Gridgway

Thanks ECR, I assume the lock wire goes around the trumpet to get from nut to nut? Does anyone have a source of drilled plain M6 nuts?

thanks all, I didn't find the exploded diagram on Webcon. #5 how did you lockwire them? I assume you used nuts with lockwire holes drilled? Where did you lockwire to? Also if one uses loctite then that'll really want to undo the stud as well, is that a problem?

#2 BM received, helmet has your name on it. Where in the country are you?

Just clearing some stuff out... Size S white Hedtec race helmet SA2005. Had very light use as it didn't comfortably fit its owner's head (my daughter). Out of date for racing, but ok for track days. Also has Hans posts. A pair of Climax motorcycle goggles that I got quite a few years ago when I was screenless and wore glasses. Seems ok still, the elastic is still elastic and they are in good nick. Can send pics if anyone is interested. Both free to a good home. Graham

Bit of an obscure one, but I've had cause to change the chokes in my DCOE webers (crossflow). This is simple. 4 nuts to undo that clamp the trumpet retaining tabs (on studs). This is a rebuilt engine with refreshed carbs by a weber specialist. Now the nuts are nylocs which certainly looks out of place. Also one of the studs has come out rather than the nyloc undoing. It's odd as the nyloc has undone a few turns then locked solid. It will neither tighten nor loosen. I have concluded that I need to get a replacement stud. Now to the question. Can anyone with webers look and see what nuts are used please? I don't really like nylocs in this situation as they are always going to try and undo the studs. I would imagine that it should have plain nuts and spring washers or other shakeproof washers. Clearly you don't want them to undo inside the air filters and end up going in! This ebay ad implies plain nuts and spring washers. Thanks Graham

To explain my suggestion better .. yes disconnect the wire to the solenoid at the solenoid end. Pull it off the spade connector. Then you won't get any noise of cranking so your can hear of there is a relay click or not.

Perhaps pull the supply to the solenoid, activate the starter and see if you can hear a click work it's working as it were. Then if you have clear evidence of a click normally and no click when it doesn't work it's more likely to be the relay in the mfru.

in which case, being quite important, I'd refit both dampers without springs (with any bump stops) and jack up the DD tube to see where it goes. I'd not rely on others' measurments as there may be differences, damper closed length for example. When addinf a facet fuel pump to the rear of my LA caterham, I did exaclty that, not wanting a axle-fuel pump interface moment!

Excellent approach - hit it with a hammer! [Mr Gumby - for those who remember such things]

Just curious about why you need to know? Should be fairly easy to pull a damper off, take off the spring and measure the closed length?

One of the normal things to blame is the mfru. First thing I'd diagnose is whether you are getting 12v to the starter solenoid when it won't crank. That would eliminate the starter motor (or point to it as the culprit). I might go as far as to wire in a fly lead from the 12v on the solenoid up to the battery area (taking care that nothing can short). Then if it fails again it's easy to put a volt meter on.

I'd not be using rivnuts to hold a battery in. They are good, but to my mind not for something safety critical that has mass like a battery. if you can get bolts in from underneath (by removing the battery tray) that you can hold to tighten that would be much better. One of my pet peeves is aftermarket batteries in 7s with shoddy bodged battery trays!

A member has messaged me (thanks!) with what looks like the right connector block here https://europaspares.com/delta_terminal_block_pins_for_hazard_switch_only_dstbh I'll have a look further as well as trying the current connector block again. #13 I did think of that approach or somehow bodge two 5 pin connector blocks. Hopefully obe of the above 2 will work!

Right I thought I had this nailed, but it seems not. I've tried to put a new connector into the connector socket, but it looks like somehow the whole soldering escapade has damaged the socket in some way and it won't go in. Then in my haste I bought a new 5 pin socket, when it's actually an 8 pin one. And the 8 pin ones are NLA. Armed with this info I will have another go at getting the connector into the socket block with renewed gusto. But if that fails I am a bit stuck. There are quite a few variants on the Caterham parts website. 1981-2010 which uses 6 pins of 8 available (which is what I have). 2010 on which uses the 5 pin arrangement. This makes sense with one +ve in to switch to 4 corners, although I don;t think the switch works quite that way. Soldering the wire back on the switch is an increasingly attractive idea!

