martyn

So it was out of spec one day, then in spec on another? You seem happy with that, but did the tech offer any explanation for it? I suppose with worn bushes, could account for a variance from day-to-day depending on how the car is rolled on to the ramp.

Here is an interesting thread.. http://passionford.com/forum/general-car-related-discussion/366326-shawspeed-1-6-se-mapped.html 179bhp with the help of ShawSpeed. The spec is listed but essentially ported head, cams & throttle bodies. Uprated internals would be recommended at this level I suppose, but would then form a good basis if you wanted to head towards 200bhp at a later date. That would make for a much more interesting engine than "just another" duratec car on the road. Plus for sentimental reasons, keeping the same engine has to be a bonus?

I suppose that is referring to the prices of certain off-the-shelf packages provided by some companies. When compared against the cost of going it alone with upgrades it does look expensive as you've illustrated. Factor in installation, development costs and expertise / experience. And also consider that some packages include a lot more than you've listed there (bottom end modifications, new ECU, uprated clutch), the gap in cost starts to get a lot narrower. It is still difficult to justify the difference over the raw part prices though. I've always been tempted to drop a few thousand £ on a DIY route. I think it would be a lot more satisfying and rewarding knowing that I researched and selected the spec.

If you just want any duratec out of a ford mondeo then I expect it could be done quite cost effectively. However if you want an R400 spec one with all the ancillaries then I doubt you'll have much change from 6k. That is assuming you dont find a nice second-hand one with everything you need. I would seriously consider the power to weight of each route. A £6k tuned sigma isn't going to be that far behind a duratec in terms of power to weight. But then it will have the handling and breaking advantage.

The bypass pipe doesn't make a lot of difference in terms of performance. It does change the sound significantly and causes more pops and flames. Although that may be more to do with the fact that I haven't used any sealant to make swapping easier. Main benefits for me are that its not destroying my cat and it looks better. I think I actually prefer the sound with the cat. It is a deeper rumble rather than a higher rasp. But again that may be solved with some sealant around the ends of the primaries. I wouldn't go to the effort of getting a remap specifically because of the removal of the cat. If you want a remap anyway then that is a different matter. Lots of people report improved drivability and better top end performance.

I would recommend against completely draining the system. Instead 95% empty the reservoir, pour in fresh then pump that through until you get the clear new fluid at all 4 corners. 1 litre should do it comfortably. If you do empty the system then the air bubbles can be difficult to get out. You'll want 1 litre for the initial fill, then probably 2 X 500ml bottles to bleed again a couple of times over the following weeks. Eazibleed is very good for pumping the fresh fluid through quickly, but I think finishing off with the manual process gives a better result. Just remember to pump up pressure on the pedal before opening the bleed screw, and close the bleed screw before the pedal hits the stop.

You should be able to lock the wheels. How hard were you trying really? How does the pedal feel when driving normally? Have you ever managed locked the wheels? By the sounds of it you have very good breaking performance which suggests that nothing is wrong. With certain combinations of master cylinder and brake pedal pivot ratios, it is possible to create a pedal that is incredibly firm with minimal travel, but also requires a large amount of force to generate the same stopping power. That may feel completely alien if you're used to an overly servo-assisted "normal" road car. As for solutions.. different pads, different pedal ratio, different master cylinder. Its certainly a nice problem to have, and is the opposite to my car where I feel that the wheels lock earlier than they should.

I can simulate the symptoms you describe on mine by having the throttle cable tension too high. I'm not suggesting this is the case for you (unless you've been fiddling with the tension recently), but all signs point to the throttle cable.

There are too many complicating factors to create any rules. However, I think that by having the wheels off the ground and observing you can get a good feel for what you likely have. Keep the following in mind.. A plate LSD will satisfy this test if it has enough pre-load. If it doesn't then it may appear to be an open diff. A Quaife ATB will appear to behave like an open diff in this test. To complicate all that further a simple open diff can appear to behave in both ways depending on many factors such as how aggressively you spin the wheel and varying levels of friction at different points in the diff. You can observe this by playing with a simple lego technics diff. This alone probably makes the whole test invalid. To be correct I think it could be re-written as.. If the wheels turn the same way no matter what you do, its probably an LSD (likely a plate type). If they don't, or they behave unpredictably then you might have an LSD or you might not. The whole matter of whether you have an LSD or not is academic. Either the car drives how you want it to or it doesn't. If you can't tell the difference then having one or not is probably irrelevant. This is why the car park test is the best, because you're observing the behavior of the car as you will feel it from the drivers seat. Edit to add.. This is also a matter of terminology. The Quaife is actually a torque biasing diff, it cant technically be called a 'limited slip diff'

I have the scans of the relevant pages in the haynes manual that covers the rear brakes. If you send me a message with your email I can send it over. Although to be honest its not really that useful other than to look up those torque figures.

If it has an MBE ECU then the best option is to get it hooked up to a laptop and the easimap software. That'll tell you the correct idle TPS voltage. It may also give you some other pointers or faults that may be the source of your misfire.

