Dry sump tower - top assembly

[TomB]

Evening All,

Ive fitted a tower to my K series over winter, with the fixed cap kit as sold by CC here

http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=1014

So now it's on, with the central removal inner sleeve that the cap screws into, but I'm having real trouble getting the whole lot oil tight.  I've put a large O ring at the interface of the tower and fixed cap kit, but am struggling where the others go.  They didn't seem to fit well anywhere. 

Ive made a gasket from gasket card with hylomar sealer to go between the fixed cap base and the bolt down plate which seemed to improve things a little. However, the inner sleeve/ cap turns and doesn't inspire confidence that's its oil tight. 

After a short while of driving, the top of the plate is wet with oil, and will trickle down the tower unless I wipe it up.  As such, can anyone help with instructions to fit, and hints to make it all oil tight? 

[Adrian Williams]

It's been a while since I last took mine apart but the Central column shouldn't move and you don't need to make a gasket to keep it oil tight.

I tighten the cap and then nip up the top plate which in turn clamps the centre piece so that its oil tight, I have a feeling I might have used two main o rings based on a tip from another member. Also think that the smaller o ring sits under the Central coulmn but I could be mistaken with that.

[TomB]

Thanks Adrian. Any chance you could have a look how yours is set up next time your in the garage?   

A few calls to Caterham today havnt helped as the service team wont answer the phone! The kits comes with 2 big, 1 medium and 1 small O rings.  Ill try again tonight and take out the card gasket and see if I can get it all tight.  Logically the medium O ring would fit somewhere on the removable sleeve, but there is no obvious place for it to sit.  Im also worried about over tighning the small bolts and stripping a thread in the cap.  It seems a strange way of designing it, with a separate removable sleeve, but what do I know about designing swirl towers!   

[Englishmaninwales]

Like Adrian I used an extra o ring in there somewhere, but I can't remember where! Although my cap is different, the screw off type with the dip stick. The additional o ring cured the oil leak. I ll take a look next time the car is out.

[TomB]

Thanks.  For clarificaiton, mine is leaking onto the top plate, where the small bolts are, rather than from the interface between the tower casting and screw on fixed cap assesmbly.  I have wondered whether it could be coming out of the hose at the top, and actually I need an jubiliee clip on the rubber hose to the catch tank.  

Yesterday, my oil was overfilled (it was half way up the tower!), and having taken the sleeve out to suck some oil out, it wont go back together without the inner sleeve spinning. 

[Adrian Williams]

I'd be happy to Tom, it might be a while though as it will be a couple of weeks before I can get to it to have a look.

Malcolm (Englishmaninwales) was the member who told me about the two o rings in the first place but I can't remember if I did or didn't need both of them.

If it was OK before I'd try removing the gasket you made, loosening the Allen bolts, tightening the cap and then nipping up the Allen bolts. The central column should then stop rotating.

[TomB]

I've had a look at it tonight, removed the gasket card and now I can bolt the plate down tight enough so the inner sleeve doesn't move.  I've put a jubilee clip on the top hose incase anything is coming out that way, and put a couple of small plumbers O rings on the underside of the screw cap.  As the thread if the cap is quite coarse and shallow, I guess there is potential for oil creep up the thread and out below the cap onto the top plate.  I'll find some proper automotive O rings for the cap if it helps.  

[Adrian Williams]

Sounds like a plan Tom.