Mick Day

Stewart They fit through the centre of the de dion tube. YHM. Mick

All off a 1994 De-Dion Pair rear Bilstein dampers & I think 170 lb/" springs: £30 SOLD Standard steering rack for flared wings, with track rod ends: £15 VDO speedo showing 35000 miles: £15 SOLD Speedo cable to fit: £5 Standard roll bar & boot cover: £60 Propshaft: £30 Edited by - mick day on 28 Aug 2004 21:18:27 Edited by - mick day on 31 Aug 2004 14:15:46

Having got fed up with electrical senders failing I, like a lot of others, have mounted it remotely to protect it from vibration. However this doesn't always solve the problem as electrical senders are inherantly poor in what they do. I've now bought a Mocal mechanical gauge to use as a reference but how accurate is this? This is what Gene Berg says about gauges; his website is http://www.geneberg.com/: "Why We Don't Sell Gauges — Technical Info Most Gauges Are "Horrible" I hear daily of engines being destroyed by people relying on gauges. I have run hundreds of accuracy tests on practically every inexpensive aftermarket gauge under $125 offered. Practically all read low in the 212 to 260 degree range by 40 to 50 degrees on oil temperature and head temperature gauges in the 250 to 550 degree reading range, again being low by as much as 250 or more degrees. I tested about twenty each of most brands such as VDO, Smith, Stewart Warner, Hawk, etc., and found none without these problems. Oil temperature gauge readings would be 212 to 220 degrees on the gauge when the true test temperature was 240 to 260 degrees. Head temperature gauges read 385 degrees with a true test temperature of 550 plus degrees. When head test temperatures were upped to 700 degrees, the reading of the gauge went up to 390 to 395 degrees. The price range of such gauges was from $60 to $125. I swapped gauges with senders and got different readings. I found nothing in that price range I would wish on my worst enemy. Not one I tested could ever be properly calibrated or relied on in any way for any valid information or even as a comparison from day to day on the air cooled VW. Yes, even the oil pressure gauges were just as bad. I found good accurate gauges range from about $250 to $350 and few people would buy them. What was needed was a device that gave the information required and was reasonably priced. That was the reason for the GB 227 in the first place. It is specifically made and calibrated to provide an accurate reading in the ranges of the VW air cooled engine. Originated by Hal Brown in 1972. Made in the USA. Note: If you must install an oil pressure gauge use GB 264-1/8 tee fitting and GB 265-1/8 pipe nipple to install the factory (Bosch VWA021-919-081B) light sending unit and the gauge together as the factory sender and light are over 100 times as fast to tell you if you run out of oil. Never use any sender that has the pressure and a light combination as they are extremely slow and you lose the rapid action that the factory light sender provides. Warning: If you want gauges as a decoration fine, but never rely on them. After all, if they provided reliable information I would be selling them to make a profit just like our competition."

For a good tow car see here. http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?Id=61304

B*&gg^%!! Owing to time waster the car is now up for sale again. Where do these people come from? Reduced to £7999 as it has to go.

Can be viewed at Silverstone on Wednesday. Mick

Check: Oil filter, sandwich plate, Apollo hoses, oil pressure sender. The only answer to the speedo drive leak is to remove the drive & cap the outlet (Ford kit avaliable). Then rig up your electric speedo to sense from the front wheel.

For Sale BMW 328i SE 4 door saloon, 5 speed steptronic auto box. First registered December 1998 “S” reg. 1 owner. Metalic steel blue with blue/grey interior. 85000 miles, full BMW service history, MOT until mid January 2005, tax till end November 2004. Features include: Air conditioning with climate control, 6 airbags, 4 good tyres, no-smoker package, sports suspension, 5 spoke alloys, top blue tint to screen, BMW CD changer, headlight washers, auto dipping interior mirror, electronic stability pack, ABS, BMW alarm/immobiliser, BMW detachable tow-bar. This car is in A1 condition according to the dealer. Will tow a se7en on a BJ Minno with no problem. Reason for sale: new car imminent. Price: £8595

John Tell me where it is & I'll pick it up for you next week ❗ ❗ Mick

Adjusting the brakes regularly is important. I didn't & my trailer with 7 on-board rolled off to be stopped by a tree in the Blue Marine car-park in Beaune! Luckily I didn't have a spare wheel fitted & all I bent was the spare wheel holder. Remember if you reverse up a hill the brakes are disabled; so don't un-hitch & rely on the hand-brake. Follow the instructions on the Brian James web-site & adjust each wheel brake plus the brake rod as well. I check before any trip & mid way through just in case. I'm also v reluctant to un-hitch anywhere that isn't flat!

Thanks Stu, getting one from Caterham tomorrow.

So if using a "Caterham branded" sensor with a VDO gauge does anyone know the true conversion factor? As my oil temp seems to top out at 80deg C whatever I do I reckon its add 50% to the reading.

C is for component; not quite as adventurous as a kit build but a little bit more than a turnkey car. RJ is for Rover but I'm not too sure what the J is for. My car's a component K series from 1994.

Does anybody know the conversion factor with these? i.e. I'm using a Caterham branded sensor for oil temp but measuring it with a VDO gauge.

I think you'll find it's Spitfire calipers on the front & Sierra on the rear.

Have heard that diff temps go up as it reduces cooling air to this area.

Ian Araldite's good. That's what I use. Mick

Why not glue it?

Malcolm You won't find the wiring in a 1994 car (mines a 1994). You have to connect a separate wire from the oil temp sender to the water temp guage via a dash mounted switch. Mick

Does anyone know the conversion factor for caterham branded to VDO temp sensor?

So that's why my oil temp always reads a little cold, I just thought I wasn't driving hard enough. I'll ring Think on Monday for the correct sender.

I thought that might have been the case. I did the same about 2 years ago but went for a 22% rack with no regrets. Good luck.

I've got a standard rack for a flared wing car for sale. Any use?

Electronic speedo is the way to go & probably best "driven" off the front hub. There is a kit available to seal the holes in the gearbox after the drive has been removed. Try either Caterham or Phil Stewart at Road & Race (01959-525105).