Jonathan Kay

...the engine note immediately picked up and the car ran with no problems for the rest of the run. I think that's the crucial functional test. As above I don't understand the variety of breather systems, but NB SM25T's comment about the one-way valve... if that's the wrong way round or blocked it may not be visible from the outside. Jonathan

:-) ... and mine... that photo's from the company! Mine needs a few more hours work to get it back on the road but other things keep getting in the way. It's number 100 and was built by Burrows. Have you ridden any recumbents yet? Jonathan

How do you want to be sponsored? Jonathan PS: I think you're wise to place this in ChitChat as well.

I am not actually sure that I have ever seen my own posts in N and U. You won't. The system logic interprets them as having been viewed by you so that they are no longer "New and Updated" (for you, in that view). I don't think there's a current solution but there are workarounds. Jonathan

I have a couple of diagrams from that era: which engine and dash? If you'd like those please send me a Private Mail with your email address. Do you already have the "standard" wire colours? That might be all you need. Jonathan

Thanks for both of those: that explains why they did it that way. Fascinating. Jonathan

Yes. Does anyone know the ground rules for the design? And did it include a full stress analysis? (There's one done by a graduate student somewhere for the conventional 7.) Jonathan

There are three suppliers, all of whom seem to have happy customers. There's a Club discount from one. I put all their details in a single post recently... it wasn't this thread, but it does name them all. Jonathan

Nice blog. Very therapeutic isn't it? That's what I found, and one of the reasons I bought mine. Did you assemble the predecessor and have you done lots of mechanical stuff before? Jonathan

... my tacho has decided to have a mind of its own and goes wild on acceleration and takes a few seconds to settle back down afterwards. Do you think it temporarily underreads, or is it sometimes overreading? My suggestions for investigating Mark's. Jonathan

How about testing it with a saucepan of hot water, a thermometer and a multimeter? Jonathan

... when I filled my 7 up for the second time, as I took the cap off there was a big suction of air, does this mean I have a problem with the tank or cap? Could do... Do you have any suspicion of loss of power after a decent run? I'd go for a run, then take the cap off with the engine running and see if the engine note changes. Jonathan

What SM25T says as the first step. You say the battery is (knackered) do you think when sitting in traffic the voltage drops to the fuel pump due to the alternator running slow = not enough fuel delivered to the carbs ?. Interesting... measure the battery voltage when the fault occurs. Check the voltage and earth at the pump terminals (no need to wait for the fault) and the connections. But have you decided what battery to fit? Jonathan

Does anyone have a copy of factory mod WN572 or similar. John Vine has. See the first link in his post for a copy. Is it coincidence that I fitted a 3rd break light (48 LED) approx 150 miles ago? Might be related. Where did you tap it in? Is the fault sufficiently frequent to disconnect that and see if it still occurs? Jonathan

... why does the rev counter needle drop momentarily to zero during the shift? I'm thinking it's not good for the longevity of the counter. Does the counter read the spark for it's information? At what point does the flatshifter cut the ignition? The feed to the rev counter must be downstream of that. I wouldn't worry about the instrument. ... it does have a rev limiter, but it's somewhere north of 12,000rpm I believe. I'm curious why you want to know now! Because if I was going to back off eg the duration of cutting with the throttle wide open and no load on the engine I'd like a security blanket... :-) But for this protection you'd need an engine speed feed that isn't disconnected when you need it! Experts, please: how is this usually managed? Jonathan

Exactly. Not sure how the fan could be related if it isn't blowing any fuses and other instruments aren't affected. As usual with intermittent faults this may not be easy. Identify the earth, power and signal leads at the instrument. Ignore the instrument illumination. Check that voltage again on the power lead with the ignition on. If it isn't the same as the battery voltage disconnect it from the instrument and check again. Trace those wires back to their other ends, and through the loom connector if relevant. While it's running give them all a wiggle wherever they are accessible and see if you can reproduce the fault. Check all the wires are well connected to all the connectors and all the connectors are tight on the instrument and at the other ends. Find the instrument earth to the chassis. Disconnect, clean and replace. (This is an unlikely cause as the other instruments aren't affected.)Jonathan

13.3v ish at the terminals with engine off; 14.4v with engine idling; Dropping 11v during the ignition phase. Is that 11V during cranking? It's good to see at least 10.5V while cranking. And that's the most useful single test of a battery without specialist equipment. I use a CTEK 4 stage charger at home and the battery quickly charges and settles into a maintenance program with no apparent issues detected by the charger. However where the battery would hold a charge without apparent issue for months when new, now the solenoid click appears within about a week of non-use; indicating a probable deterioration in battery health. Sounds like a battery on the way out or excess drain from the residual circuits. It's possible to measure that current with most multimeters but needs a bit of fiddling. Is it kept somewhere secure? If so you could disconnect everything and see if it still goes flat. Presuming it is, should I consider something like the ODYSSEY PC680 which apparently has an ability to cycle 400 times at 80% depth of discharge? The main thing which puts me off is having to change the battery cage and how I would secure the new cage in place of the old one. Has anyone done this? If you don't want a lithium battery I'd recommend the Powervamp ClubSport EP. You can buy a cage with it, and they're easy to fit in most 7s. What sort is yours? You might need new leads. Jonathan

Any other instruments affected? Do you have a wiring diagram? What ECU or ignition system? When were the shift lights fitted? Jonathan

If it's the factory's rear wheel type you may not need a new sensor: There's a factory modification to the wiring. There's a Member's procedure for optimising the sensor gap.Both in the recent archives: let us know if you can't find them. Jonathan

Sounds like it may be set up wrong, with too long a cut out allowing too much unburnt fuel to build up. I was wondering what adjustments are there on these? AdC: I presume your engine has a working engine speed limiter... Jonathan

I've recently had a Flatshifter fitted if that's a possible culprit... What does that involve for the ignition and fuel and air supply? Jonathan PS: Quiz of the day: In which James Bond book is this noise made deliberately?

Sounds like (!) two issues: do you want one at all, and could removing it help diagnose the source of the noise? There are plenty of other causes... But I can't remember how hard it is to remove the whole thing. The wiggling required is discussed somewhere in the archives. Jonathan

But also have a 300mm hose to move the sender away from the engine block. I like this approach. (Never had any problems with my factory set-up.) Jonathan

My car has a real chatter going on at the rear end, and I'm wondering if the ARB drop links need replacing. I think most people don't use one at the rear on the road. Take it all off and see if that stops the noise? Jonathan

Are the baffles normally changed every service? There isn't a simple answer and it's hotly debated. At one point the factory recommended that. Most people do it every few years. Some engines have been damaged following fragments blocking the oil system. One expert recommends discarding the foam and fitting a modified gasket for common configurations and uses. Jonathan (Crossed with John's and edited)