strongy Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 😬 I have just bought my first Caterham - a 1700 supersprint with a dry sump(G778 MGF). I have one or two niggles can anyone assist me please? 1. The red ignition light is constantly on even though the alternator is charging the battery correctly, is it possible that this warning lamp is wired incorrectly? The light does fade to nearly nothing when the engine is idling. 2. There is a switch next to the coolant temp guage, which when turned on makes the reading on the temp guage go right down. I don't know what this switch is for. 3. As there is no dipstick with the dry sump, how do I monitor the oil level? Any help or advice will be much appreciated and does anybody know when the next sunny day is forecast? ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 Suspect the switch is 'switching' the gauge between Water and Oil temp I'll leave the others to the specialists on here Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 I would suspect that the ignition light is an early warning of a duff diode pack on the alternator. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgrigsby Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 You should check the oil level in the dry sump tank after running the car for a couple of minutes to get it warm although it should be turned off when actually checking. Inside the dry sump tank there's a baffle about 1/3-1/2 the way down the tank the oil level should be about 0.5"-1" below that. It's a bit of a pain to see the level, at some point I'll get around to marking up a piece of wire to stick in there to check the level!! Cheers Rob G www.SpeedySeven.com Edited by - rgrigsby on 15 Oct 2002 15:32:29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 Others with more alternator knowledge than I will be along shortly. The dry sump... Run the engine and observe the oil level in the tank. It should be no more than 1" below the upper baffle level. The switch sound like an oil temp switch. It could be the sensor is not installed yet, disconnected, or faulty. I didn't fancy tapping my dry sum tank / disturbing the working setup before a race and made a little ali block that the sensor is threaded into. This is clamped to the tank insulated from the outside air flow. The latent heat transfer is more than enough to work it to the correct op temp. /Steve My racing pics, 7 DIY, race prep. Updated often here Hants (North) and Berkshire area club site here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonp Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 Flicking a switch and seeing the temperature drop could just be down to a dodgy connection between the earth. I got a different reading on my temperature gauge if there were a number of electrical ancillaries running at the same time such as heated windscreen and lights etc. Look under the instrument panel on the passenger side for the main earth to the body and see if this has worked loose. Tighnening this cured a similar problem I had. It's also a good ide to check on the various connection between the switches and the instruments as these connection can deteriorate with age due to moisture etc. Simonp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simos Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 Ignition light working effectively the wrong way around (off at low revs on at driving revs) is definately an indicator of a suspect alternator setup. Before doing anything check the cables and connectors into the alternator. Two big ones which are common and a small one (which is connected to your ign light) it is common for the connectors to be bad and/or the cable to be melted/charred/todgered at this point. Pull them off and inspect thoroughly, if suspect then clean-up/replace as neccessary. If they're fine then whop the alternator off and take to your local motor factor who will p/x for 25-30 quid. If you have the old type then there are smaller pattern fits available which'll save a bit of weight at no extra expense. When you get you alternator also get some silvered asbestos cloth, wrap it around the alternator and tie-wrap on to give the poor wee beastie a bit of protection from the exhaust headers which are a few microns away from it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted October 15, 2002 Share Posted October 15, 2002 >When you get you alternator also get some >silvered asbestos cloth, wrap it around the >alternator and tie-wrap on to give the poor wee >beastie a bit of protection I wondered about doing this when I replaced my alt with a halfords recon job a few weeks ago. I was advised against heat wrapping it (not by Halfords) as it could damage the alt cos it would get too hot inside. Is this likely? PS - its a 1.4 K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissy h Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 the switch is more than likely an overide swith for the cooling fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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