Dont be too sure. My experience is that the wheels-off-the-ground spinning check isn't at all conclusive. Caterham supply several different types of LSDs, the main two being plate and ATB. An ATB diff will behave exactly like an open diff in this test. You'll also find that both an ATB and an open diff can behave in both ways, with a very gentle rotation causing the wheels to turn in the same direction and a more firm push causing them to reverse. I believe that Caterham mostly only supply the quaife ATB LSD now, so it is possible you could have one of those. Short of removing the drive shafts to check or calling Caterham and asking - an empty carpark is the best option.

Are you talking about the slide bolts (the ones you remove to change pads) or are you talking about the caliper bolts that attach the caliper body to the de-dion ear? The assembly guide states 47nm for the body to de-dion ear bolts. It doesn't mention the slide bolts because removing those isn't part of the build process (in theory). The haynes manual for the ford sierra rear calipers states 31 - 35nm for the slide bolts.

Whenever I've called them they've never had what I need. Usually saying that the part is "too new". I think they mainly deal with pre K series stuff.

I've just found a very good explanation of what the "Bad missing tooth count" panel means.. http://www.sbdev.co.uk/FAQs/General_running.html Its explained in that link with some useful info on other panels. I'll copy the important bit here just in case that external page ever gets taken down.. It also explains the "Reset Count" panel which is also very useful for diagnosing wiring issues and random misfires/cutouts..

I've just been working on my car and playing around in Easimap and discovered a very useful troubleshooting / diagnostic tool that I didn't know it had. Obviously this is only useful when you get your hands on the necessary cable.. There is a panel called "Reset Count", this displays a number and that number increments by one each time the ECU loses power - even momentarily. You can see it working by switching the ignition on and off. If you witness that number increment at the same time as your car cuts out then you know there is an intermittent wiring problem somewhere on the +ve or earth lines.

The front wings from caterham often get white spots if you leave them wet for a length of time. Looks horrible but always seem to fade and disappear over the course of a couple of months.

Yes also very surprised I couldn't find anything in the archives and that nobody has replied. Even if its just to say "yes my pedals have play" or "no they dont".

Both my brake and clutch pedal have noticeable lateral play of about 1mm or so. I can feel this if I put my foot on the pedal lightly and wiggle from side to side. I can also observe the movement by removing the pedal box cover and pushing/pulling by hand. It is as if both pedals could do with a washer on either side. However, I have no reason to believe the previous owner dismantled or modified anything since the car was built at the factory. Is this normal and do they all do this? Or should I do something about it? I dont believe the movement is a safety issue, however all the other controls on the car feel nicely responsive and tactile but these pedals are letting the side down. That and it is really disconcerting when you press the brake pedal at a funny angle and feel the clunk and slight movement!

I'd would not be any more concerned after finding out the wheels had been changed. Because how do you know the previous owner ever had it set up at all? In any case it would have been set up for them and not for you. There are no right or wrong setups (within reason), if the car drives how you want it to then you dont need to do anything. If the car has behaviors you dont like then take it in to a specialist and get the setup modified. For reference the change of tyres has resulted in the ride heights changing by -1.3 inches at the front and -0.65 inches at the rear. Sump clearance for a road car is normally in the range of 2.5 - 3.5 inches. I find it hard to believe the previous owner could reasonably accommodate at 1.3 inch drop without adjusting the suspension heights. Assuming of course you have adjustable platforms on your car? What is your sump clearance at the moment?

You can download a free GPS speedo app on a phone or use a satnav to get a GPS verified speed. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. Speedos generally under-read by a margin. Yours will just have a bigger margin as it has moved to smaller tyres. You can see the difference is about 5mph at 80mph here: https://tiresize.com/comparison/ Depending on what speedo you have, you might be able to recalibrate it by flicking some switches on the back. If you've never had a set-up/alignment then why are you worried now that it may be out? You don't have a "correct" baseline to compare to. Probably something worth doing in your ownership regardless of the fact that the tyres have changed.

I've always wondered if its possible to drill out the rivets along the bottom of the sideskin, ease out the aluminum to clean behind, then rivet back up again. Has anyone considered or tried this? Probably only worth risking as a last resort on a chassis that is going in for a reskin anyway.

Yes I agree. If this is caused by the shift lights then I would say the shift lights are probably faulty. Perhaps shorting the +ve onto the tacho feed causing the ECU to cut out? I'm sure SBD know their stuff but.. "ECU needs to be configured for the additional item". That is complete nonsense.

Interesting, absolutely no problems with the Caterham supplied ACES lights fitted in exactly the same way.

If you switch to Avon ZZS 185/55/13 (without adjusting suspension) You'll lose 22mm of ride height. Avon CR500 175/55/13 will loose you 27.5mm of ride height. The closest you'll get is if you can find a tyre in 185/65/13. That'll be a 3.5mm drop. All above without adjusting suspension of course. Personally, I'd choose the tyre I want then adjust the suspension to my desired ride height. No compromises that way.