Shaun_E

Rob - that would be great. Needs to be collected tomorrow or Thursday though. Will wait to hear from Dave. Yellow SL #32

Dave - 1st dibs accepted. Angus - have bought the Caterham 4-2-1 race exhaust with a 7" silencer for 2 reasons. 1) the 4-1 is way too close to the race starter and 2) the 5" can is too noisy and I would have to replace it anyway. Total cost of the Caterham system compares favourably with aftermarket. Silencer is not repackable but when it goes I'll get a Raceco one - I expect to get a few years out of it though. Yellow SL #32

Stainless steel 4-1 Caterham competition exhaust. This is the one where the 4 primaries exit the side skin before joining the 4-1 collector. The silencer is 5" diameter and is not repackable. Ths whole system is in good condition although there are some scrapes on the bottom of the silencer from speed ramps. The system has been polished but the primaries will need a bit of elbow grease to get them sparkling again. The cost from Caterham is £495+VAT - I would like £290. Yellow SL #32

Yes I had to grind some metal off the block in-situ as well - 'twas a bit tricky . I also took a bit off the starter as that was easier to do. I used a small diameter (115mm) angle grinder and a high speed cutter on a Dremel. The high speed cutter goes through aluminium like a hot knife through butter so I had to be extremely careful. Have a search for another thread on this as someone else had the same probelm of Caterham delivering them an old stock exhaust even when they'd asked for the new design. Yellow SL #32

Yes even with 3 clips it still leaked . I have realised that silicon hoses might look very nice but they can be a real pain to get a proper seal on. It will be replaced with the rubber hose that came with the dry sump kit (until vanity gets the better of me 😳). I suspect that the hose might actually be damaged but it could possibly be the flat bit on the submarine pipe that is causing the problem. It was lucky my wife was watching me drive off as she saw the pool of coolant forming on the drive. Yellow SL #32

Another for the one from RF concepts. You set the Camcorder up in the AV in mode and the LANC detects that. Even when the Camcorder then goes into sleep mode, the LANC still operates correctly - Magic 😬. Works perfectly with my Sony PC109 - product details here. Yellow SL #32

The difference between the old and new starters is incredible. As Dave said, with the old one it was like the engine was being hand cranked but with the new one it turns over and fires instantly. Unfortunately, the hose we had trouble with before is still not sealing. Luckily I have a replacement which I will fit this week. Mapping session is on the 23rd so I will report back with the results. Yellow SL #32

I have now fitted a Caterham race starter and the problem is solved. It is possible that the old starter could be fixed or even that there was a wiring problem that was cured when I changed the starter but the result is that I can now start the engine easily and repeatably. The race starter is a pig to fit as the solenoid sticks out at an angle rather than sitting directly above or below the starter (as would have seemed sensible ) and therefore fouls the exhaust (even my 4-1 competition exhaust). I was able to rejig the position of the primary that was fouling but it is still too close to the live terminal for comfort. The solenoid also nearly touches one of the other primaries. Still it's enough to get me going until I can replace the exhaust system with a 4-2-1. Now just got to replace the leaking coolant hose and I'll be ready to get some miles on the clock. Yellow SL #32

Unless you have a very early 6 speed, the part will be either a Ford or a Caterham AP specified unit. The current one from Caterham for all models 5 and 6 speed, is an AP unit. Costs £75 for new plate and £130 for a new cover. Yellow SL #32

Angus - if I can't get the starter on then I'll give you a call and pop over to look at your "carefully peened" exhaust . Yellow SL #32

It's £230+VAT+delivery. The guy in parts thought that it wouldn't fit a pre-2000 Caterham. I checked with someone in the Technical department and he said it would fit with my 4-1 as it was a "race" exhaust but he didn't sound that convinced. I've ordered it anyway and will use Angus' technique if required. I don't know if it will fit with your 4-2-1. I have heard that the later exhausts are different but that you can't guarantee which you have even if bought recently - depends what was in stock I guess. Yellow SL #32

Caterham technical say it will fit - do we believe them 🤔 I'll order it now and hope it doens't need too much fettling of either block or exhaust. Thanks for you help folks. Yellow SL #32

Started the car last night OK so went for a drive. Took a risk and turned the engine off when I stopped at a friends but couldn't restart it. It jump started OK for me to get back home. Seems that the first start drains the battery so much that it would take more than the few miles I did to recharge. I phoned Caterham today to get the race starter and they said I should speak to engineering before purchasing as they weren't sure it would fit a pre 2000 car - they thought it would foul on the exhaust. I'm still waiting for them to call me back. The person I spoke to in parts thought that my 4-1 competition exhaust was possibly the only one it would fit with. Can anyone confirm this one way or the other. Are there any fitting issues with the Brise? I don't want to be attacking the block with an angle grinder - it's a non Caterham block so has already been fettled so that the present starter fits. Yellow SL #32

