Jonathan Kay

How much does it weigh? ;-) Jonathan

Speedhunters article. http://speedhunters-wp-production.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/02090011/Caterham-160-04-1200x800.jpg Are rollbars on 160s different from those on other 7s? Jonathan

Could this be because the wires are in the wrong way? I think so. Brown is traditionally unswitched battery positive, but IG should be ignition-switched positive. Alternator to warning light is traditionally Brown/Yellow but that should be on the L terminal. What do you have on the S terminal? Can you see where the yellow wire goes or connects to... could it be a local extension for the new alternator? Have you got all of the following: The factory wiring diagram for your car? If not send me a Private Mail with your email address. What should go where from the Brise article in post #18? Appended below. The "standard" wiring colours? It's never guaranteed that these are right for any particular vehicle.Jonathan How do I connect the alternator into my vehicles electrical system? Brise Alternators can generally be supplied with what we term as 'one wire' or 'three wire' connection systems. The one wire regulator that is available for certain DENSO type alternators only requires a connection to the main Battery output post with no connections to the voltage regulator. This type does not have the option of a warning light control terminal. Three wire systems require the same battery output post to be connected but also need an ignition switched 12v power supply to the 'IG' terminal of the regulator. The 'IG' terminal provides the power for the regulator to operate, and needs to be switched on and off with the ignition to avoid power drain when the engine is not running. If the regulator connector includes an 'S' battery voltage sense terminal, it must be connected to a +12v supply. It is not necessary for this to be switched as it is only a sensing wire and does not consume any current. It is advisable for the connection to the 'S' terminal to be made as directly to the battery post as possible to eliminate voltage drop in cables however the alternator will work properly even if the 'IG' and 'S' terminals are linked together. The 'L' terminal controls the dashboard warning light and in most cases is an optional connection. This terminal is effectively the same as battery negative or earth when the alternator is not charging, hence connecting your warning light wire to it will illuminate the bulb. When the alternator is charging, this terminal becomes the same as battery positive which will extinguish the warning light bulb. The Alternator is earthed through it's body therefore it is important to check that the mounting bracket gives a good earth and there is no paint or aluminium anodising treatment that could degrade the connection. ... http://www.brise.co.uk/images/D/image-02.jpg

Brise terminal identification and functions. I think you could get a bit further without the multimeter: What colour are the thin wires attached to each of the three terminals on the alternator? Temporarily remove the wire from the L terminal and cover the free end. Does the warning light now stay off when the ignition is turned on and never illuminate? (This may sound otiose but Andrew spotted a problem of a false current route that affected both the light and the instruments. That was fixed by replacing the fuse.)Jonathan

The alternator is a Brise unit, connected by spade terminals as this is how the wires were previously. Could they be shorting between L and IG connection to cause the light on? If Christmas came early I'd start (!) by checking the voltage across the battery at 3,000 rpm to be sure that it's charging OK. Then, as you suggest, checking all the wiring and connections at the alternator. Jonathan

Also since the battery change and alternator refurb I'm getting the warning light in the centre of the dash as in the image below. On with ignition and never extinguishes, or something ele? ... and the rev counter now sits at an obscure value which is no relation to what the engine is doing Other instruments/ Stack readings working normally? Check the fuse to the instruments. Do you have a multimeter? Jonathan

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Have you got a wiring diagram, the colour code and a multimeter? Send me a Private Mail with your email address if you'd like a copy of the first. Jonathan

Lots on this in the archives... ... including strong recommendations to get something better than a hand-powered pop rivetter. There are two pneumatic rivetters in the register of equipment for loan. Story and photos and advice would be great.Jonathan

Aeroscreens, presumably? Jonathan

There's a very recent discussion where I wondered if there was a niche market for this: new glass with preloved frames... and there is, and it has an existing supplier. Jonathan

- Current 3.92 diff gives me 4160rpm at 70mph in 6th and at 8000rpm a top speed of 50mph in 1st, 67mph in 2nd, 85mph in 3rd, 103mph in 4th, 120mph in 5th and 136mph in 6th. - By contrast a 3.62 diff gives me 3830rpm at 70mph in 6th and at 8000rpm a top speed of 55mph in 1st, 73mph in 2nd, 92mph in 3rd, 111mph in 4th, 130mph in 5th and 147mph in 6th. i don't think you're going to lose much objective acceleration on the road. That leaves the advantage of lower engine speed when cruising and higher maximum speed on the track, which is what you were looking for. But there is another aspect: do you enjoy changing gear, and would you miss doing quite so much? Jonathan

Winter: Tight fitting woollen walking hat or occasionally leather flying helmet. Jonathan

I'd consider three aspects: What happens to the big current taken by the starter? That earth is point to point, so no new problem. Quality of electrical contact on the earth to body/ chassis. Connection to Rivnut to skin probably has lower conductance than connection to chassis tube. But it won't take much current and it probably doesn't matter. Corrosion. Agree with Nigel in #6.Jonathan

Do TPS problems that affect starting usually also affect tickover, pick-up etc? Thanks Jonathan

4) What should the minimum voltage be whilst cranking? Something like 10.5 V. There are two issues here: enough oomph to crank, and not dropping the voltage to a point where ECUs, fuel pumps etc decide not not to play nicely. Jonathan

Have you calculated road speed in each gear with the current and proposed ratio? In theory, the gaps/rev drops between gears will not change, but each gear will become higher geared/longer. And there'll be fewer shifts in reaching any given speed. (There are stories of cars being rigged to optimise this to record good times for arbitrary measures such as 0 to 60 mph.) I should probably just stop worrying and get on with it... ;-) Jonathan

Quite a lot on these in the archives. Jonathan

"A021R to be discontinued!": the saga. Jonathan

There are some recent notes on DIY changing the glass in the frame. And some reports of gaskets that weren't fat enough. Let us know if you can't find them in the archives. Jonathan

Does the cranking speed seem normal by ear? Does it ever seem to fire but not catch, or does it catch as soon as it fires, even though that's delayed? No problems at tickover once it's started?You've got a new battery, but I'd still start with measuring the minimum voltage across the battery while cranking. Then I'd inspect and clean all the relevant connections to the starter, including the big earths. Jonathan

Usual winter preparations and precautions for any car, but you're going to get a lot colder and wetter a lot faster if you get stuck. 7s seem to get a lot of "battery" problems. Check the minimum voltage during cranking before it decides to tell you in another way. Clothing: mine's a sheepskin flying jacket. But it's getting harder to keep my hands warm. Consider blanking the grille if the engine never gets warm enough The biggest variation in practice (apart from not using it) may be how much desalting you do after every run. Jonathan

Not sure what you've done: what's the route and connection for the earth to the chassis and to the engine block? Jonathan

Thanks, Ian. I expected to find some proprietary fitting but dissection revealed a stub with ridges. Silicone hose and some clips via eBay and it's better than new. £5.92. Track pump next. Jonathan

If it helps in ONE post? Congratulations and thanks for summarising: I'm sure it will help someone else some day. How about submitting it as a Guide? Jonathan