Hello! New Atom 3 owner in cheshire, couple of q’s

[Noel]

Hi all

Bought a atom 3 last week from yorkshire and currently living in warrington, any owners up here?

Loving the car and thought id say hi, is this the biggest and most active ariel atom forum?

Is there any ariel specialist up here or close by to take care of my new baby? Want to keep it running smooth and wouldnt mind a professional to give it a once over for me, for piece of mind and while its still got warranty.

Anyone got any advice for me been a newbie to the whole atom thing?

Thanks in advance Nowl

[phil4]

Hi Noel, welcome to the club.

I'm sure there's a few Atom's in your area, and I'm sure they'll hi soon enough. They should also know of garages locally who can help, theres' at least one I've heard about.

As for tips? I don't really know what you know, or what experience you have, so it's a bit hard to say.

Glad you're having fun though!

[smokin]

Hi Nowl and welcome,

TDi North do servicing and tuning for the Atoms

http://www.tdi-north.com/contact-us
http://www.tdi-north.com/galleries/galleries/display/8

[Noel]

Hi Noel, welcome to the club.

I'm sure there's a few Atom's in your area, and I'm sure they'll hi soon enough. They should also know of garages locally who can help, theres' at least one I've heard about.

As for tips? I don't really know what you know, or what experience you have, so it's a bit hard to say.

Glad you're having fun though!

Cheers phil,

Yeah my biggest worry is getting some one thats dealt and knows how to set them up and service them close by as somerset is pretty far away from where i am and i dont have a trailer.

I genuinely know nothing about the car, i know that some one fitted a intercom system to the atom and theres a box between the seat and headset cables dangling about which i want to remove but not sure how theyve been wired up.

Also mine seems quiet rattly , is that normal? Iv had tvr’s so im used to rattles.

[Noel]

Hi Nowl and welcome,

TDi North do servicing and tuning for the Atoms

http://www.tdi-north.com/contact-us
http://www.tdi-north.com/galleries/galleries/display/8

That awesome, thanks for that smokin, are they good? Do they just do servicing or can they help with anything i need? Its not too far so that will be awesome if they are well known for been good with atoms.

[phil4]

I genuinely know nothing about the car, i know that some one fitted a intercom system to the atom and theres a box between the seat and headset cables dangling about which i want to remove but not sure how theyve been wired up.

Also mine seems quiet rattly , is that normal? Iv had tvr’s so im used to rattles.

The intercom, if you want to remove, almost certainly only takes power from the car... so I'd just trace the wire and disconnect it.

As for rattly. As they're light, and quite hard riding they tend to rattle and clank over bumpy roads. The suspension helper springs tend to slap a lot, and the belt mount points behind you too (there's ways of reducing both btw). But that's mainly it.

I don't know much about your car, but if it's an Atom 2, then you might also get a bit of engine buzz, as it's not quite as balanced as the later ones.

All in all though it's not a GT cruiser, and so on uneven/bumpy roads, you'll know about it.

[smokin]

Hi Nowl and welcome,

TDi North do servicing and tuning for the Atoms

http://www.tdi-north.com/contact-us
http://www.tdi-north.com/galleries/galleries/display/8

That awesome, thanks for that smokin, are they good? Do they just do servicing or can they help with anything i need? Its not too far so that will be awesome if they are well known for been good with atoms.

I've used them for dyno tuning and I know others have used them for servicing. I had no complaints. Ariel used them for tuning the Atom and Nomad factory maps as they are Hondata specialists. As to other work, I've no experience but there's nothing particularly complicated about the car.

[smokin]

Also mine seems quiet rattly , is that normal? Iv had tvr’s so im used to rattles.

The belt snap hooks tend to rattle a lot in the eyebolts. Some (me included) have inserted grommets to eliminate.

[Noel]

Thanks guys, appreciate the replies

I talked to TDI north and they were very helpful , thanks for pointing me in that direction, iv got it booked in on the 10th november.

The grommets, what are the best size and place to buy them? ebay?

Its an Atom 3 that i got phil4, love the car though, i was out in it on Saturday and it was absolutely freezing, think i have cold burns on my toes through my trainers haha, i just want to drive it all the time but the weathers a bit crap now

i noticed when my oil is warm when i come back from been out and park it up i have a slight oil leak coming from where the gearbox bolts on to the engine at the bottom, it only seems to drip (and its not al lot) when the engine and oil is warm, when it cools down it stops, should i be worried about this and any ideas what it is?

thanks noel

[smokin]

The grommets, what are the best size and place to buy them? ebay?

https://www.electricalcarservices.com/n ... 050/p-4028

i noticed when my oil is warm when i come back from been out and park it up i have a slight oil leak coming from where the gearbox bolts on to the engine at the bottom, it only seems to drip (and its not al lot) when the engine and oil is warm, when it cools down it stops, should i be worried about this and any ideas what it is?

It could just be weeping from the gearbox drain plug. Can you trace the drip back to source? TDi will be able to sort on the 10th but I'd check gearbox oil level before then if you're planning any more trips out.

[Noel]

thanks for the link, ordering them now.

where would i find the gearbox drain plug i will check? it looks like its coming from the bottom where it joins, it doesnt look like its dripping down or anything when i looked. how do i check the gearbox oil to see how low it is? never owning one its worrying but not sure if its a big thing or not.

thanks for your help

[smokin]

Drain plug is marked with the green arrow and the filler with blue.

If you can take a picture that would help me understand where it's leaking. Where the clutch housing meets the engine is a dry fit so there shouldn't be any oil to leak (unless it's the oil seal in the clutch case). If it's where the gearbox mates the clutch housing then it could be leaky gasket or drain plug. As I say, a picture would help.

If it is gearbox oil and it's been doing it for a long time then it could run dry and be expensive.

To check the oil undo filler and pop your finger in. The oil level should be just below / at the level of the filler hole.

[911tom]

Hi Noel

Is your atom Reg. OAS? Think it could be my old car. It’s very much missed




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[Noel]

thanks for that picture and reply smokin, that helps a lot and i will take a picture tonight and post it for you to look at. i have it booked in at TDI north now on the 10th to look at the oil leak and check the car over too, but they sound very expensive from talking to them 72 pound an hour. so hopefully its just something that needs tightening up. this leak is making me worried to be honest and hope iv not bought something thats going to cost thousands to fix.

hi 911tom, yeah it is OAS is it your old car? i love it, i cant believe you sold it. did it have this leak when you had it? any chance i can grab your number for a chat about it or PM? its ok if not, just be nice to know about the car, as i only know what Jon told me from the garage i bought it from.

[phil4]

but they sound very expensive from talking to them 72 pound an hour.

Hi Noel, I can only speak from my experience, but I'd say that 72quid per hour is definitely not very expensive. Main dealerships are well over 100 per hour, and local garages not far behind.

Bear in mind you've also a reasonably expensive, extremely high performance vehicle. You really don't want to be giving it to a spanner monkey who isn't far off the "monkey" in that name. Of course if the garage fits the bill of skilled, competent and experienced, as TDI North are, they've probably had to spend a fair amount hiring, training and retaining staff... so you'll see the cost being a little higher.

For what it's worth, people have in the past tried to take their Atoms to local Honda dealers, and often it hasn't ended well. The lunchtime-grand prix has resulted in bent cars.