kiloromeo

Just to update those who replied to my posts, and others interested in the issue I had earlier this year... Caterham had the car in to inspect and in the end the engine came out and they discovered an oil seal on the gearbox had been pinched in manufacture, and allowing oil to pass (presumably when hot), so new gearbox oil seal fitted, engine back in, all covered under warranty (despite it being a kit build and in it's 2nd year). So a big thanks and thumbs up to Caterham for doing the right thing.

When I built mine with BMW diff (2018/19) the build manual stated 0.8L. As the general thinking was 'fill it til it runs out' , I actually put the supplied 1L in and it would have taken more (perhaps 1.2L ?). So I checked with Derek at Caterham and he said leave it at 1L.

Thanks again for the varied suggestions, to answer the questions as best I can… -As the car is in warranty period I can’t drill holes in the bellhousing, but will keep an eye on clutch fluid level anyway. -I’ve checked all around the cam cover, block and bellhousing for signs of oil, but nothing seen. All clean. -No signs of the fluid on the floor or rear end, it just seems to trail back under the gearbox a bit. The quantity leaking can only be a small amount. -The feel of the leaking oil to me, is similar to the browny engine oil (taken from the filler cap this time). I can’t tell a difference. It’s not like clutch fluid though. -I asked my other half to sniff the oil and describe it, and she says it smells oily. I asked if it smell like cats pee ? - no. -Today I ran the car stationary for ages as suggested, and no signs of the leak. Took it for a good run (to check my eyesight ), and after cooling down for a few hours, a trace of the light coloured fluid on the bellhousing join. (The exhaust was cold but the bellhousing was still bl**dy hot, that caught me out). Great advice from everyone, thanks a lot. I’ve emailed Caterham to explain the issue and will see what happens.

Well I've checked the brake and clutch fluid levels and they seem ok. Clutch fluid looks dirty though I can't smell very well right now due to hay fever, but I dripped a little engine oil from the dipstick next to the leaking oil patches for comparison, the 2 light coloured spots are the leaking oil, the dark brownish drop is off the dipstick....

Thanks for the replies. Car is 1 yr old kit built, approx 2,800 miles. The gearbox and engine were prefilled with the supplied kit, so not sure whats in the gearbox. Will check brake and clutch fluid levels, then fire an email off to see whats what.

Hello everyone, hope you don't mind me asking the experienced owners on here for an opinion before contacting Caterham... Car is a just over a year old, 270S (Sigma/mazda gearbox), less than 3000 miles. Kit built, engine arrived prefilled with oil. When mating the gearbox/bellhousing to the engine, I don't recall a gasket and in fact there is a small gap at one point (like a O mating to a D) Last year I noticed that the garage floor looked like it had a wet patch, and put some cardboard down to try and find if it was oil or water. It seemed to be oily, so checked oil was ok (it was above the min, but topped up a little anyway.). No more signs of a leak. After the first proper blat out this year I put some cardboard down, and hey ho the following day another wet patch appeared and a dribble of brown oil. Which oil, engine, gearbox, clutch fluid? See pic... Looks to me like it it comes from the bellhousing to engine joint during? and after driving, but cooled down and sitting in the garage it doesn't leak?

Very nice. Do they remove the existing leather, or just trim over the top so its a bit fatter?

Did you fill yours when you built it , kiloromeo ? The gearbox came prefilled.

My 2019 270S, Sigma/Mazda box, has a similar 'chatter' when I lift off the throttle to slow down. It is very noisy at for example 50mph in 4th gear. I have had a funny look from a couple of passengers who know I've assembled it and think I've left something off! Also when sitting stationary in neutral, a clutch/gearbox whine, but as soon as I depress the clutch pedal to engage a gear, the whine stops. I was told by Caterham that both noises are normal, but I suspect that not all cars do it. I'd be interested to know what you find your gearbox oil level to be. And if anyone else has resolved either of these noises?

Thanks for the replies and info everyone. Further research required!

Hello Perhaps a question for the regular circuit drivers... Thinking of doing my first track day with my 7, possibly Cadwell or Blyton, but I don't want to drive it up through France (where we are), to Lincolnshire, then drive all the way back down to France again! So thinking of trailering. Are there any known nearby hotel/bnb with car parks that are trailer friendly, and secure? I'm assuming the experienced drivers don't all drive up on the morning of the event. I think for me this will decide whether or not I'll do one, so hoping for some guidance. Thanks in advance. ps. I do have the track day roll bar.

I put 20 all round in, but Caterham may have changed that as they took it to the test.

Good luck on friday mark. As advised by Caterham, I printed off a load of photos that my other half took of me holding parts/spanners/engine hoist etc. The front bonnet catch IVA cover does just seem to hook on. Put it on when you arrive otherwise it may jump off on the way!

You may have oil pressure, but it takes a while for it to register on the gauge (assuming the gauge is working). On my recent build, it took something like 3 times 10 seconds of turning over before it actually registered.

Scott, Caterham obviously agree with you as the current manual does exactly as you have done, so the historic 'earth lead to rubber mount' is no longer needed ! Although the bolts that go from rubber mount to chassis are still the same (i.e one is still longer for the earth lead thats no longer needed). Chris - you will find that one of the caphead bolts that Jim mentions above, sits in a slot in the engine mount. The manual shows a spring washer, but that will not fit in the slot ! Derek told me to leave it off.

