David aka Blue7

Quoting weeman: 

 

Nice one Martin

 

Kevin

 

My CSR is 4 yo bought new from CC who informed me at the outset that the CSR burned oil, which was normal and to keep an eye on oil level. I was even handed a modified dipstick which was calibrated to ensure the oil level was higher than the default dipstick fitted to the tower. Since then the CC advice is to top up regularly, a small amount at a time until oil discharges into the catch tank when you run the engine, then the level is correct. There is a post from CC James Gibson on the subject somewhere on this site.

 

I don't track my car but I do tour around in it but don't thrash it unless I need to do some swift overtaking. I would say that I use about 1 ltr every 4000 miles, which is probably more than required because a lot of that will spill into the catch tank after topping up. Last year I drove around 1000 miles to Birmingham and back on the M6 at speeds of 60 - 70 mph and used less than 0.25 ltrs when topping up.

 

As a matter of interest when we bought my wife's Cooper S we were told that we had to keep an eye on oil level because it will burn some oil. At least it is a straight forward job of checking the oil level with a standard dipstick and no messing about monitoring catch tanks

Quoting jonboylaw: 

 

Yep ... Paul is correct, that was team Blue on our way back home from Woodvale via Stevenston (Ayrshire) and on to overnight stay in Edinburgh where we were taking part in the Edinburgh Festival serving up doughnuts to the crowds 😬

 

Sorry for missing your beeps but we were a bit stressed out with the satnav route through Hamilton and Cambuslang during the rush hour and then the A8 / M8 journey was kind of crazy with cars and especially white van crazies changing lanes with no indication and no consideration regarding braking distances. In such circumstances you realise just how vulnerable you are in a 7 so concentration on driving and immediate surroundings is essential.

 

Sincere apologies for not seeing you but please accept our waves and beeps in retrospect

Quoting Glasgow: 

 

Hi Ahmed

 

I was travelling at around 40-50 mph enjoying the scenery (can't say for sure because the bloomin' speedo packed up earlier 😔 ) The roads are uneven but that is great for a 7 and no potholes.

 

No I didn't add any more silicone to the other wing but I had half expected it to happen so I added a jubilee clip to the stanchion and threaded a cable tie through the hole in the wing and through jubilee clip so that if it did come away it would at least be held in place and not jam up against the tyre.

 

If you ever get up that way you must do the west coast run on the A838 from Laxford Bridge (just north of Scourie), past Loch Stack and Ben Stack all the way down to the T junction with the A836, a wonderful road just made for a 7 and you want it to just go on for ever 😬 I turned left at that junction and a few miles up that road, the wing came off.

I have just returned from a tour of the Highlands and in the middle of nowhere on a single track road my other cycle wing came adrift A guy passing by on a Harley stopped to offer assistance but his only solution was duct tape of which he had ample supplies. However, after the last one came off I was better prepared but it meant cutting a couple of holes in the cycle wing and threading a cable tie through and looping it beneath the stanchion to secure wing to stanchion securely. The Harley guy winced at the thought of cutting into the wing with my penknife and likened it to a tracheotomy but needs must and I needed a permanent solution to get me back to the hotel and allow me to use the car for the rest of the holiday.

 

Caterham need to get their act together and come up with a better method of securing the wings because the present cheap and nasty method is unacceptable and could quite easily cause loss of steering control if it happened at high speed. IMHO it is not IF your wing flies but WHEN, which is very disconcerting

Hi guys

 

Just back from touring Highlands and apart from losing yet another cycle wing, my speedo has stopped working and the odometer has frozen at the position it was at when the speedo failed. It sounds like it might be the problem you are discussing, my carriage is a CSR 260, can you tell me exactly where this speedo sensor is located on the gearbox please?

Mine arrived today from Car Builder, along with the CC extension lead. After a great deal of thought I decided that fitting it to the roll bar would interfere with my bullet cam position which is usually centre of the roll bar using a Dogcam clamp. Furthermore it would not be visible with my half hood fitted. I debated whether or not to fit it to the rear panel above the number plate but did not want to drill a hole for the wires.

 

Eventually I came up with the idea of fastening it to the boot cover using a couple of black cable ties, which looks quite neat with no visible wiring. This solution is of course only practical if you don't have a spare wheel ... see photo here

 

When I first connected it, it didn't work but I soon discovered that I had connected up the wrong polarities so swapped the connections and it lit up nicely.

