Paul_Hedley Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 As a Caterham Newbie (I've only had it a fortnight) I have been fiddling about with seat positioning and came to the conclusion that I need to move the pedals forwards, both for me, and for my wife to be able to play. They (i.e. brake and clutch) were bolted through the middle hole, so I've moved those forward to the frontmost hole, and adjusted the brake master-cylinder bolt and the clutch bellhousing to get them right, and drop the pedal level a bit. Two questions though: 1. I can't see an easy way of moving the throttle forwards. I presumably need to shorten/adjust the throttle cable, but I'm not sure how to go about that. (All of the blatchat posts I can find essentially says 'clutch and throttle are easy, brake is more difficult.) The owners' manual just says ' there isn't much adjustment in the throttle cable' while saying nothing about how one might do it, and then suggests 'bending the top of the throttle pedal' if more is needed. If I do need to do this latter stage, is there a recommended method? 2. In adjusting the brake pedal and the master-cylinder bolt, the L-shaped metal 'piece' that is attached to the master-cylinder bolt stops being in contact (or depressing) what looks to be some sort of switch. I'm not sure what this switch is for, and whether it is a problem. Thanks for any advice anyone can give. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil.cavanagh Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 the switch is for the brake lights.... you should be able to adjust the position of the switch and/or the bent piece of metal such that is operates correctly. Many people find that the brake pedal action isn't very good when it is on the lower setting.... something to bear in mind before doing anything permanent as you might need to move it back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Hedley Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Neil, Thanks for that - it makes sense. The switch therefore needs to be depressed when the brake pedal is in its 'rest' position, so that when the pedal is pressed, the switch is released illuminating the brake light. Hmm - I need to fiddle with that. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akakubi Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 The throttle is exactly the way the manual says. You can adjust the cable length at the throttle body (the bolt that houses the cable itself. You may need to pop it out from the retaining socket (square bush) to thread quickly. If you do need to bend the pedal (I did), it's best to take it out completely and then place it in a vise to hold it firmly. Then put a screwdriver inside and just bend as much as you think you need. You will have to remove the throttle cable prior to extracting the pedal from the footwell (flathead will do: just spread the seam and get the cable out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative paul richards Posted June 12, 2008 Area Representative Share Posted June 12, 2008 Are there not also 3 mounting points for the trottle pedal - I'm sure there are on my car. Pedal is held with a single bolt into a tread in the the chassis - I'm sure there is a choice of 3, but you may need to bend the peal a bit to get cable length correct. Paul Richards Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) LADS Website Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellissimmo Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 There are two throttle pedal mountings on my Roadsport SV but if you mount the pedal on the nearest one (to the footwell), it fouls on the chassis. I've ended up leaving it in the standard position in the hopes I can get comfortable. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akakubi Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Ditto with Steve. The chassis would not allow for a full travel in the clsest hole unfortunately. But you can also play a bit with the pedal stop bolt (in the firewall). If you reduce it almost to min, you will have a bit more travel that way as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Hedley Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks to all for the various pieces of advice. I think I have it all sorted now. There are 3 throttle mounting points on my 7, but it was in the forwardmost one anyway, so there wasn't any further I could take it that way. I did end up removing and bending the throttle pedal, and have set it up nicely now for some heeling and toeing. I think I've found a middle ground with the brake pedal so that I don't need to modify the master-cylinder bolt (the end is clear of the pedal), but I haven't taken it out on the road yet. It was also easy to deal with the brakelight issue, once I had worked out what was going on and how it was supposed to work. I certainly have a better driving position, so we'll see if the wife can find one too. Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 You might want to consider setting the clutch pedal closer to you then the brake and accelerator, there is not much room down there and I found this helped a great deal and made the whole thing more driveable. One thing is for sure you'll be a dab hand at removing and reffitting the pedal box cover once you start adjusting David M GF04RCE.... every day is a Caterham day!!!! He heee!!... pictures here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremybu Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I have my pedals on the nearest setting. This made the clutch cable kink slightly when the pedal was depressed so I drilled the holes for the clevis pin slightly lower down which seems to give it neater line. Yours may be OK but it's probably worth checking. 1.6 SV - GJ02JLO - If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it should have been something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Hedley Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Interesting idea. I might give that a try, depending on how it is in the current position. I suppose that makes the 'bite' at about the same level as the brake, rather than that being the 'rest' position. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Shelley Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I have just adjusted the pedals on my Duratec R400 to move them closer to me. The latest cars only have two position options. Does anyone know how much the clutch pedal stop should be adjusted to control the throw of the actuator rod into the clutch master cylinder? Can't find an answer on the archives or in the build manual. Thanks Bob@EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Trial and error ? - push pedal down until clutch disengages, and move stop to where you want it ? Don't have a clutch pedal stop on my hydraulic clutch VVC - was considering fitting something. 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Shelley Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Thanks SM25T. How will I know when the clutch disengages? The slave actuator is hidden in the bell housing as far as I can see. Bob@EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Engine running, how far do you have to push pedal down to be able to put it in a gear ? Try it with all gears. No point in going any further than just far enough I guess ? Set stop and do above, having an assistant watch gap to stop. Adjust stop & try again. Once set, try it on the road. 7 related photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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