I had exactly this issue recently as well, Derek said to open up the 2 holes in the UJ a little. Also a good idea to touch up with a little hammerite?

Thanks for all the replies. The manual clearly shows a washer in the diagram, and the parts list says 2 are needed (item IK ,2 no)... Anyway I went looking for thin copper ones but could only find some at 2mm thick, the same thickness as the one in there! Jim, thanks for the cling film idea, the mess would have been a lot worse without it. And the sequence did have me puzzled for a while, but you were right of course. Ian, I did as you suggested and it bottomed out ok, so helped with the decision to omit the washer. The advice re flexible hoses is appreciated, and maybe a project for the future, but for simple me I need to tick the boxes at the moment. Agree with the sentiment though, could be so much better. So could the manual, but hey ho. CtrMint - the bag it came in just had a lock nut, no washer, so I added the one from the manual. Thanks for the photo of your install, it looks like you do not have a washer, and as it doesn't leak I thought it must be fine, so I removed mine! Have now re-bled and no leaks, so will check tomorrow, and also see if I have a pedal.

Good evening gents, any help here would be appreciated... Building a 270S kit, and today filled and tried to bleed the brakes, but very quickly found a leak (see pic). Anyway tried tightening - no luck. Tried tightening some more - no luck. Had another go and decided that if I tighten further something is going to brake ! So of course it is friday afternoon and Derek and the factory are not available to pester about a solution. I've checked the manual and I appear to have the correct washer. Am I missing something here? Thanks in advance.

Mark, I did mine recently with the supplied tereson, and the repeater earth with a rivet to the underside of the wingstay. Today I connected the battery to test the lights etc worked, and all was fine.

Hello Mark I've recently had a go at the handbrake cable too, and I decided to fit an 'L' shaped metal bracket to the underside of the wooden plank (flatish head in the boot for the carpet), and from that leg I've bolted a 'P' clip so its rubber loop is about 2-3" below the wood, and the cable will go through this. I can't photograph it as its disassembled waiting for final fit. I didn't fancy cable clips or taking an angle grinder to the installed diff ! Front wings - I fitted the IVA trim to them beforehand as I thought it easier with full control of the superglue, and also wanted to get some Dinitrol stonechip on the underside after the trim, rather than before. Still managed to get superglue on the paintwork ! (anyone know how to get this off?) " What is the best strategy for getting the front wings straight, assuming the tracking isn't perfect?" Method I used (borrowed from blogs)... With the wheels on (car on ground is best), mark the centreline of the tyres front and rear. Find and mark on masking tape the centreline front and rear of the wings, sit them on the stays, adjust for the 80mm at the front, then tweek until all lines up ok. A spirit level on the top will then tell you if you need to adjust the stays to suit.

Hi CtrMint, you don't seem to have much luck. I had problems fitting my FIA roll bar recently too. It slotted in tight but ok, the chassis bolts would not line up and bite, so ending up spending ages jiggling one side/other side, up/down, for/aft until a couple of threads on each side bit, and then gradually turned a few more on each side, and eventually it pulled down ok. Pleased with myself, then looked at the 2 rear bars and they did not line up with the brackets ! BTW - I have a Sigma (I know you have a Duratec so may be different) and a bottle of 5L engine oil was supplied. I pulled the dipstick out of curiosity and found it filled to the max already ! A recent photo..

I've taken some pics, mainly as evidence of parts, and management has taken some of me holding a torque wrench etc for the IVA people, but that's about it. I'll see if there's anything interesting and post. Re the grommet on the angled hole in the tube - impossible, so I cut one in half (lengthwise, leaving a short T rather than an H ), manipulated it in, then used some quick drying superglue. It looks ok and hopefully will stay in place. Must say I would not like to do it again! The b*stard for me was getting the assembly on to the car, hence my comment about omitting the grommet at the end of the bracket. Also had to open up the metal tang a little to get that to catch. There is a grommet I fitted on the car mount, so the wires pass through that into the engine bay ok.

Hi CtrMint - thought I'd follow this one up with a comment, I've been reading about your experiences. I'm a little behind you in a build of a 270S, much simpler cooling, the current 1.1 manual seems to be designed for the 1.6 Sigma and is quite good in some respects, but short on description. I'm having all the same minor issues you are having. Thank goodness for all the kind and knowledgeable people who have offered their advice, and others who have blogged their experiences so we have a reference that it is usual and not just us! The manual states fill diff with 0.8L of oil (std diff). I filled it with all of the 1L supplied as I expected it to overflow out of the fill hole. It all went in, didn't overflow, and when I queried this, the reply was no more needed ( and presumably 0.2L does not need to come out). So whats the 0.8L figure all about ! Not sure about this one. I persevered with the headlights. In the end to get the headlight bracket to mate with the car, I took off the grommet exiting the bracket as it can't be seen when on the car.

Hi Jonathan Any update on these? No rush, just remembered.

Hi Stephen I've just sent an email with details to regalia... I'm not delaying you on purpose, I have been away for a week !