Shaun_E

My new Caterham sourced harness arrived yesterday and it is FIA homologated, there is a label on each strap and the valid until is 2011, i.e. 5 years. The shoulder straps are 3" and the waist straps are 2" with 3" pads.

Shame they didn't send me the right bits to fit it ☹️.

Yellow SL #32

My new harness arrived yesterday and I thought it would be a nice easy swap as I've removed and refitted the old ones before. Well of course it turned out to be a pain up the 🙆🏻.

On my old harnesses the "top hat" piece that allows the harness mount to rotate sits proud of the harness mount but the ones that came with the new harness don't seem to be tall enough and once the bolt is tightened the harness mount will not rotate. I could live with that as I used the old top hats except that one of them has obviously been crushed a bit from repeated tightening.

1) The manual says tighten to 45lbft but that seems to start to crush the top hat pieces - is that part of the design or is the torque too high?

2) Should the top hat pieces always be replaced?

3) Can someone who has fitted a recent harness tell me whether the top hat pieces sit proud of the harness mount?

4) What order should the washers, etc. go? I had them as bolt head, plain washer, harness mount, crinkle washer, top hat but the manual I have shows bolt head, plain washer, crinkle washer, harness mount, top hat. If I use the order from the manual, the crinkle washer can easily be caught between the harness mount and the plain washer.

I will or course call Caterham later but forewarned is forearmed.

Yellow SL #32

If you fit a Laminova then you need to make sure your cooling system is up to the job. An old or damaged radiator would be a problem.

Before I upgraded to a dry sump, I had an Apollo and on track I would get very high oil and water temperatures. I replaced the radiator (black steel job) with a Radtec and fitted a Laminova at the same time. I never had high temperature issues after that and as a bonus the oil gets warm more quickly.

If you fit an air/oil cooler then you should fit a thermostat and a bypass circuit otherwise you will never get the oil warm enough in cold condtions.

There's plenty written previously on this subject - I suggest a search of TechTalk would be a good idea.

Yellow SL #32

Can't do Pembrey ☹️ but have added a few more rounds to my diary.

Neil - I'm busy polishing off all that paint to reduce the weight 😬

Sadly Llandow is effectively my "home circuit" as I've done more trackdays there than anywhere else so I don't expect to be as quick at any other events ☹️. I've never been to Curborough so that should be a telling event. Lets hope my new brakes have arrived before then.

Yellow SL #32

It could be a dodgy thermostat - if it sticks, it could easily stick closed. I would suggest replacing with a new 82 degree 'stat and drill a small (3mm) hole in it - this allows some hot water to the other side of the 'stat so speeding up the opening of it and reducing thermal shock to the engine block.

I wouldn't ditch the 'stat completely as it will take forever to warm up and in fact in winter is unlikely to reach operating temperature.

Yellow SL #32

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Yellow SL #32

AVES - whilst I understand why you might say that, Tony is a very helpful person and he may get some business out of it. Where else do you suppose you can go for the information? Caterham won't help, nobody else on here has come up with an answer. What do you propose?

This club and the suppliers that supply it's members work together to help each other. Tony gets a lot of business from recommendations on here so I doubt he is going to complain about the odd phone call, just as Dave Andrews doesn't complain about people calling him with questions about engine upgrades.

If you still feel strongly that I shouldn't point people in Tony's direction, I will remove my post.

Yellow SL #32

I have this written down as part of my rebuild notes.

dupont paint:

AM44 649 g

AM51 658 g

AM7 668 g

AM1 672.6 g

AK100 1180.6 g

It came from a thread on here (ah yes, here) but you would be best to double check. Tony at TSK would probably tell you (01322 441604).

Yellow SL #32

Edited by - Shaun_E on 3 May 2006 14:46:31

Think I'll just clean the rears up - probably quicker and easier than replacing them.

I have the brake wind back tool as I replaced the rear pads about 18 months ago.

Cheers.

Yellow SL #32

I called Performance Braking yesterday and they confirmed that it would be possible to just fit the RS15s to the front but that it could mean premature front brake lock up. In the interests of getting the best braking performance I ordered the RS14s for the back as well 😬. I've gone for the wider front pads as I am fitting new discs. The RHS disc is very deeply scored and both are well worn so I am not happy to have them skimmed even though new ones are £120 each .

I was told that I need to clean up the rear discs using fine emery cloth to get rid of any of the old pad material. It might just be easier to replace the rear discs though - anyone know how much they are and a good source?

Yellow SL #32

When I get fluctuating oil pressure, the first thing I check is the wiring to the sensor. No idea where the sensor is mounted on a Busa but on a K it is the lowest point at the front of the engine and if I hit a bump in the road then the first thing that gets damaged is the sensor wire. I am currently having issues with my speedo reading as well and suspect that could also be a wiring problem although it may just be the sensor has moved slightly. The other thing to check is the earthing of the dash unit as a dodgy earth could also be the problem. If none of that solves the problem then I guess you need to replace the sensor (or borrow one). I hope the reading is a false one.

