charlie_pank

Looking at this problem a totally different way - surely it's a bad thing to put the lambda probe on one of your primaries rather than measuring the output from all 4 cylinders? How does the ECU know that it should be measuring 1/4 of the amount of oxygen than it is used to when gathering data from all 4 cylinders? C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

What's the sequence for resetting an EU3 Rover Mems? - I'm wondering now whether the lack of fuel coming off the train somehow upset the ECU and whether a reset would help... C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

Nick, I'm fairly sure it's not distributor related, as I don't have one, I'm going to try replacing the coils (when Rover finally come up with some). I'm planning an Emerald in the not-too-distant future - funds permitting, so it will be interesting to see if this cures it too... Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

When I was in France I got through 3 ECU fuses (20A) so if you have an ECU, take some (it doesn't seem to go very well without it). Small bike pump & tyre pressure gauge. Allen keys and socket set. Leatherman is really useful. C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

put some masking tape over the scuttle and place the screen over the top. Mark through the holes in the screen where you want the holes in the scuttle to be on the masking tape. Then get a good centre punch to make sure you drill it in the right place. The secret with drilling metal is a nice sharp drill and go slowly! C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

I can't make it (I think the Rev Limiter might hit the red-line), but if it's any consolation it's very easy and the caterham supplied tool for fitting poppers is basically a drift and a backing plate. You hammer the drift into the popper to split the end of it. You could really do this with a nail if you don't have the tool. Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

Thanks PC. I ran 200 miles from Rouen to Calais on some shell 98 with no problems. It was only when I started it up in the car-park at the tunnel to get on the train that I started having the problems. I thought I was just running out of fuel as I spluttered my way to the service station on the Folkestone side of the tunnel. But I still get the problem when cold, now that the tank is full. If a cylinder was not firing at high revs, as I suspect it isn't at low revs, would I be able to tell from the engine note? Are there any checks I can do to confirm if it is only firing on 3 cylinders? C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

As a point to note with the oil and an apollo - i started the engine waited 2 mins and checked oil - looked about 1 cm too low!! Left engine running, came back 5 mins later, still about 7 mil too low, came back another 10 mins later, when oil temp was up to normal running temp and oil level was absolutely spot on. Is my oil expanding, or hiding til it's warm enough to come out and play!? Perhaps this phenomenon is confounding your readings when checking the oil? Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

As I'm sure you are all aware the fuel gaugue on the K-series over-reads right the way through the scale. On the blat back from Rouen to Calais I used 30 litres of fuel (I filled up in Rouen, then again in Folkestone). I reckon the capacity of the tank is little more than 30 litres, so I wasn't surprised as I spluttered up the ramp off the train platform. Fortunately it was only 1/2 a mile to the petrol station in Folkestone. However, I'm still finding it a bit spluttery when pulling away in 1st at low revs, it can be a bit of a surprise when suddenly the power comes back. I think it seems to be ok when warm. Not being an engine guru I can't immediately tell, but I suspect it's not firing on all cylinders when cold, or is intermittently firing on one of them when cold. Could I have gunked up an injector with the goo in the bottom of my tank? How can I tell etc... Thanks Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

If it is permanently stiff (ooer!) then try getting the trackin sorted as I've found a fractional increase of toe-in makes turning much heavier. If it is intermittently stiff (also ooer!) then it's new rack/rack rebuild time unfortunately as there is a defect with "some" racks causing them to become stiff if you spend too long driving in a straight line. I haven't had any info yet about how/why this happens, but I'm sure you'll agree it's quite scary on motorways! C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

Stuart, "With one qualifier, presuming that the hub and wheel flange are flat and in good condition and that the wheel bolts or hat mounting hardware is in good condition, installed correctly and tightened uniformly and in the correct order to the recommended torque specification, in more than 40 years of professional racing, including the Shelby/Ford GT 40s – one of the most intense brake development program in history - I have never seen a warped brake disc" perhaps one of the above is true in your case? Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

PC - quite right. The unevenness isn't warping, but "stuff" on the disc trying to turn into cementite! Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

Myles, The topic of 7 braking comes up quite often. (Do a search here to see) I'm sure I will be corrected fairly soon, but the general conclusion is that 7s don't feel like tin-tops under braking - no servo, no nose dive, no inertia-reel seatbelt. So although it will stop in an extremely short distance, the normal indications of deceleration that you are used to feeling, are not present. If you want to check it's working properly then do a brake test - measure the distance to do an emergency stop from 40 - 0 and then do the same in the tin-top of your choice. If you don't think these cars brake well, then I think you will be quite surprised by the result It may be that if you have only just acquired the car, then you are simply not used to the lack of servo assistance, thus the amount of force required to brake. Or, if you have had many 7s before it, then I could be talking out of my 🙆🏻 Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

I'd like to second Peter's suggestion. Garnet paper (available from model shops) is the recommended abrasive paper (not sandpaper as the silicon reacts with the disc). I had an awful lot of judder on the front right, it was all sort of skiddy and squealy on very low speed breaking. All fixed with a 5 minute rub-down with Garnet paper. Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

