Mcalvert

Yes, this is normal. If you need to change the oil, you can get like a large syringe from a tool store for about £15 which has a rubber pipe which you push in and sucks the opil out. Also useful when refilling. regards - Michael.

Pierre - It's a requirement for doing L7club track days over here. Having seen how much oil my old X-flow used to use before the re-build, I would not have wanted to be following me without a catch tank! Mark - beware, Autocross is moving from Bracknell to Wokingham (In fact, may already have done so). I believe that their new address is: Cedar House Eastheath Avenue Wokingham RG4 12PR. Regards - Michael.

Jon, Gutted to see you are selling this beautiful car. The carpark at Penn 7s will not be the same again ☹️ Regards - Michael.

Sorry - de dion with disks Michael

If you call Kimble engineering (contact details in the 7 Faq above) they can send you drawings and dimensions. They make the Brooklands screens and are cheaper than going via caterham. Regards - Michael.

My off-side rear brake seems to be binding - there has been a bit of a rubbing sound for some time, but it is definitely worse after Brands last week. Taking the wheel off, the hub can be turned OK by hand, but it's definitely stiffer one side than the other. What are the causes? Is this something for a general garage, or a more specialist job? Thanks - Michael.

How many miles has your engine done? Mine reached the same stage at about 28K, which I believe to be fairly "normal" with Caterham Supersprint engines unfortunately. Michael.

Does anyone have a good technique for cleaning suede Momo steering wheels? Mine's a few years old and after a hot summer, it's gone pretty sticky and unpleasant. I've just given it a wash in soap before, but that's not worked very successfully this time. Thanks! Michael.

Hmm. I assumed that the reason that the catch tank has 2 connectors was one for input, and the other to allow the air to vent back out to prevent the tank being pressurised. Probably wrong though Michael.

Hello Hugh, I can honestly say that this was probably the best thing that I ever had changed on my crossflow. At part throttle, it made the car a much smoother engine, while retaining that wonderful Crossflow grown when given full welly. I've also found that in normal use, it's improved fuel economy by about 8%. The alpha system also has a rev-limiter which I have found invaluable! All the best - Michael.

Assuming that they're the same as mine, you take them off (2 screws or bolts) and there's a large grub screw on the back which you tighten using an allan key. A bit of locite to hold it wouldn't go amiss here. Michael.

Well- I did say that that there were conflicting views on this one. I've now had - Apply Dry Apply Wet Apply Damp Spray Don't Spray!!! I think I'll just content myself with the fact that there are different ways of doing this job and hope it goes smoothly however I do it! I think I'll try to apply it damp (because that makes sense) and probably not spray it, because I don;t have any spray Thanks all for your input - Michael.

I run my car permanently wihout ane xhaust gasket, just a tiny smear of paste. This is what James Whiting swears by and I've had no problems. The logic is that with a gasket fitted, when you tighten down the bolts into the head, this very slightly distorts the face of the exhaust manifold - this then causes the weak spot in the middle where the gasket fails again in the future. I had the face of the manifold planished flat and then have not used a gasket since and it's been good like that for 3 years now. Mind you, I'm disturbing the manifold this weekend to fit eshaust lagging, so I'd better touch wood that it goes back on as well Good luck - Michael.

Alternatively, could be the exhaust manifold gasket blowing, which I used to have regularly and made a sound like you describe. Put your hand aroud the point where the exhaust manifold meets the block and see if you can't detect gasses escaping (Normally it's the centre 2 pipes where the gasket goes) Careful though - it's HOT 😳 😳 Best of luck - Michael.

Instructions LUXURY! Mine cae without any, so thanks for your input! Michael.

So, that's 1 x No 1 x Yes 1 x wet 1 x dry. I'll take my pick So, it'll simply go on dry and not need painting/sealing/spraying or anything else afterwards. Simple Thanks All - Michael

Sinple answer to a simple question One more then, is it better applied dry or wet? Thanks Michael.

Hopefully a simple question: Does Cooltek Exhaust Lagging need spraying afterwards? I have heard contradictory things about this. If it does need spraying, what do I need to ask for, and is it easily available at motor factors? Thanks! Michael.

I'm looking for a book that can help me get my head around setting the suspension up on my 7 - does anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for something that I can understand without a degree in physics and maths hopefully Thanks - Michael.

Sounds good Steve - thanks for keeping us updated! Regards - Michael.

Thanks All - Exhaust wrap ordered and I'll let you know how I get on. As recommended by Roger King, Wilcox does manufacture a nylon Alternator arm - picture here for those who are interested: http://www.wilcoxengines.demon.co.uk/bda_parts.htm I just need to work out exactly what I need - is it just the arm, or also the stud? Regards - Michael.

Great news Sid - wha have you decided on? Michael.

Thanks all for the input I forgot to thank Peter for taking my call on a Saturday afternoon from France and helping guide me towards the root cause (as I wasn't convinced that the alternator was at fault this time). I will re-check the live feed, thanks for the reminder. So - lagging the pipes seems to be a must - any supplier recommendations? I'll also go for the nylon bracket as that seems a good precaution. Are alternators rated for a particular maximum speed? I'd like to work out what speed mine would be spinning at with its current gearing with the engine hitting the red-line at 7,300 and see how much inside or outside of the maximum this is. Thanks again, Michael.

Thanks Roger - that's a good pointer - Do you have any contact details please? Thanks - Michael.

Having blown two alternators recently, I want to try to prevent this appening again. The car is a 1700 Xflow, and both failures happend after prolonged high-speed and high revs running (first at Cadwell track day, second when taking passengers on fast road trips in Bordeaux). I have checked the earth connections and these seem good. My assumptions therefore are that the failures can only be due to 1) excessive heat, 2) excessive speed or 3) excessive vibrations. Therefore, I plan to: 1) Lag the exhause manifolds - I remember a thread recently about the best source for lagging but without the search option, cannot find this. Can someone please point me towards the best supplier? 2) Fit a larger pulley on the alternator to reduce its speed. However, I am having problems finding a source - does anyone have any ideas? 3) Not sure about reducing vibrations - can anything be done here? Oh, and 4) I'll get a spare to carry to carry with me to track days. Is this a Halfords job or is there somewhere that will sell me an alternator cheaper? Thanks for your help, Michael.