Society doesn't get many postings these days but has a wealth of technical knowledge. Good luck and please post your progress if you get one. Cheers Timbo Edited July 31, 2011 by timbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDonovan Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Hi... I have restored a Striker over the last two years. Having owned an Abbot before I find the CVRT to be very easy to work on. I have fitted a ex-witham take out engine... which is running fine (£400). Check out video taken yesterday http://www.youtube.com/user/PaulNDonovan?feature=mhee I purchased two engines... the first one had a stuck exhaust valve. I had no problems getting hold of parts and found them reasonably priced. A complete photo diary of the rebuild can be found here... Regards Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbg Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Hi Good selection of replies with different views - thanks for this - it doesnt sound too daunting but as ever a good condition one is going to be alot eadier to run I guess max miles a year for me is 250 if that Perhaps a final point is that at least there are spares for the CVRT - Fox parts are becoming very difficult to get hold of cheers Mark b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Garner Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I would say nearly all maintenance tasks on a CVR(T) are bound to be easier than Fox, and of course the spares are far more available. We haven't had any big problems with ours yet having owned it for nearly two years. Keep an eye on the levels, don't thrash it and all should be okay. Chris has more or less summed up the issues, a gearbox problem is not something you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I currently have a road registered Striker for sale, Its on Milweb and HMVF classified, also has its own thread in the restoration blog on HMVF somewhere. Vince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 While I hugely like the look of the Fox, they are an orphan for a number of parts and awkward to work inside. The CVRT family obviously have appeal because of tracks, my favourite being the Spartan because of space and ease of driving, the gun tanks are nice but claustrophobic in my view for the driver. The second generation of the CVRT in the form of the Stormer are really nice, if you can find one buy one. As to whether to buy the one with the firing post or the Troop Leaders Vehicle thats your choice. They are so much nicer than the first generation, better seats, better and safer engine. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Mark, I wasn't trying to put you off, just factor in around £4 per mile for fuel and other running costs. You will need to collect spares when you see them as they can be expensive and hard to find when you need them. Remember that they are current in service vehicles, and although the MoD use diesel variants, everyone else is still on the petrol ones. This means when things like exhaust manifolds etc do come up for sale they are expensive. Withams are scrapping lots of J60 engines, so you would be best buying 3 or 4 for parts, even just for carbs and ignition modules etc. You can drive one on L plates, I did for a while before taking the test in my own vehicle. That way I knew it well enough to book a test myself and do it on the streets around my house, saving around £600. Spartan is probably the best entry level vehicle, they are cheap, plenty of room, easier to learn to drive as you can see the instruments and controls... you can't in a turreted variant. Chris P.S. also remember that a Stormer is more than 2.55m wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourFox Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Hi Mark I still have your aerial tube. You had better bring a big truck and collect my Scorpion as well! Regards Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Nice pic Jon If you look on the W&P website gallery you will see a picture of your passengers hanging on for grim death and wearing grins a mile wide - can't think why....! Cheers Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbg Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 It certainly looked good Jon but I think your price expectations may be a tad high for my budget! looks great tho - i do like those trucks as well - bees knees as they say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbg Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Mark, I wasn't trying to put you off, just factor in around £4 per mile for fuel and other running costs. You will need to collect spares when you see them as they can be expensive and hard to find when you need them. Remember that they are current in service vehicles, and although the MoD use diesel variants, everyone else is still on the petrol ones. This means when things like exhaust manifolds etc do come up for sale they are expensive. Withams are scrapping lots of J60 engines, so you would be best buying 3 or 4 for parts, even just for carbs and ignition modules etc. You can drive one on L plates, I did for a while before taking the test in my own vehicle. That way I knew it well enough to book a test myself and do it on the streets around my house, saving around £600. Spartan is probably the best entry level vehicle, they are cheap, plenty of room, easier to learn to drive as you can see the instruments and controls... you can't in a turreted variant. Chris Hi I wouldnt take it that way Chris youve been a great help with the Fox already - its just Ive always wanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourFox Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Mark The Scorpion should be on it's way to The Dunchurch AFV show on the Bank holiday weekend. Someone is bound to offer me the asking price of £25,000....so I don't have to pay the transport back to Sandwich. It's a good show to visit. It's a great venue and has the best simulated live firing of the 76mm guns. See the pictures of last years show on the AFV website. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 There you go...there's me extolling the virtues of CVRT ownership - I knew something was bound to go wrong ! Took kids down for their first ride in the Sabre this weekend to find oil puddle under gearbox access hatch, turns out to be final drive seal. Anyway decided to top it up and take them for a quick spin, just round the field a couple of times so they get the idea. Get halfway down the field and park up for a couple of pics, go to restart and click...nothing. Batteries nearly new, and all lights fine so not that. Starter motor lead mein host says, so its off with the decks, out with the drivers seat and firewall, and check all the connections - all ok but still just clicking with the odd occasion when it spins but not very far. Decide it must be the starter. Thankfully I knew that pile of redundant J60's I bought from Withams in an alcohol fuelled bidding session would come in handy, so its off with one of the starters (and thank god for stubby spanners), and away we go, spins up nicely.. Whilst grubbing around in the bottom of the engine bay with the decks off I noticed some odd looking bits of rubber which on closer inspection turn out to be most of the rubber drive donuts - there were what are best described as a few shreds holding together the drive coupling..! Oh and the brake bands were completely knackered. Whilst I don't drive very far or very often on the road, I'm not sure I would want to be anywhere close at hand if the coupling had given way. Although I had the decks off when I first bought it (to sort the thoroughly knackered main braking sytem) to be honest I probably wasn't familiar enough with CVRTs to have spotted most of these things. Just goes to show that with an unknown vehicle you should not rely on a PO saying it is in 'good' condition...! At least the starter failing allowed me to spot these things.. So a plan is now formulating to whip out the gearbox, replace both final drives, replace the drive donuts, replace the brake bands, jetwash the 1/2 ton of german/ bosnian pine needles out of the gearbox bay, and generally give it a good spruce up before putting it all back together. I reckon with a couple of willing (foolish!) helpers and all the bits to hand I can get most of it done in a busy weekend.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 So a plan is now formulating to whip out the gearbox, ....... replace the drive donuts, .... Reason the Layrub couplings have disintergrated is most probably due to the fact that the gearbox has not been aligned correctly with the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Reason the Layrub couplings have disintergrated is most probably due to the fact that the gearbox has not been aligned correctly with the engine. Thanks Richard - PO told me he had fitted engine and based on other evidence this is entirely possible. It will be done properly this time round.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turret_Monster Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 go to restart and click...nothing. Batteries nearly new, and all lights fine so not that. Starter motor lead mein host says, so its off with the decks, out with the drivers seat and firewall, and check all the connections - all ok but still just clicking with the odd occasion when it spins but not very far. Ignoring all your other woes, it could have just been a jamed starter gear so a brief spell of percussive maintainance might have done the trick. Although I've not experienced it often myself, it must happen regularly enough to have led to the introduction of the access flap in the Driver's firewall on dieselised vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Ignoring all your other woes, it could have just been a jamed starter gear so a brief spell of percussive maintainance might have done the trick. Although I've not experienced it often myself, it must happen regularly enough to have led to the introduction of the access flap in the Driver's firewall on dieselised vehicles. I did apply some 'persuasion' a couple of times and that partly did the trick intermittently but the gear still wasn't fully extending enough to engage properly. I've since been told that the starter operates in two stages - an initial stage where the gear extends and then full power when it reaches a certain point. Apparently the whole thing can be a problem if not lubed, as the gear does not extend far enough to hit stage 2 so I might even recover it from the big pile of knckrd starters and see if that is what it was... I chuckled at the innovation of an access flap to get the hammer through..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listerdiesel Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 The starters are a close relative of the Champ and other starters, the idea being that the first stage brings the armature axially in towards the ring gear and at low power, to enable the drive gear to engage with the ring gear. Once fully engaged, the second stage kicks in at full power and away you go. All done with simple mechanisms in the end of the starter. Simms and CAV made these, as did Butec and possibly others. I have maintenance/service books somewhere for the Simms and CAV starters. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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