#8 Yes I bought this pack from their ebay shop 5 pin connector Their main website is here Thee Way Components #7 Will take a photo later and show

Thanks again, I have bought some spares off ebay (there seems to be one uk supplier - something like Three Way Electrical) plus a connector removal tool. The connectors just crimp on using the ratchet crimp tool. There might be enough length on the two broken wires to crimp a new connector on, but I expect they'll need extending. I'll probably solder one extension wire to the two rather than try and crimp two wires into one connector. I also ordered a new connector block in case the one on there is damaged and won't hold the connector in. Then I'll have to get all the connectors back in the right holes! Interestingly, when I was working on the fog light switch problem (the one next to the hazards which is how I found the broken wire) I was checking fuses. I noted then that the indicator fuse had a label sellotaped to it and wondered why. Now I know! Interestingly the fuse positions are different from the manual. Most are ok, but two are swapped over - the indicator fuse being one of them. I'm rambling now!

Thanks all, I'll research what's needed. I doubt that the wires are long enough now to comfortably be crimped in. So I can see still having to extend them. But I can do it in a much neater way and without soldering to the pin of the switch!

Seems a simple solution! What model of LR are they from for me to search please?

This is the first bodgery I've come across in my LA 7. What you can see is the wiring connector block and hazard switch. Those two green and white wires are for the rh indicators and should be in a female terminal in the connector block. For some reason that must have broken so they have been connected to two extending wires and then connected to one wire (using those ghastly pre-insulated crimp connectors). The wire was threaded through the connector block and soldered to the pin on the switch. Who would do that nonsense? And to the questions, what are those wiring connector blocks called? How are they used? Is it likely that I can get a new female end, connect it to the green and white wires and mount it securely in the connector block? If I need a new block are the female ends easy to get out of the old one? And yes it worked for the MoT and I was replacing the fog light switch that worked but didn't have a tell tale (the MoT didn;t pick that up!). I took out the hazard switch and the soldered wire broke off.

Looks like the arms changed in 2000. Need to see if the newer ones are shorter or longer.

I need new wiper blades on my live axle 7, so I was pleased to read Gavin Hobbs' article in LF. I missed the bit originally about being an SV chassis! Curious about the lengths, I though I would measure before ordering the 220mm morgan ones. So my wipers are 170mm in length not Gavin's 235mm! They reach up to the top of the glass when in motion, but leave a big area unswept at the bottom. Anyone know anything about the arm length, or is there some other dimensional change going on the the windscreen dept? The 6" ones mentioned in the article will work for me, but leave an even bigger area unswept at the bottom. Just shorter arms needed? Also my arms are matt black, so I couldn't really fit silver wipers with a clear conscience!

Right, got past that bit successfully!

To help isolate the problem, make up a fly lead with a connector on one end to go to the solenoid replacing the wire from the relay (not the main feed to the starter). Then touch the other end to the +ve of the battery and see if the starter cranks or still just clicks. That is bypassing your k-starter relay mod and ruling it (plus the relay in the MFRU) in or out. If you still get the click, either the battery is poor or the solenoid in the starter has suffered the heat degradation as described in # 5 above. Get the battery tested and replace if duff. If not duff, get the starter (solenoid) rebuilt. As recommended to me Burghfield Starters near Reading are very good if you are over that way.

Right, we have a happy ending. After taking some reassurances from the engine builder, I bolted the starter in. The main battery cable didn't reach. I was going to use the wiring in place from the solenoid and use a "link" wire on the starter. But as I had some wiring work to do, I bit the bullet and rewired to remove the solenoid as well. That took some time and a new battery cable, but the results are much simpler and tidy. And to the main news. Re-connected the ignition to get sparks, turned the key, cranked and fired into life not a drama or even a slowing, super duper. Not really going to know the problem - wrong number of teeth on the starter pinion? Just not man enough? My engine builder consulted a starter expert who actually said he didn't think 9 or 10 teeth would make much difference with 110 teeth on the ring gear - who knows? Now I need to find time to get it on the rolling road to set up the carbs and the timing, get an MoT, some insurance and tax (not in that order) and we are blat-ready! Thanks everyone for the help and encouragement. Fab as always. Graham

I think it's all because it's non-oem flywheel. It's a TTV steel flywheel with 110 teeth We clearly didn't communicate enough in the build! The starter is an RAC418. I'm waiting for a call back, but I think the 9 tooth starter should work, so I will strangely be ok!