Yellow SL #32

Pro Event Pix

Yellow SL #32

There is a pin/clip affair that holds the ball in the cup. You unclip the pin by pushing it away from you and then pull it down - dont' lose it! The ball can then be pulled out of the cup (needs a bit of force). I just zip tied the drop link to the de dion until needed again. You only need to undo one end of one of the drop links to disconnect the ARB.

Yellow SL #32

And just for information I have ordered a new harness from Caterham. They are now supplied with 3" shoulder belts and 2" lap belts. I asked them to check that they are FIA homologated and they are - there is an FIA label on every strap. It should arrive in the next couple of days so I'll post once I've double checked.

Yellow SL #32

Thanks - sounds like I need to take a look at the mounting of the sensor. Can't remember whether it is set for 4 or 8 targets but I certainly havn't changed anything recently. I hope it is as simple as it having moved slightly. I will of course check all the connections as well.

Yellow SL #32

Cheers Rob. Think I'll try that setup first and if it doesn't work then I'll get the RS14's for the rear at a later date. Hopefully everything will arrive and be fitted in time for Curborough so we should find out if it works then .

Yellow SL #32

Ah - I see. Looks like a sensible solution.

Yellow SL #32

Tom - What are "monkey tail" crutch straps? I can't find any reference to them on the web.

Anyone - Are the Caterham V- straps reasonably comfortable? They are cheap!

Graeme - I think you are right about that. I certainly have that interpretation having re-read the blue book. Thanks for the info on use of the crotch strap.

Yellow SL #32

Rob - I have re-read the blue book and am far from convinced that the scrutineer was right. My interpretation is that for sprinting, as long as you have a minimum of a 3 point belt you are OK. Anything else is just a recommendation. The scrutineer wasn't 100% sure but his opinion was that, over the next few years, we will get to the point where for any motorsport, FIA homologated belts will be required.

Having gone through the hassle on Sunday and given that my drivers harness is not in the best condition, I am going to replace it with an FIA homologated one (see my Techtalk post here). At least that way it won't come up again.

Yellow SL #32

Having just trawled through a million threads on this subject, it seems RS15s front and RS14s back really is the consensus for ultimate performance. However given the price of them and the fact I need 2 new AP vented discs , I was wondering if I could stick with the existing rear pads for the time being and just get the RS15 fronts. Is this likely to cause a problem with brake balance or will it just mean I don't get the ultimate stopping power?

Yellow SL #32

My third techtalk topic of the day - I must be taking this sprinting lark a bit too seriously now 😬.

I was pulled up by the scrutineer on Sunday for not having an FIA homologated harness - this is the one where every belt has an FIA label and date on it. Having re-read the blue book I am far from convinced that this is actually mandatory for sprinting, but on closer inspection my harness is not in the best of condition so I am going to replace it.

So the question is: "What harness should I get?"

Issues are:

1) 50mm or 75mm lap belts? (75 mm shoulder belts are mandatory)

2) 4 point or 6 point? Car is used a lot on road as well so has to be useable as a 4 point only for ease of use.

3) If 6 point, what sort of crutch strap? Comfort and ease of use quite important to me.

4) Where do the crutch straps bolt to?

5) How do the crutch straps work with a leather S-type seat?

Cheers,

Shaun

Yellow SL #32

Thanks Mark - was dead chuffed to get a trophy - first thing I have won since I left school 😬. As you would expect I was dissapointed at the NTR but, having been told where I had transgressed enabled me to take care not to do it again - it's an easy place to get carried away and it's a relief to know I'm not the only one who's done it .

So looks like Pagid is the right move - now where can I get them from and, just as important, how do I make sure I get the correct front ones as I believe the AP calipers have changed over the years. Mine are 1997 vintage.

Cheers.

Yellow SL #32

Assuming you have the bell housing tank, the instructions are to check the level immediately after switching the engine off - i.e. before any oil has time to drain back into the sump. Seems to work for me most of the time.

If you overfill it, oil will most likely be expelled into the catch tank.

Yellow SL #32

Arch now zinc phosphate prime the chassis before powder coating - this is intended to stop the rust creeping should the powder coating become chipped which is what happens on the older chassis.

Yellow SL #32

Has anyone with a Stack dash experienced fluctuating speedo readings?

My first thoughts are that it is either a dodgy connection or the sensor itself is not getting a good signal - perhaps not lined up properly or a magnet is damaged.

The speed fluctuates between 3 values - the correct one, one about 10-12 mph slower and another about 10-12 mph slower than that. No idea if that is of any significance.

Any suggestions welcome - I really hope it's not an electrical problem as I hate car electrics ☹️.

I guess bike speedos operate in the same way so perhaps someone with experience of problems with one of those might have some ideas for me.

Yellow SL #32