Jonathan Kay

Whilst blatting this morning my 2010 S3 1.6 Sigma engine momentarily cut out then came back to life... ... but as well as the oil pressure gauge only reading 1 bar and in the red, the rev counter occasionally spiked at 5000 revs even though i was only cruising at 40 mph where 2000 revs is the norm. Not sure what's happening here. Can you reproduce the fault? Any recent work done? More when you tell us if you have a multimeter... Jonathan

Is there a direct replacement for the caterham electrical oil pressure guage or is it a fairly simple job to wire a Stack or Racetech guage on to the current Caterham plug which goes on to the gauge? Or could it be the oil pressure sender that has gone? I dont really want to fit a mechanical oil pressure gauge. It could be the sender or the gauge that is at fault. (Or just possibly something else but that's unlikely.) It's quite easy to do the initial diagnostic tests: do you have a multimeter? From what I can tell electrical senders are more unreliable than electrical gauges. And you can make them more reliable by mounting them with a small length of hose to the aperture. To use another type of gauge you need two things to be compatible: the diameter and the resistance range. Wiring is simple. If it is the gauge that is at fault then it's probably repairable. Jonathan

Is it an autobleed system? Previous discussions. Jonathan

Yes, and it's never too late to prevent further damage. Private Mail sent. Jonathan

... today it just went into a none existent whisper so need some advice as to what's wrong with it... Any recent changes or work? Do all the indicators still flash at the correct speed and as brightly as they should? Ditto with the hazard warning lights? LED or incandescant lamps? Jonathan

Lots of options and previous discussions, including louder buzzers with no other change of function and clever devices that include delay timers. Which would you prefer? Many are aimed at the motorcycle market but they should work fine on a 7. Jonathan

£2,600 seems enormous. Any more information... multiple offences, aggravating circumstances? Jonathan

Edited: Crossed with pikeyboy's. I read somewhere that the penalty for illegal plates are points plus fine but no plate is just the fine. Yes, that's the assertion I referred to in post #3. But a cursory look* didn't reveal support either in the regulations or in actual penalties imposed. (If I were adjudicating I wouldn't be too impressed by a defendant who I thought was deliberately breaking the rules compared with one who made a mistake out of ignorance. As the legal aphorism doesn't say: Nemo asinum callidum amat). Jonathan * Only a cursory look because I agree with your last sentence.

The anecdotal experience is that no-one cares. Jonathan

PS: If I were acquiring a scissor jack for the 7 I'd probably pay extra for the lower mass of one made of aluminium. Jonathan

Hand throttles used to be standard on various European cars. But they have two differences from modern cruise controls: They don't control speed when the load varies. They don't relinquish control when the brake pedal (?etc) is pressed.Does not having the second cause problems in practice? Jonathan

... the grooves are there for an escape of hot gasses of the friction material while being hard on the braking. More please: is that from the pads themselves or the local air? Jonathan

I'm going to take a lot of convincing about downforce. But there is an existing CFD model... Jonathan PS: ... some type of fins to create some down force. I read that as "fans". :-)

"INF104: vehicle registration numbers and number plates" Jonathan

IIRC the source of the factory jack is known: let us know if you can't find it in the the archives. But there must be an enormous selection at breakers' yards. Mine is mounted transversely in front of the heater using well nuts. Jonathan PS: What's the connection between Lotus suspension and VW jacks?

I think they aren't handed. And I agree it looks strange. Jonathan PS: Aren't A021Rs like that as well?

Thee's some discussion in the archives: you can cut down the total size of the plate while keeping the symbols within regulations. And enforcement doesn't seem to be common. You'll also find assertions that: No-one cares if you stick an adhesive version on the bonnet. The penalty is lower for removing the front one, keeping it in the car and saying that it has just fallen off. I wouldn't bet that way.Jonathan

We can help with that... ... and with how best to show the effect... :-) Jonathan

If you fit these please could you take some comparison photos of the illumination? Thanks Jonathan

Might one of the Bees help? ;-) Jonathan

I'd exclude a few simple things before getting to the control systems. Any recent changes or work? Has it been washed or out in the rain? All HT connections nice and snug? Throttle actuation nice and smooth all the way along the mechanical bits?Jonathan

Had another look at suspension and it looks like the slack is because of wear in the Front offside lower wishbone bearing. Any thoughts on where I can get a replacement bearing from ? I think Edd China would probably replace both sides. Just noticed some slight movement in the offside front wheel; almost as if the wheel bolts were lose - but they're not. I'm lost: is that an additional problem or the same one? Jonathan

Perhaps I was thinking of measuring the final drive ratio... ;-( Jonathan

You're right. My prop shaft doesn't turn. I was misremembering a previous response. Jonathan PS: The criticism was that there's a type of LSD where the test is misleading.

I usually get criticised for this, but try jacking up the car and turning one wheel. If the prop shaft turns stop it (Edited: This is wrong: see below.). Which way does the other wheel turn? What's the history of the car? Jonathan