Quoting Paul Richards: 

 

I agree with Paul. I collected my 7 new at Tebay Service Station and by the time I had driven home, the trim was hanging off on one side and had disappeared from the other side altogether. I phoned CC to get a replacement and advice about suitable adhesive and was told that they are only required for IVA and the car will run perfectly well without them ... and CC were right 😬

Quoting Stationary M25 Traveller: With a Half Hood .... no problem. Don't use a full hood any more, so can't comment. At night it would certainly be ok, as it would fill the hood with red light !!! I was watching the road signs in the rear view mirror at night on Tuesday ...... when I braked, they showed up very bright red for a long way back

 

Edited by - Stationary M25 Traveller on 31 Mar 2011 11:23:34

 

Looking at my 7 with half hood in place, the rear flap that fits over the top of the roll bar would definitely obscure the light if fitted on or just below the roll bar. I definitely like the idea of an additional high visibility brake light so have placed an order. However, I don't have a spare wheel / carrier so I am considering fitting it to the rear panel as high as it will go above the number plate and the wiring can feed through into the boot so all wiring will be concealed.

test2

test

You just need a bit more time to get used to the new 6 speed box and use it with confidence. I had the same problem when I bought the CSR and lost a bit of confidence when changing gear but practise makes perfect 😶‍🌫️

 

The last poster came close, you need to palm the change instead of forcing what you think is the correct selection, there is probably too much tension in your wrist ... relax a bit Changing from 2nd to 3rd, just palming it out of 2nd the gear lever will automatically slide (spring), into the central neutral position and you just have to push forward to get 3rd. Just think away from you to get 1st and 2nd, neutral for 3rd and 4th and towards you for 5th and 6th ... unless you have a left hand drive model 😬

Quoting Grubbster: 

 

Thanks Grubster

Quoting Stationary M25 Traveller: 

 

Ok so what sort of adhesive are we talking about and I assume it is more permanent than the silkaflex?

 

Ignore previous post ... Windows 7 glitch

 

I had that same problem, I contacted CC and JG said that CC uses Teroson / Terostat 9220 Power adhesive. I couldn't source this locally and the nearest I could get was something called Tiger Seal, which has worked so far but our roads are full of potholes at the moment so it concerns me that it might detach again. When the wing came off, the main problem was that it became trapped between stay and wheel so I had to tie it in place with string in order to be able to drive it home. To overcome that problem in future I have looped a black garden tie around stay and cycle wing, which will hold it in place temporarily albeit with a bit of a rattle.

 

I agree that gravity was a problem and a lot of the stuff just drips down on to the floor. Andrew Still at Open Road Hire tells me that this happens all the time to his hire cars so he attaches them permanently with strips of fibreglass.

 

These 'big head' fasteners seem to be a good permanent solution so I would be interested in ordering some also. How are they inserted, I assume the wing has to be drilled? There seem to be a number of different types available, what size are we talking about and are we talking about 2 per wing?

Same happened to my wing too. failure was not from the poweder coat but was at the sealent at the wing side (as all the sealant was attached to the stay and the inside of the wing was "clear".....

 

Just a silly question.... How could we apply the sealant? I understand the wheel will be removed but what about the gravity? how would we make the sealant stay in place until it get hard enough? i take we dont need to remove the wing stay confused smiley

 

Grubbster,

Thanks for all the input guys, some useful ideas which I have made a note of. CC James Gibson tells me that they currently use Terostat 9220 to stick the wing to the stay. I haven't been able to source that locally but have got another similar product called Tiger Seal so I am going to give that a go and if it isn't successful then it will be a nut and bolt job.

 

I applied one coat today and the process is somewhat messy due to something called gravity, it would be handy to turn the 7 upside down into an L

 

When complete I have decided to fit a small jubilee clip to the stay next to the wing and run a cable tie from the clip through the hole on the wing where the stay passes. If it detaches in future it will at least remain in place and just rattle a bit, but at least I will be able to get home without having to stop and apply velcro bondage

 

David

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While returning home yesterday, the front nearside cycle wing of my CSR suddenly became loose and got entangled between the front suspension and the tyre. I managed to get home by temporarily securing the wing in place with some velcro straps but the indicator wires were snapped and must have caused the indicator fuse to blow, which I have yet to investigate further.

 

On closer inspection this morning, the wing is surprisingly undamaged. The front securing bolt is still intact and the cause of the problem seems to be where the cycle wing attaches to the other rear underside stanchion. This rear stanchion passes through the wing and is covered in some sort of rubberised solution which is too large to allow me to remove the cycle wing from the stanchion without cutting the rubber away. I assume this rubberised solution has some adhesive properties and is the only means of attaching the underside of the wing to the stanchion?

 

Has anyone experienced this problem before and if so how did you effect a lasting repair? The only way I can presently see of making a repair is to use super-glue to glue the rubber to the underside fibreglass of the wing? I have emailed CC James Gibson for advice but meantime wonder if this has happened to any other CSR owners. I say CSR because I am not certain how cycle wings are attached to other 7's, it may be a method common to all 7's.

 

 

David

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Hi David, sounds like a great drive, but how unfortunate - have not heard of breakages like that before. Did it destroy the wing? Just took a look at your pics - lovely car.

 

The wing is remarkably undamaged but I think I will have to start a new topic because upon closer inspection the cause of the problem is that the cycle wing has detached itself from the rear underside stanchion. The stanchion is coated in some sort of thick rubberised material and I assume this has some sort of adhesive properties and the only means used to attach wing to stanchion. I have emailed CC James Gibson for advice on how re-attach wing to stanchion but it worries me that glue is the only means of securing the wing and also if a similar problem will occur with the other wing.

