Living with a Xflow query

[HendrixsWhiteStratReturns]

Hi Michael

 

Reading the other posts sounds like it's just me ! In fairness I think it's the choke that cause the problems - Paul Deslandes very kindly sorted out a problem for me once which was probably choke related but I can never get my webers to run smoothly, even after they were tuned (about 3 months after I bought the car)

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Hendrix, I think most of us remove the chokes.

[elie boone]

If your Webers loose there balance rather fast there are likely 2 possibilities, you probably have some play in the butterfly shafts or the balance screw has made a mark in the metal part it rests up on.

[HendrixsWhiteStratReturns]

Cheers both

GJT - noted, I just don't use mine at all now.

[Clousta]

I have mine since 2009 and have put 9,000 miles on top of the original 9,000 miles. Lots of stuff done to the car to make it more useable. The last year it was used very little (once for a 40 mile shakedown) before driving from Brussels to Caterham and back in 36 hours. I left work at midday for a two hour blast up the E40. It never missed a beat and the closed cooling system kept the coolant temperature rock steady despite that the air temperature was 35C.

It has only broken down twice, both times on spirited rallies. First was on Begian pave where the 7 in front threw up a boulder and as as it clunked underneath it holed the sump. Now an armoured sump and a change of rear suspension and setting the ride height correctly, which appeared to have never been done post (kit) build, means that I can now tackle Belgian pave with confidence.

Second, was a loss of power on acceleration and then it spluttered to a halt. On restarting this fault was repeatable. The cause was a split in the hose from the fuel tank to the electric fuel pump which was feeding the Webers an air and fuel mix and starving the engine of fuel.

The car was built between 1986 and 1988.  There are still things to be fixed including an exhaust blow at the Siamese exhaust ports (2 and 3) that several attempts have never managed to rectify. I hanker after the modern implementation of the Caterham 160 having taken two test drives. Would I then miss the crossflow and the outrageous soundtrack while blasting past almost 3 decades younger machinery. Most probably. In 36 hours in its BRG and yellow nose livery it attracted 7 enquires and requests to look and hear the engine and a filming on the motorway. 

[Golf Juliet Tango]

 I can now tackle Belgian pave with confidence.

I'm never confident on pave! 

[Mort]

I owned a live axle, Mexico gearboxed, Supersprint, running Weber 45s, for 5 1/2 years about twenty years back.  Great car!

It did need more attention than my current 1.4 K-Series. Fuel consumption was 20 mpg, compared with high 30s, or low 40s on a run in 5th, in my K.  Carbs regularly needed balancing.  No choke, so starting after a few weeks in the garage was a bit of a faff.  I could never reach the handbrake when wearing a harness, but the only time it was ever used was during the MOT.  The sound of the rear exit exhaust was glorious - the best sounding Seven ever IMO.

It never let me down.  The only real drawback was that it had an open pedal box, so I'd come back from a blat looking like a WW1 fighter pilot, with oil on my face apart from where my sunglasses had been.  This meant that if I drove it to work I had to wear something over my suit, but that was part of the experience.

[Gloucestershire AR]

Yes, exhaust gaskets are a pain. I found the 'competition' gaskets to be useless for cylinders 2 and 3 but use a set from Vulcan Engineering. They're quite thick but seem to work OK. Just more expensive!

Anyone else found a good exhaust manifold gasket set? Maybe the heavy exhaust system and vibrating engine just kill anything that's not up to the job?

Andy

[elie boone]

Andy, near the bottom of the page. http://www.historicracing.org.uk/

[Stridey]

I just questioned my mate, who helps with a historic saloon car Anglia with a Crossflow and has jus restored an Anglia and dropped a Crossflow in. (His next project will hopefully be a Xflow Caterham.

Anyway, he concurs that exhaust gaskets are a small pain as they blow all the time racing.. He's made some out of copper, and fitted Ali backed ones for the road Anglia.

He suggests Misabs for the carbs.

Burton Power as a supplier. (I use them, they are good)

On my car I've used bog standard gaskets and a bit of gasket putty. Lasting well, over a year in.

 

 

[Wile7]

My first seven was a 1600 xflow, then I bought a 1400k supersport which was a great car BUT I missed the xflow farting, burping, flames and overall character. I purchased 'Wile' in 2005 - a 1995 1700 supersprint. Not one regret.

Reliability 11 years on......only thing to fail was the Lucas electronic ignition thing. Easy to replace. Other than that, a couple of minor earthing issues with electronics and Andy Belcher helped me out with balancing/setting the carbs in 2012. Other than that.....it's been great and I love it. It's now registered in Suisse too which was not easy but quite straightforward....just needed to find a noise-friendly garage that liked xflow's :)

Its not a carbon racer, chrome with clams. As someone has mentioned, xflow's and clams go well. Find a good one and keep it. Xflow cars are on the rise price wise (witness old school Fords such as AVO Mexico) and the 711 block has great heritage. The AX block is a good-un too.

£12-14k will get you a good one in the UK. There are cheaper and a few more expensive...some UK dealers asking £18k -£24k plus for a good xflow with clams. BDA and HPC money. Here in Switzerland a good xflow starts at 25k chf and runs up to 50k chf plus (£19-38k). Now mine is Suisse the agreed insurance value is madness.....but I'm not complaining.

Go xflow.....you won't look back but be prepared to accept that it is an old school Caterham with extraordinary character and fun factor.

And that xflow noise at full tilt is just fantastic especially in a long tunnel ;)

Dave