Jonathan Kay

Does this thread help? I'm not at home and don't have the diagram with me, but is it loom to starter solenoid? But do check that thread: there's a disagreement about the colour of that lead. Jonathan

Caterham stock them Jonathan

Which sort of sensor and gauge do you have? If electronic test it by taking the sensor lead to earth. Jonathan

*arrowup* Where is the water coming from? Jonathan

That Firlex epoxy paint is not wearing well. Patches now loose under the tyres and the kickstand. Jonathan Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 14 Apr 2013 17:39:23

Was it running before you did that work? If so have you checked that the leads go to the correct plugs? Rechecked? Jonathan

Nifty's right. Somewhere near the FAQs. It might be polite to check that Caterham wouldn't object when it was their documents. As well as archiving whatever we could put together there should be a link to the current Caterham documents on their site. Alcester Racing 7s is also a fantastically useful and often recommended site. It would be very sad if that advice ever became unavailable. Are you watching this thread, Myles? Jonathan

I see what you mean. The main diagram in that document covers EU2 and EU3 but the engine loom diagram only covers EU3. Jonathan Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 12 Apr 2013 08:09:11

I've got it but don't know where it is on the web. Check your mail and I'll send it. Jonathan

My latest blades from Caterham were too long at the top. 2 min with the Dremel. Jonathan

Quoting Caterham Kid: I have already made the bit of wood! That was the only bit of the job that went really well:-) Remember to fit it the right way round... Jonathan

Quoting Martin Jeffrey: I wouldn't like to live next door to this plonker conducting a "test" to see if a halfords battery would explode. Shouldn't the last scene have been in Halfords when he asks for a replacement under the lifetime guarantee? Jonathan

:-) Jonathan

Quoting Caterham Kid: The car is due a service so I am thinking of sending it in and getting it all checked. I usually do most things myself but due to lack of time and that fact that there is now stuff that needs doing and checking that I dont fancy doing myself (or am not able to do!) I thought I would send it in. Dont know who to yet!Just tell BC where you are and you'll get the answer. Fortunately it's one of those questions where you get lots of positive recommendations, rather than the opposite. Jonathan

Yes, that sounds good. Test the voltage while the alternator is charging, then charging with all the lights on. Test all the electrical functions. Traditional or electronic instruments? Jonathan

Yes, the starting on the jumper and running are encouraging. What I was suggesting was allowing enough time to test it all out before you need the car to be usable. If it's going to take time to get the new battery can you do any more testing in parallel with the wait? (Ordinary fuses won't necessarily protect things like semiconductors against reversed polarity.) Jonathan

I'm also surprised that the battery can lose that much "voltage" so quickly. You can easily check if ordinary fuses have gone when you get a new battery (or similar) in place. I don't know if your car will have those high-current fuses. And, as you say, explicitly test the alternator asap. Ditto clever electronics such as the ECU. Good luck. Jonathan

They're often called dollies: that might help the search. Jonathan

Quoting Paul Richards: Also, fog light only works on dipped headlight i.e. does not work when headlights are on full beam. I find this strange, but it's apparently correct.Oh yes. Who else has wasted an embarrassing amount of time only to discover this... ? Jonathan

Is that the same engine as in a Ford Focus? Jonathan

Quoting PC Pete: ah - so which terminal should the battery positive lead go to? There are two terminals on the solenoid - one already has (had) a black lead on it when it was supplied and the other one had nothing connected to it. I connected the positive battery lead direct to this empty terminal along with two brown wires that came from the chassis loom terminated with ring terminals.From the Assembly GuideConnect the red lead from the starter motor to the battery. Also connect the black lead on the main vehicle loom to the starter motor on the same terminal. NOTE If a battery master switch is fitted, there will be two red leads; one goes to the battery, the other to the starter. The brown lead is already connected. Connect the brown lead from the alternator to the starter. Connect the brown/red wire (covered with black insulation) from the chassis loom to the starter solenoid. Jonathan

Is the feed from the switch to the solenoid permanently live or is the solenoid or starter connected incorrectly or is the solenoid stuck on? Jonathan Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 7 Apr 2013 19:11:56

Good experience of JDO for repairs in this thread. Jonathan Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 6 Apr 2013 17:16:50

That's a bit low. I don't know how to test your ignition. How about putting a good battery in parallel, measuring the voltage while cranking, and if it's higher seeing if the engine starts. Jonathan

I don't know enough about the wiring of your ignition to say. If you can get at the low voltage feed to the ignition start there. Otherwise anywhere convenient, and if you've got enough voltage somewhere start checking nearer and nearer to the plugs. Bad connections can show enough voltage but it can't be maintained when you need more current. It might help if you describe the electronic ignition as someone might know how to test that directly. Jonathan