I'd definately agree on the different levels for pedals, - get the loud pedal to sit further away from you than the stoppy one. It also means that when you do want to H&T they're in the right place too, which is nice. The first time I tried I didn't think I'd be able to drive one, and my shoes are only size 6, but as everyone else said, it's a case of getting used to it. The puma slip-on trainers are very good, I've also found that camper shoes have narrow soles and despite their name look less limp-wristed than the puma ones. C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: Leave for Le Mans on the 7th S5EVN

:) ta peter Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

While changing oil, sponge & filter I noticed that if I hold my hand over the cam cover filler while the engine is running I can feel it blowing. It seems to me that this is a bad thing - am I wrong? C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Mikey, apologies - you're absolutely right, but if you're understeering that much in the 7 then something's not right. These things are supposed to oversteer - that's what people mean when they talk about going sideways. I assumed that if you'd been doing it all around the track, you must have meant oversteer, as that's how I would expect a 7 to behave. Sorry, misread - I see you oversteer, not understeer on the 3rd mention of it. Is anyone else unfortunate enough to suffer from UNDERsteer on the track? I've only managed to do it when being seriously brutal with the steering, which is not how I drive on the track (smoothness and all that). C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN Edited by - charlie_pank on 6 May 2003 15:11:33

Ummm Mickey, I think you mean oversteer? Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Drifter, I had some tyres like that once, I found that the difference between grip and no grip was pretty binary, thus making any oversteer moment very trouser-spoiling. Get some Yoko A021s on there, they let go very progressively indeed. If you really want to powerslide, try accelerating hard, turning in, then lifting off in 2nd @ 60 (assuming you've got a 5 speed box), as soon as it starts to go give it about 3/4 throttle to hold the slide. If it slides too far, ease up on the throttle slightly and give it some opposite lock - look out for it flicking back the other way. If it isn't sliding enough give it a little more throttle. NB. I learned to do this on the Motorsport events academy day (Thanks very much Mark) on a nice empty track, with lots of tuition and destruction of a lot of cones. I really don't recommend learning this on the road, especially not on CR322s. Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Caterham have provided me with a new steering rack, I am to return the old one, order for them to attempt to get some money back from the suppliers for me. I've been thinking about how to keep the tracking setup correct... my plan is as follows 1) Measure the distance between a point on the wheel and the chassis when the steering is straight (do this for both sides). 2) remove old rack 3) put in new rack and adjust the tracking so that the distances are the same as they were measured in 1) This means that: - I need to make sure that the steering is DEAD straight before I start (the distance measured between N/S wheel and chassis should be exactly the same as the distance between O/S wheel and chassis) - I need to make sure that the new steering rack is in the dead centre before I fit it - In order to have the full range of movement and to avoid fouling the body on one side, I need to make sure that I adjust the track-rod ends to the same distance in order to acheive the toe-in. So my questions are - is there anything I've missed? Is there a way of making sure the new rack is in the dead straight position before I start? Is measuring the distances between wheel and chassis on each side, and making sure they're the same a good enough way of making sure the old rack is pointing dead straight before I take it off? Is there a better way of doing the above procedure than I have described? Thanks Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Having never had a rack in pieces before I've got a couple of questions caused by peoples advice so far... I have a picture in my mind of how it should all work, I'm expecting to find a rack with a rod sticking out from each end of it.The free end of each rod is attached to the wheel, somewhere on the upright. Is there a difference between "tie" rods and "track" rods? I'm assuming that if they ARE different, one of them is the rod that goes to the wheel, the other must be somewhere under the gaiter. I've been thinking about Hoopy's description of rebuilding the rack, to try and understand how the rods fit onto the rack itself, and I've come to the conclusion it's just better to ask, or even better, does someone have a nice schematic diagram of how it all fits together? - I'm not holding out much hope, but it's always worth asking!! C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Does anyone know the root cause of the problem I'm having here. If it just needs some more grease somewhere, can I remove the gaiters and shove as much grease as I can manage into the ends of the rack and move it around a lot to distribute it? I don't think it's something bent as that would surely cause a problem all the time, rather than just when motorway driving... Hoopy, when you talk about rebuilding, which bits are you proposing I replace, or do you think that taking it apart and reassembling is enough to make it all work again? C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Ta hoopy, BTW I owe you money. Was it 10 or 20 squids? If you let me know I'll give it to Rich Hooker to give to you. Well done C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN

Bare, Looking through the archives there is someone else who describes the same problem. The responses to this suggested that if you had a rack with a brass bush, you should try a plastic one as this was not prone to sticking. In fact I think they said that this was Caterham's fix. This is why I mentioned that it was a plastic one. Caterham do seem to be aware of the problem on a "small number of cars" and were interested to know the age of it and who they originally sold it to. (I wonder if there's a faulty batch of racks out there - this information would probably allow them to trace it back to the batch the rack came from). C Charlie'n'Kermit The plan is: the lakes this weekend, not the Kent Blat on Sunday morning! S5EVN