K series oil pressure level / high revving

[Matt B]

HI all

 

Saw a nice Roadsport A car (1.6k series with SS) for sale today. At idle the oil pressure is at 2 on the Caterham gauge and under load it increases to 3.5 ish. IS this about the right level as seems a bit low?

 

Also the car on a couple of occassions held on to the revs, this smacks of a too tight throttle cable? The grommit where the throttle cable enters the box had broken and was loose causing the cable to sag too.

 

Last point - on the centre tunnel on the drivers side a hole had been cut in a few inches down level with the side of the gearstick (hole about 1 1/2 inch diameter). What would this be for - looks too intentional to be damage?

 

Many thanks

 

Matt

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

That display of oil pressure sounds fairly normal.

 

Hole = access to reverse light switch ?

 

7 related photos

 

Edited by - Stationary M25 Traveller on 29 Nov 2007 08:56:58

[7 Sevens]

Matt,

 

I've got the same hole in the driver side tunnel of mine, just back from the gear shift, about the size of an old ten pence.

[Mark Durrant]

Is the throttle body made of plastic if so these can cause the throttle to stick open and should be replaced with an alluminium T/B.

 

Mark D

Comp Sec

 

[Archie Procter]

The hole will be a brake bias valve mounting hole, common in racecars

[Matt B]

So the oil pressure would seem about right? 2 raising to 3.5 ish under load. I understand that the gauges aren't that relaiable anyway?

 

The brake bias is in place on the passenger side of the footwell, so maybe its been drilled both sides?

 

Where the cable meets the throttle body its metal, but not sure what the throttle body butterfly valve is made of

 

Matt

 

 

[Archie Procter]

Oil pressure does seem a bit low, but I'd guess that is the sender. I had the same thing on my supergrad and a change of sender later and it was sitting at 4 all the time. They're notoriously prone to failing.

 

Mounting the BB valve in the passenger side of the tunnel is entirely normal, our regs do not allow the bias valve to be mounted in a position the driver can get to it when on circuit to prevent accidental knocking it or messing about with it on circuit leading to the scene of the inevitable accident, and to stop people gaining advantage by adjusting it for different corners during a lap.

 

You will sometimes see them with the BB valve near the gear lever on the driver's side so it can be adjusted on track, but the passenger side of the tunnel is more common. I would doubt it has been relocated from tunnel on the driver's side, but it's possible I guess.

 

Are you sure the hole in the tunnel on the drivers' side isn't one of the two 'standard' holes all racecars seem to have. I don't know why they have them, but they do!

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Are you sure it is not a hole with blind rubber grommet to access the Reverse Light switch. That's what it looks like on my Roadsport.

 

7 related photos

[Matt B]

It seems like that may be what the hole was there for, except no rubber grommit just some silver duck tape which i put my finger through

 

Guessing oil pressure ok then too

 

Looks like i might have finally found my 7

 

Matt

[Nick Green]

The sticking throttle with the plastic throttle body can sometimes be alleviated by turning the jubilee clip holding the filter, by 90 degrees and then reclamping, to change the shape of the hole.

[Matt B]

I thought the throttle would be nice and easy to solve.

 

My concern was around the oil pressure as seemed really low (but then i dont know what K series engines should sit at on a Caterham gauge!) 😳

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[RFC1]

throttle was simply the pedal was tight on the pivot bush, 2 mins/greased fixed!!

 

hole in tunnel is to gain access to reverse light switch.

[7 Sevens]

Go on Matt, buy the mans car.