Mike Bees

April 1st innit...

Ah, just as I thought 😬 Yes Dave, I'll drop you an email soon. Mike

"1800 on a hybrid existing 1700K" "...am about to assemble two more 1900s and a short stroke 1800". Hmmm, to my knowledge there are only 3 1700Ks around, so by a process of elimination I think I know who it's for (and their initials aren't MB so that rules out 2 of them...) 😬 Mike Edited by - Mike Bees on 1 Apr 2005 08:12:01 Edited by - Mike Bees on 1 Apr 2005 08:12:53

The only adjustment there is is on the cable at the footbox end - basically you just shorten the cable which moves the bite point higher and therefore gives you more pedal travel to disengage the clutch with. Mike

Already looked at these Lawrence - they're not in List 1B If a rule/class/regulation encourages people to use a wheel/tyre combo which they *only* use for competition purposes (i.e. they change to different wheels/tyres for the road) then it seems to me that what's needed is a class for cars which are fully road-legal in all respects other than tyres - that way you don't have any lists to worry about and nor any illegal-tread-depth issues. Mike

My (injection) fuel tank has leaked from around the pump seal on & off pretty much from new. I've tried nipping up the bolts on the pump (that helped for a while, but the leak returned), I've tried changing the seal (that helped for a while, but the leak returned), I've tried changing the seal and using a fuel-resistant sealant (guess what - that helped for a while, but the leak returned), and now I've had enough of it. Question is, should I just stump up the £££ for a new tank or is it worth taking the tank to an aluminium welder/fabricator (anyone know who makes them?) and getting it modified? I was wondering whether a thicker end-plate would be less prone to distortion from the bolts and thus less likely to leak. The current one is quite distorted, although I don't know if that is normal. Mike

The VVC is a bit stiffer than the MS2 is it not? For that reason it would be my preference anyway. Mike

Unless your live axle car has a Ford axle... Or an Ital axle with a James Whiting disc conversion - maybe. Mike

This makes a bit of a mockery of having an approved (MSA regs) list doesn't it - surely the compound should be part of the approved specification. Mike

They're not generally noisy. Are you sure it's the 'box and not the diff? Mike

A couple of things to bear in mind: 1) The gauge is quite well damped, so if you see it move then there has been a significant change in pressure for a significant amount of time. 2) A significant drop in pressure must mean that the pickup pipe is sucking air, which means your bearings are not being fed oil continuously. All this is bad bad bad. Mike

Franky - I'll have them please! Mike Edited by - Mike Bees on 25 Mar 2005 10:28:27

Give Phil Stewart at Road & Race a ring - he's the font of all knowledge on these boxes and very helpful/happy to talk & advise. Mike

Odd but not *entirely* unheard of. In my case I *knew* the engine had to come out because even when the release arm was pulled to the end of it's slot in the bellhousing the clutch wasn't fully disengaging. That didn't tell me the problem was the release arm though, so I pulled it all out and put a whole new clutch assembly in. That fixed it (because the new clutch needed slightly less travel) for about 3 days... Anders- you're not using the Caterham belltankhousing then? The standard Ford fork (aka release arm) doesn't fit the belltankhousing. Mike Edited by - Mike Bees on 22 Mar 2005 12:27:36

Ditto the above, I had this (dry sump K-series - uses a different fork to the wet sump version). The fork hadn't broken but gradually bent. It was fine for a whole year, then in the space of a few weeks progressively bent to the point where there wasn't enough travel to disengage the clutch. It was only obvious when laying the release arm on the bench alongside a 'good' one - it took me 2 engine in/outs and a whole new clutch assembly to find it. Turns out that the original design (mine was an early '97) just wasn't up to it and they brought out a beefed up version some time in '97 or early '98. On the sealed issue, all the advice I've had is that I should continue to run it sealed. Having said that some people have put a breather in, but if you do then make sure you put a filter on it! I'm tempted to do the same just to save the embarrassment of the engine clucking away when you're stationary in town... Mike Edited by - Mike Bees on 22 Mar 2005 09:47:10

PH - Is your sig wrong or do you (a) want *another* pair (that's just plain greedy), or (b) you've changed your mind and don't want this pair (in which case I'll have them) 😬. Well, wishful thinking I know! Mike Edited by - Mike Bees on 22 Mar 2005 07:21:05

Faulty coolant temp sensor or wiring (or not connected!)? Not the one that drives the gauge, the one that talks to the ECU. If the ECU thinks the engine is cold then it'll run very rich. Not sure how you prove it - I wonder if a Rover dealer can plug their diagnostic tool in and tell you what the ECU thinks the coolant temperature is? Mike

JHC, this is such a bargain!

to Graham's answer. 6" with some reasonably grippy tyres will be fine. 7" & 8" will look 'great' but is way over the top and will spoil the feel. Mike

205/50x15 tyres fit quite easily under my 13/14" wingstays/wings... Sorry, can't get to measure them at the mo'. Mike

Less self-centering of the steering - lighter steering but less 'feel'. Less camber change with lock - generally it's a 'good' thing to get more -ve camber as you wind on the lock. Mike

2-3mm isn't unusual (I had less on my first Caterham). Mike

Nice . Thankyou!

The bypass circuit should feed sufficient hot coolant to the 'stat to persuade it to start opening. Are the bypass hoses getting hot? Does the hose from the bottom of the rad to the engine get hot? If it does then you do at least have some flow (therefore the 'stat must be opening to some extent). I've never managed to get an airlock so bad that there is no circulation, even without trying to bleed the system at all. It could be that the thermostat has stuck shut - sometimes they need a few cycles into the red zone to unstick them (usually when they're new), sometimes they just stick shut and need replacing. Mike

If you take the liners out 😬