old captain slow

So bottom line I guess is would you continue to drive it, or would you bite the bullet and get it recovered back to home? C7 CDW

I've suggested he checks the cam belt. I'll mention the plug cover too but the tick is too loud apparently by the sound of it. C7 CDW

No unfortunately. C7 CDW

Winky just called me from somewhere in Kerry. 1600K is ticking when reved - sounds like it might be a sticking valve or similar. Performance doesn't seem to be affected. Any views on what to do or is it just a recovery job via the RAC? C7 CDW Edited by - David W on 25 Sep 2007 11:02:34

No idea really, but maybe it's oil circulation from the rotation of the 1st motion shaft in the gearbox just enough to turn the output shaft. Seems a bit unlikely though. C7 CDW

Another vote for the Neil route! There is nothing worse in my view than driving a car "knowing" there isn't a problem because you "know" the gauge is wonky. C7 CDW

At the risk of getting a pile of pooh thrown at me..... Isn't it just a case of warm the engine up before giving it beans = joy. Thrash it cold = woe. 😬 C7 CDW

Had a similar sounding misfire recently. I put it down to a bad connection on one of the engine sensors. Couldn't tell you which one cos I undid them all and did em back up again and problem gone. C7 CDW

They all rattle like a box of spanners in neutral with the clutch engaged. C7 CDW

I understand the CR500s are much lighter than AO48s so the unsprung weight will be lower. C7 CDW

Reason I asked is I've had bad (I mean really bad) misfire and running on 2 cylinders. I cleared it by disconnecting and reconnecting the air temp sender and the water temp sender. I wondered if it was just one of these with a bad contact or if I was just kidding myself. I had previously changed the Lambda sensor and the throttle position sensor. Your opening sentence in your reply to me describes pretty much what was happening to my car, but mine was also doing it when revd under load. Edited to say mine was also smelling as rich as rats when idling. I've got my fingers crossed cos I'm taking it to Cornwall for a week so the next time it's tried will be down there. C7 CDW Edited by - David W on 29 May 2007 18:01:38

Alan - what symptoms were you getting? C7 CDW

150hp running AO48s Medium compound. Previously burnt out standard pads. Ditto Green Stuff. Haven't tried 1144s - just went straight for RS15s after a quick poll of BlatChat. The issue wasn't so much fade as just the pads breaking up at the front. There were symptoms of fade ie the rear wheels started to lock way before the front, but (and I'm guessing here) I think that was more a function of wrecking the front pads. No probs since the change. No 1 son uses 1144s at the front and they work fine too and are a lot cheaper than RS15s. Edited to say also changed the fluid (I think IIRC to Dot 5+) C7 CDW Edited by - David W on 27 May 2007 15:12:07

I've got RS15s in standard calipers at the front. Much improved braking performance - they work fine. I guess upgraded calipers would be more effective. C7 CDW Edited by - David W on 27 May 2007 09:36:24

Going on holiday next week and trailering the 7 for added enjoyment when we get there. Got it out this morning to fuel it up and make sure all ok. Firing on 2 cylinders AGAIN. Had this trouble previously and it seemed to be grossly overfuelling. Changed the TP - (no better) and then the Oxygen sensor and this seemed fix it, but hey it's doing it again, but really bad ie not really driveable. So... Check plugs and leads - seem ok viz no condensation that could be causing a misfire. Check distibutor - seems ok. No cracks. No muck. No sign of anything really. Unplug and replug the air temp sensor and the water temp sensor and Lo it is fixed. Question is am I kidding myself or could a really bad misfire be a dodgy connection to a temperature sensor. The only other "new" bit on the car is the sequential shift light connected to the back of the tacho. Could that cause problems if faulty (seems to work fine). C7 CDW

My nearside mount failed and it was hard to spot. The engine dropped on that side and the exhaust was propping the engine up on a chassis rail. C7 CDW

In reality it will be more than that. Our 1.6SS with std head, forward pointing plenum and 56mm TB does 150hp at 7100 rpm. So a fettled head will be better than that. C7 CDW

The insurance break point is 160hp at Eggar Lawson. You pay more above 160 hp if that helps you decide. I doubt you've got more than 160. C7 CDW

Cheers. I have permission to buy self a present you see. 😬 Nick - yes we got his car running for Cadwell the week after Croix (new front RH suspension and radiator). The carbon bits took about a fortnight. Redline in Caterham fettled it in time for Cadwell. They bent over backwards actually. C7 CDW

Am I right in thinking you can get a set up that's easily interchangeable with the standard screen? C7 CDW

It's 4500 at Combe and they are particular about it. C7 CDW

Combe is 100dB at 4500 rpm. Don't know about the short primary setup, but the 4:1 plus competition can from Caterham all come in around 93 - 98 dB on our track days at Combe. Depends on condition of the silencer of course. Wherabouts are you? I've got a noise meter you could have a go with. C7 CDW

Thanks guys. C7 CDW

A friend is just about to buy an MG with the VVC engine to use as a track car for instruction. It's got 90k on the clock all on the road as far as one can tell. Any things to look out for? Is it likely to be clapped at the mileage? Etc. C7 CDW

Just changed the Lambda sensor to see if that was causing apparent overfueling around tickover and a hesitation. Old sensor pure white on the outside. Is that normal. Plugs look ok. C7 CDW