 

David

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Hi Paul

 

Glad to hear you managed to fix the problem and it was nothing more serious than a loose or dirty connection

 

I had to drive down to Dreadnought Garage in Callander to get my CSR serviced yesterday, which is a 250 mile round trip but had a great day out travelling back through Killin, Aberfeldy, Pitlochry and home over Glenshee but about 30 miles from home the front nearside cycle wing came adrift. Initial inspection shows the front bolt to be intact but whatever attaches it to the stanchion on the underside of the wing has broken. A temporary repair with some velcro straps got me home but the wing indicator wires were snapped which must have blown the indicator fuse in the process. So I am now about to try to establish just what has broken on the underside of the wing ... never a dull moment with a 7

 

David

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Hi Paul

 

I have only changed the speedo and that was difficult enough so you have my sympathies with the temp gauge which is in a really difficult position. I assume you have been able to remove that central storage pocket and it is still difficult to get at? Even when the clamp is removed it takes quite a bit of force to push the dial outwards. There is no easy answer that I know of. If you can't manage it yourself and are not far from CC I would probably let them fix it. Whatever it costs it is worth peace of mind knowing that the temp gauge is working correctly and that cossy engine is not overheating.

 

David

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But why confused smiley

 

Just adds a bit more fun to driving a 7 and probably adds no more weight than fitting a full roll cage or allowing SWMBO to carry her handbag I don't take my 7 on track so weight isn't an issue but I do go to a lot of veteran car rallies where you see cars with the original ooga horn fitted and I really like the sound ... kind of gives me a 7+ grin 😬 and kids especially like the sound and I suppose I am still a big kid

 

Blue7

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Anyone has experience installing ooga horn to a 7?

 

- It is heavy and large.... needs good mounting

- Where inside the bonnet ...... water may accumulate inside the horn and stop it functioning

- A previous thread about air horn said that CC advised against installing air horn as the pump may interfere with the ECU........ would this also apply to ooga horn

- Different types of ooga horns are available. any suggestions about a specific one.

---

 

Hi Glasgee

 

Yep, had one fitted to my previous Roadsport and transferred it to my CSR, great fun. I think I bought mine here

 

Hardest part is finding somewhere to bolt the horn, I forget where it was on the Roadsport but I think it was at the front on a metal cross-member that holds the existing horns. I can easily take a pic of the position on the CSR, if you wish. In both cases it is fitted horizontally, never been any water problems or interference problems

 

I have mine fitted in addition to the standard horns which I think have to be retained for MOT purposes. In which case you need to buy the CC horn button plus a relay and all the appropriate wiring, spade connectors and fuses. I found the wiring diagram supplied with the horn a bit confusing so figured the correct way myself. If you wish you can PM me and I will send you pics and my wiring diagram.

 

This one is 840 grams, which means that I can retain performance by only eating after I have driven the 7 ☹️ otherwise I will only get from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds 😔 ... then again if I have a haircut and drive naked I might get back to 3.1 😳

 

 

 

Blue7

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My dry sump setup (bellhousing style) has an old water reservoir as a catch tank for all the oil it spits out (and it spits out quite a lot!).... the problem is that I'm getting splashback/misting from it which is coating one side of the engine bay. Not entirely safe and certainly not pretty.

 

What does everyone else use and how do you seal it so that it catches the oil but isn't a sealed setup?

---

 

My CSR uses what looks like a standard w/s washer bottle with a couple of air holes in the cap, an inlet hose and overflow hose. Can't find an exact copy on CC site but this is the nearest

here

 

I can take a photo if you wish

 

Blue7

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I had my TC modified with the pockets because I just couldn't and still can't shift the headrests. The mod cost £55 and no ingress of water at all despite being left out in some very heavy Western Isles downpours.

 

Personally speaking I wouldn't go Nick's route with a marine trimmer, I would stick with SB47, they know what they are doing and have the 7 expertise.

 

Blue7

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I followed this thread with interest because I have had leaks on both driver and passenger side when it rains and also when I wash the car. I took time to have a close look at the problem this weekend and the poster who mentioned the bonnet seal is correct, the one nearest the windscreen (which is the narrow one on my CSR) does not make a good seal with the bonnet ... if at all I can't see these listed in the CC online store so assume you must have to order over the phone.

 

The other side of the problem is once the water gets in and on to the tray how does it get through to the footwell and as someone suggested it is the riveted join that was at fault. In my case black sealant had been applied along the length of this join apart from a 2" section above driver footwell and a 1" section on the passenger side underneath the engine oil catch tank. Some translucent exterior mastic applied to these areas solved the problem.

 

However, there is a bonnet vent directly above the heater intake which allows water to get through into the heater assembly and on either side of this assembly there are two drain holes approx 0.5 cm diameter, which allows water to drain on to the said shelf. So I have attached a 6" length of rubber tubing to the underside of each of these drain holes and fed the other end of each tube out and over to the engine compartment where it can drain down on to the road freely.

 

It's amazing what can occupy your mind on a wet day 😬 😬 😬

 

Blue7

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