Nigel Hooper Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 As a new owner, I shall be putting my 7 away at the end of Oct until the weather improves in the spring. Any advice on what to do, I will disconnect the battery and put it on jacks. Should I do anything else? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxseven Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Sit in it every month and make brum brum noises 😬 😬 L7 BDA Supersprint Joy here 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Plenty in the archives if you do a search. Common problems on startup appear to include: i) Brakes seized onto discs (make sure the handbrake is off for starters) ii) Clutch plate seized onto flywheel (not sure there's much you can do to prevent this...?) iii) Battery dead as a dodo - consider removing it from the car and putting it on a conditioner. Other than that, make sure it's clean and dry (especially the 'grot traps' and spray anything you can get at (other than brake components) with something like GT85/Duck Oil/WD40 to keep the moisture off. Project Scope-Creep is live... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stelios Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 As per above - handbrake off and battery conditioner are definites. You should perhaps consider starting the car up & leave it running for a while once a week as well. Stelios the Bubble Click here for my Caterham 7 page or here for some photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted September 26, 2005 Area Representative Share Posted September 26, 2005 Clutch: length of wood to fully depress pedal. But in all seriousness - run it monthly at least. Why not? If you have put it on SORN then just back it out onto the drive. If not at least take it out for half an hour to get all the vital fluids moving. Crazy not to - I know that it is likely to be a colder than average winter but it doesn't rain every weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I wouldnt start it unless you intend getting it fully up to temperature , >90C water /oil for a reasonable period of time . Condensation will build up inside the engine and exhaust and contaminants will build up in the oil . I would depress clutch every week for a few strokes, remove spark plugs and spray a little oil inside the cylinders and then block holes with rag. Remove the battery and place inside the house . Empty the tank of fuel down to about 4 L ( less stale fuel in 4 months time ) .Drain the engine oil and filter and replace with fresh. Cover the car with a dust cover and thats it realy . C7 TOP Powered by Hellier Performance 😬 South Wales AO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Howe Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Also, don't put it away until after the London to Brighton Old Crocs/Sausage run on Sunday 6 November 05 - that is the offical end of the season! JH Deliveries by Saffron, the yellow 230bhp Sausage delivery machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Why would you want to lock it away for the winter? I've had some of my most enjoyable blats in the winter. The coldest it's been is -2. Warmly clothed, heater on, dry empty country roads, no leaves on the hedgrows so you can actually see if anything is coming round the bend on your side of the road - FANTASTIC 😬 BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Why would you want to lock it away for the winter? We lost an unusually high (it seemed) number of cars to accidents last winter... Project Scope-Creep is live... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team Shaun_E Posted September 26, 2005 Support Team Share Posted September 26, 2005 Have a look in the archives here for some information on winter storage. Yellow SL #32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizz Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 What's a winter ? Is it when you lot have that white stuff falling ? from Isle of Wight (wow it's hot !) Dizz SV DD02CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Whitley Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 This is winter 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patneale Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Nigel, I wash the car well and wipe underneath and hose down the wheelarches, then drive car about 5 miles assuming it is not wet, to dry it off. Leave in garage with door open for rest of day. Then put car up on axle stands, remove the wheels and clean with Comma alloy wheel cleaner especially on the inside. Grease the the studs. I leave wheels off under the car. Whilst doing that you can clean up the area around the fuel tank and the A frame. Grease the handbrake cable via the nipple Autogleam the body and clean seats with leather cleaner and then leather restorer to put back the oils.Polish the exhaust pipe to remove the "blue" Clean carpets,checking that there is no water trapped underneath them and the seats. Put the hood up normally, remove one of the doors for ventilation of the inside. Remove battery and charge up every 2 weeks. Leave bonnet clips undone and cover the whole thing with a soft dust sheet. Start the engine every month and warm through until the fan cuts in. Leave the handbrake off . This winter will be my 6th and I haven't had any problems with start up in the spring previously. Putting the hood up prevents creases especially in the "windows" and stretches it so it will easier to put up in the spring if you need to. If you do ALL this you can still have hours of fun playing with the car during the winter ? !!! Make sure that nothing in the garage like the lawnmower and bikes will fall on it and you