Ah yes - the caravan shop Berkshire Towing and Leisure 78-80 Church Street Chalvey Slough Berks SL1 2PE Yellow SL #32

Rob - thanks for the offer. I'll see how things go for a few days but if no improvement then I'd like to take you up on that - will at least let me know if it definitely is the starter. Yellow SL #32

I'm going to try and start it tonight so we'll see how it goes. I hope it is just becasue it's new, although turning by hand it doesn't seem tight. As it starts better when warm I've just got to not stall it in the first few miles . Have to look at one of those battery boosters just in case. If it doesn't get easier over the next few days then I'll replace the starter either with a Caterham race one or a Brise. Yellow SL #32

Had problems getting my new 1.9K started - its obviously higher compression than the 1.6 it replaces but not ludicrously high. The starter motor turns over, but very slowly - we tried a brand new fully charged Banner in place of the Red Top 15 but that didn't make any difference. Surpisingly it is much easier to start when warm. Jump starting works fine. Will a new starter be likely to solve the problem? Is there much difference in the power of starter motors? If so which are the most powerful? Is there a possibility that it is the wiring? If so what should I check? The car has recently had a Caterham battery master switch fitted with all new cabling as supplied in their kit. Obviously I have seen recommendations for Brise but what are the alternatives? Is the Caterham race starter up to the job? If I am going to replace it then it needs to be done quickly so long lead time suppliers are no good for me. Yellow SL #32

Dave - yes we got home safely although it was gone midnight as the M1 had 2 lanes closed ☹️. I wasn't happy when we hit the tailback but the car behaved impeccably and that coolant hose didn't leak again. I've got a slot with Emerald in a couple of weeks time so will let you know the results. Yellow SL #32

Hi Paul - we met at Daves last weekend. Emerald have a slot free this Thursday if you can make it. I was booked in for the afternoon but won't have run my new engine in by then. The person booked in for the morning also dropped out. I was going to mail you some info on something but I can't remember what 😳 - remind me what it was and I'll mail you with it. Shaun Yellow SL #32

As Chris says you can use the same sort of sender for oil as you have for water. I think that they are about a tenner from Caterham. Yellow SL #32

I would go for oil temperature. Its surprising how much longer than water oil takes to get up to temp so very useful. Also useful on trackdays as oil temp can reach critical values. What does an ammeter give you? Yellow SL #32

I need to get a slightly longer fuel hose to go between the solid fuel line from the rear of the car and the fuel rail. Can anyone tell me what size fittings are used? I guess the easiest thing to do would be get an extension made up unless the fitting to the fuel rail (right angle piece that bolts to the rail with 2 bolts) is also a common fitting. Yellow SL #32

They are fitted to turbocharged cars to release the pressure from the turbo when the throttle is lifted (i.e. closed). The back pressure caused by lifting the throttle can cause the turbo to stall (or even break) - by releasing that pressure, the turbo keeps spinning in closed throttle conditions and can therefore provide full boost again more quickly. Dump valves can be recirculating - i.e. plumbed back into the inlet, or atmospheric. It is the atmospheric ones which make the characteristic "whoosh" - recirculating ones tend to make a more muffled sound. Yellow SL #32

Jammers are pretty "dodgy". There is no specific law preventing their purchase or use but charges of "obstructing a police officer in the course of duty" or even "perverting the course of justice" may be laid. The first seems more likely but the second carries a pretty hefty penalty including jail. Search through the "Speed Plod and the Law" section of Pistonheads for more information and details of cases that have been brought. Laser and radar detectors are soon to be made illegal in the Road Safety Act 2005 which is either now or soon to be before Parliament. GPS based devices which warn of camera locations will not be affected by the legislation. Yellow SL #32

Why not go for a Scholar 1900 conversion? This with a set of forged pistons and your exisiting head and TBs should give you an excellent engine. With BP285H cams you'll be up over 200bhp. The pistons that Scholar supply are Pistal slipper pistons and I am told the engine would need refreshing every 15k-30k miles depending on use. However I understand you can now get Omega pistons in the required 82mm which might be a better bet. Unless you want to rev over 8000rpm, you don't "need" a steel crank or rods but the "single tang" design of rods is supposed to be better. Scholar EVO2 1900 block/liner conversion (exchange) including pistons - £1100 Second hand single tang rods - £100? Balance Engine - £180 Sundries £200 Yellow SL #32