gazsouthgate Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hey allHave had my 2015 Supersport R (2.0 Duratec) for about 3 months now – 2 trackdays done already though – and was looking for some advice on some reasonably silly things.Oil: I recently had the car do its first service – all good – then did 2 x trackdays. I didn’t check the oil post service, but since the second trackday I’d say the oil level is just above the highest part of the “tip” of the dipstick. It doesn’t go very far into the flat part of the dip stick. Am I right to assume there is no harm adding more oil, and if so how much do I add? I know this is such a lame question, but my previous car was a Boxster S and I never had to add oil other than regular services!Lumpy / Odd idling ("Humping?"): Recently I’ve encountered an issue of the car having a lumpy idle from cold, where the revs rise and fall when waiting at traffic lights and then sometimes fall so far as to actually die. Then, when I restart the car (whilst praying the battery is up to it) the engine software seems to “re-set” and it idles smoothly. Really odd, and annoying as the battery has been known to let me down before I’m out of central London and charging the thing upPedal positions: I had the guys at Caterham adjust the position of the brake and clutch to give me more legroom (am 6ft 1) but now they rest just past the throttle and way past when depressed meaning heal and toe (which I do very badly) is impossible. Probably needs someone to look at the set-up, but is the throttle moveable as well, or do I need to move the other pedals back to where they were, nearer to me? Brake feel: I’ve always associated Caterhams with having great brake feel, but honestly I feel that the pedal is quite spongy for the first inch+. I’d prefer a much harder pedal on initial stabbing – is this just me, do the brakes need more bedding in, or do they perhaps need bleeding? I feel I have to push a good way down before they really bite.Rear-view mirror – fallen off already! Oh and finally, has anyone else found their rear-view mirror shakes itself to freedom? Mine came free and I wonder what adhesive people would recommend for me to return it to its natural place. It came off on the home straight of Brands when I had a race-spec R300 behind me….deeply uncomfortable!Any help appreciatedJames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hunting .... rather than humping !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Add oil to max mark on dipstick. Probably check level with engine hot and running. Pedal should not be spongy. Suspect air trapped probably in rear calipers. Throttle pedal position can be adjusted ... to different pivot point ... and by adjusting outer of throttle cable in engine bay ... assuming they still have a cable ... not electronic throttle. Rear view mirror .... clean glass with meths. Remove all of adhesive from mirror Base. Warm screen and use a glass adhesive pad with green side towards glass. Rough running ... take it back under warranty. Welcome to BlatChat .... excuse lack of line feeds .. typing on Android and they don't work yet in BlatChat. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 7, 2015 Member Share Posted June 7, 2015 Welcome.What sort of oil system do you have?... or do I need to move the other pedals back to where they were, nearer to me?Lots of people have problems with this. In addition to choosing positions it's quite common to bend the throttle pedal. And there are accounts of doing this without removing it... I added an extension to the L side of the throttle pedal to make it easier to heel and toe. Mine's oak but I'm told that other materials are available.Having moved the clutch or throttle pedals have a good look at the angle that the cable makes as it enters the pedal box. A bad angle probably causes increased wear.... has anyone else found their rear-view mirror shakes itself to freedom?Yes. Sometimes they stay on for ages and sometimes they don't. I just clean and try again. I'm not conviced that one sort of pad is better than another. Do you know about the Club's discount vouchers for Halfords?There is a recommended suction-pad mirror somewhere in the archives. (A minority party advocates not having a central mirror.)JonathanPS: Crossed with SM25T's. Not that that's ever happened before... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian B Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Welcome Just a note, but I suspect your pedal set up may not be the same as the "old school" arrangement being advised upon above, and adjustment is not the same. Can't be sure but it may be worth bearing that in mind before trying to find the adjustments mentioned above that may not be there on your chassis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Guys - thanks so much for the help. Lots for me to be getting on with. What a helpful community!Regarding the question about oil system, I don't know what I have. Er, what are the options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Wet sump ..... dry sump, small oil cooling radiator ?. Are there any external oil tanks or pumps on the engine ... or is it just a 'normal' engine with an oil filler cap and dipstick ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Where are you based ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRL Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 With regards to the soft pedal feel is your car fitted with a standard M/C? If so your best option may be to upgrade to the A.P. race M/C when Caterham get it in stock: http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=29 Lots in the archives about the standard M/C getting soft after track use and I have the same problem with mine. No amount of bleeding has helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 11, 2015 Member Share Posted June 11, 2015 How's it going? And what's the problem with the battery?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Evening all - love this forum!The car is bone stock, so to answer questions - SM25T: I am based in London Bridge (SE1) and the oil set up is bog standard. Dip stick, Oil filler cap.