can get to all those things that are in the back of the garage without damaging the car in the process especially if it is immovable on axle stands. Don't be tempted to go into the garage at night without putting the light on, I did and knocked the bike rack onto the bonnet and it made a real mess of it. More damage seems to occur in the garage over the winter than on the road.. you have been warned. Have fun HUGH ROBINSON 140 HP Xpower SV 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Eccles Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Get a life and drive the dammed thing, its only water in two different forms Ho Hum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Yes, ones salted the other isn't *tongue* Keep off the straight and narrow 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Eccles Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Nifty , dont get me started on salt it`s the polishers next 😬 Ho Hum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patneale Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Chris. 19,200 miles since March 2003 as a 2nd car is regarded by CC as totally excessive. They reckon that average is 3000 miles per year ! Which is why I take such care of it in the winter. HUGH ROBINSON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Eccles Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 patneale, not wishing to play car trumps but i have covered 37,000 miles in two years, everyday car they can be fun in winter Hugh *smile* Ho Hum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patneale Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Chris Mine goes in garage about early Dec to 28th Feb or when the salt appears, which seems to be when it drops below 10 c and the wind is in the North ! Local Authority seem terrified that it might be caught with frost on the road and no salt ! My first Caterham seemed to produce rain the moment it left the garage and this one has seen rain enough to wear out the wipers which broke in France near Grenoble... 400 miles without wipers was to say the least interesting motoring , but OK up to 65 MPH, when everything in front disappeared, I tried faster, but it got worse!! HUGH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Do as above and take it out on dry ish saltfree days for a halfhour gentle ish blat. Solves all the seizing up problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patneale Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Chris Eccles, In view of your mileage.... how has reliability been ? I had everything go wrong over a 2 week period in July and seriously wondered if I should keep it. I had thought of a CSR 200, but since the initial price list around Christmas 2004 the 6 speed gearbox and leather seats have been deleted and if you have the new dashboard you have to have a lowered floor. To put them all back in puts the price up to around £32,000 self build, which puts it into Boxster prices. Rumour has it that CC found with new dash that with QR Momo unable to be fitted ,it was almost impossible to get into the thing so floor had to be lowered to make room. Failures over 2 week period were.... Wiper drive, Alternator bearing (rear due to overheating from exhaust pipe) temperature and oil pressure senders. All these seem to be common failures even the wipers on high mileages on SV models......... Drive is bent through such an angle after motor that friction is excessive and the spiral drive has a very short life. Hugh ROBINSON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted September 27, 2005 Area Representative Share Posted September 27, 2005 I'm with Chris, drive it. My rate of adding mileage is lower, but it has got through six winters, of which four were on the roadside in London - so I had to use it! A few battery problems but the more I used it the fewer of these cropped up. Having moved and changed work, I use it rather less (shame) but in the garage I plug in a battery conditioner (not a trickle charger) and it still gets onto the road several times each week. As I said before and as others have said, the lowest effort and simplest way of storing over the winter is to make use of it. All respect to Hugh, who has a clear technique to fulfil his objectives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 I'm with the drive it brigade on this one. I can't understand why you would want to lock it away for the winter. Obviously you don't want to go out on damp salted roads, but you get some lovely dry crisp mornings in the winter. Best time of year in a lot a respects! Even if you only use it every couple of weeks, beats all that faffing around to store it. Drive it! Still Shaking. 6 speed 1600k Supersport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Griffiths Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Agree, drive it, that's what they are for Peter 7 Rosina C7 PRG XFlow + Clams The 24 carat Solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Tony, That snow looks wet to me. That isn't all that cold. Jason's pic here looks colder... here Me I've blatted in -19 but that was in Sweden My advice would be to use it all winter when possible. There are many opportunities down here in the sunny south. I am sure it keeps problems away and is good for the engine / car... Always warm the oil up carefully though. Starting and idleing / running with no load is not that great for the engine either. Best to drive it. Hants (north) / Berkshire club here Area meeting pics here My Racing here Edited by - stevefoster on 27 Sep 2005 16:23:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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