- KRL - interesting stuff - I definitely have master cylinder. Am going to swing by caterham and see what they think - tempted to give one of their boys a spin in it and see what they think as they drive so many- Jonathan - its going great! Battery wise, when the car was brand new i suffered with a flat battery after driving for a while <20mph with lights and windscreen wipers on in traffic. Parked to pick a mate up, went to restart, and car died! Had to jump it. Has been better since to be honest.Am going to top up the oil and sort the mirror this weekend, then a trip down to caterham for Hunting/Humping and braking questions.Thanks guys!James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo V Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hi James I have 2013 super sport r same as yours and have Lost the mirror plus flat battery in traffic plus engine died with rough idle LOTS.took back to cc and they adjust per idle speed control on ecu. It's much better but does very occasionally die. This is sometimes down to driving style. I have found the tendency is to overcompensate and blip the throttle when you think it may die (because it did a lot) which in turn caused it to die!defo get cc to look at it very straightforward fix but they raised mine too much making difficult to get into 1st gear so had to get it back to the pm to take a couple hundred rpm off.new mirror pad has lasted over year so far.I also now have a ctek charger but the flat battery is probably because you are constantly having to crank starter when engine dies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hey Damo - very interesting post. CC did say the same thing you did about speed control on ECU - apparently it has two operating modes and if it gets confused between modes it can cause the humping. You are so right about over-compensating - I do often try and hold the revs up to compensate and then it definitely dies! I too invested in a CTEK and now if I know I plan to go out the next day I try the starter the night before and if no good I just take out the battery and run the CTEK overnight. Live and learn.Also guys - what is the caterham recommended oil for the SuperSport R, i.e. Duratec 2.0? Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo V Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 edit. they told me it was standard.. But still managed to fix it (mostly) it's fine now really tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 11, 2015 Member Share Posted June 11, 2015 The oil etc should be in the Handbook. If you haven't got a copy I think they are now on the Caterham Cars (not parts) website. But let us know if not.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo V Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 5W-50 fully synthetic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Guys thanks for your help so far - I have some Miller Oils 5W-50 ready to go. And again, forgive this being a very numpty-like question - can I top-up the existing oil I have (its the same brand and weight), and if so how do I know what is too much / not enough?Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 18, 2015 Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 How old is your current oil? And do you know when the filter was last changed?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 I had the car serviced about 200 miles ago and changed the filter then - but have since done a track day at Brands and ragged the life out of her. Suspect Oil was added at the service (it was the new car ~1000 mile service) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin J Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 wrong thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 18, 2015 Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 If you have any doubts about the oil: full oil and filter change asap.See SM25T's questions and comments above on type of system and how to check level.JonathanPS: We'll get to that battery when you've solved everything else! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thanks for the help guys - managed to get the mirror back on today. Brake cleaner proved (more than) effective at getting the old adhesive off, and then I used an autobar mirror pad a parts store near me. Will see if it's still there in the morning. Going to top up oil as well - I've got some Miller oils 5-50 ready to go and should be all set for early start tomorrow! Oh and battery currently having some r and r with a ctek charger! Just need to sort braking pedal position and squidgy feel. Caterham cars here I come - need to go anyway as they forgot to stamp my service book on first service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 20, 2015 Member Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thanks for the update.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsouthgate Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thought you guys were owed an update. Great blat this morning - headed out on A113 towards Chipping Ongar and then B184 north. Some great driving roads in Essex...who knew! Added 300ml of oil last night but mid-run I check the oil and found that the reading will still only really at midpoint on dipstick, so added another 200mls at a quiet petrol station (dont like attention!), still reading was mid-point at best, so added a final further 200mls and then had a nice healthy max reading which was still there when I got home. Had some nice fun experimenting with little half slides on quiet junctions and roundabouts in1st gear - so epic. Brakes definitely need a look - i really can't "brush" them entering fast unsighted corners without putting in about 2-2.5 inches of travel which seems too much, btu will see Caterham to get it looked at.And the mirror is still on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Apparently there were (are) a number of issues with the CC standard engine map which was done by Cosworth. CC really don't have the expertise or facilities to remap and have a tendency to fiddle around with mechanical, rather than map, settings without a lot of success. The good news is that there is a highly reputable mapping outfit near you who are able to remap these ECUs properly. Very few tuners can do this as the ECU mapping is encrypted to protect CC but Steve Greenald at Track N' Road is the magician of remapping them. If you decide to go this route, you can call Steve on 07774 773824. It'll cost you a few hundred quid, most of a day and, quite possibly, an evening of your time, plus several packets of Hobnobs. But the result will blow your mind. Oh, and take your own ear defenders if you value your hearing.Sorry, edited to add that Track N' Road are at Rainham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now