AdamQ

Further thanks for all the additional information on this - much appreciated. Out of interest and for completeness, if anybody knows what the other programmable pins on the ECU are used for (pins 25, 27, 33 and 34), it might be handy to others to have it recorded somewhere (I acknowledge that theoretically it's there in the 'wiring diagram', but ...).

Superb - thank you all - greatly appreciated. Adam

Jonathan, I think it's the 9A4. SKC, it's a long story - I'll PM you. Mic, the car left the factory in late 2015. Many thanks to all for the help. Adam

Superb - thanks David. Jonathan, I do indeed - should have looked harder. Yes, it's the 'in theory' bit that stymies me.

Thanks David. I'll trawl the SBD website and elsewhere ...

I've got the file 'AssemblyGuide 05.2012.pdf' which I think came from you some years ago. That's got what appear to be loom manufacturing diagrams as opposed to legible wiring diagrams and I can see no mention of the fuel pump beyond the inertia switch ... Adam

On a standard R400D with MBE ECU, can anybody tell me whether or not the ECU controls the fuel pump? If so, how? Which pin on the ECU and does it switch to earth to activate a relay or whatever? I'm trying to go from MBE to Emerald and I don't seem to have any activity from the fuel pump ... TIA, Adam

I've always been hopeless at sharpening drill bits 'by eye' on a bench grinder so bought one of these recently: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001OZH7Q?ref_=pe_3187911_248764861_302_E_DDE_dt_1 and have been pleasantly surprised - it's given a new lease of life to a load of my old bits. FWIW ...

Pole Volt appear to have the male terminals: https://www.polevolt.co.uk/acatalog/Sumitomo_Treminals.html And they seem to have introduced a £12.00 minimum order policy so you'd have to buy quite a few or find some other goodies ...

I had a recurrent fuel pump problem and it turned out to be corroded fuse contacts - sounds like your issue might be similar ... Hope you get it sorted out soon ...

This might or might not help: https://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/acoustafil-good-stuff FWIW ... Adam

IMHO Protech are worth looking at as an affordable/good value option - and very helpful and pleasant to deal with. FWIW ...

I've got one at each end of the scuttle, fairly low down - just above the right knee on the driver's side and in the corresponding position on the passenger side (had to fit the one on the driver's side after I realised I couldn't reach the other one when belted in ... D'oh! ). Adam

When similar questions arise, the general opinion seems to be that, unless you have a particular attachment to your specific car and never intend to part with it, you're better off selling what you've got and buying what you want. That way, the factory originality of the car is retained along with the associated value of that and you don't end up with a hybrid (though I very much doubt whether any Sevens are ever truly identical). As for the practicalities, I'm sure it can be done (I know little about the Sigma engine or its installation in a Seven, but I have converted two K series cars to Duratecs (full description of the first one here: http://www.blandings.net/duratec.htm) (and an 8 valve VX to a Zetec)). As for costs, a decent second-hand base engine can be had for a few hundred pounds and then it's a question of going to the Raceline website or wherever and fighting a losing battle with your self-control and the credit card ... A standard engine with 210 cams, uprated valve springs, lighter flywheel, ARP rod bolts, and some Jenvey or other TBs would give a decent spec. without a monumental outlay, but you'd still need an ECU, exhaust system, bell-housing, clutch, sump, engine mounts and a host of other things, the cost of which soon mounts up. Is upgrading the Sigma an option for you? I know there are a variety of options there from a number of well-respected suppliers/engine builders. I hope that might be of some small help ... Adam

I second the recommendation for Protech. I've used them for a live axle Seven and also have them on my De Dion car - they're an absolute pleasure to deal with and, as Paul suggests, excellent value for money. Adam

Jonathan, the memory idea for two of the batteries makes sense from a cursory glance at the wiring - thank you. Pictures below - the doughnut is ringed in blue in the second picture ... Jim, this definitely sounds like something worth investigating - inserting the mains lead causes it go silent when it's running on battery power so maybe it's only doing half the job - I shall wiggle and thump ...

I know there are some clever people on here, particularly when it comes to things electrical. I have a Roberts DAB radio (RD-76) which will only work when on battery power. I've tried a different - new - mains power adapter, but that hasn't helped. I've taken it apart and have noticed a load of green corrosion near a black doughnut-shaped thing (about the diameter of a two-pence piece) with copper wire looped round it on opposite sides - it's in the vicinity of where the power cable plugs in so the circumstantial evidence is strong. I've connected it up to the power supply and I'm getting 6V across the + and - soldered connections at the back of the socket. 6V is what it needs apparently (though it takes 6 × 1.5 batteries, so I'm slightly puzzled by that). I'm somewhat tempted to switch the adapter to 9V (it's adjustable) and hardwire the battery supply wires straight to the mains socket - are there any reasons why I shouldn't? And what is the doughnut thing - some sort of mini transformer? Maybe that explains the 6V vs 9V discrepancy ...? Obviously this does not carry the same urgency as the random knock/low oil pressure/high water temperature/strange vibration/pink smoke from exhaust ... the night before a track day, but if anybody knows about these things, it'd be good to fix it rather than bin it ... Thanks, Adam

I bought one of these recently https://www.axminster.co.uk/proxxon-fbs-240-e-precision-drill-grinder-multi-tool-410475 having read some pretty damning reviews of Dremels and very good reviews of Proxxon on various DIY and professional fora - the consensus seemed to be that Dremels have declined in quality over recent years after a takeover or something - I can't remember the details. I know the last two Dremels I've had have conked out pretty quickly (and it wasn't the brushes in either case). Time will tell, but so far very pleased with the above - and the chuck means that you don't have go on the hunt for that missing collet for some cheap non-Dremel tool you've randomly acquired and that has a different shank diameter (which always seemed to be the case with the Dremel). FWIW ...

Aah, probably not a practical proposition then ...!

In my opinion (and I tend to drive very gingerly in damp/wet conditions), they're similar to - and probably slightly better than - AO48s (which I was on before R888s). I've encountered standing water and shady damp patches and what have you and haven't had any nasty surprises. In cold but dry conditions, I'd say they were definitely a notch above AO48s and to me (all highly subjective) they simply feel slightly better all round than the R888s. I drive enthusiastically, but rarely if ever get anywhere near the limit on the roads (if I do, it's accidental). I don't know where you are in the world, but I'm near Sevenoaks in Kent and if you wanted to pop over and stick my wheels and tyres on your car for a trial run (or take my car out), you'd be extremely welcome ... Adam

I've been using Nankang AR1s (185 and 205) for about a year or so and I really like them. I prefer them to the R888s (not R888Rs) that I was on previously. The preference is only mild, and I'm afraid I couldn't say why, but I do definitely prefer them. I'm almost exclusively road use and use the car all year round. I got the AR1s from Tegiwa Imports who seem to have good deals from time to time. FWIW ... Adam

KPC, I think those are very wise words - something similar is definitely at the forefront of my mind every time I go out in my Seven. Similar to a biker mentality I guess. Stu, I acknowledge what you say completely - my exercise was really more intended to show the relatively minor effect of the hole rather than to suggest anything absolute - the RELATIVE effect wouldn't change much in going from static to dynamic. And the deformation of the tube would absorb energy and relieve stress on the harness bolt. As I say though, it was very much a back-of-the-envelope calculation ... Adam

Following the comments above, I haven't been able to resist pondering the effect of a hole into which to rivet a popper in the head of a harness bolt - I must get out more! If one considers the bolt to be a (very short) cantilever beam, built in to the chassis and with a point load where the harness attachment sits (and this seams reasonable to me), then the first point to note is that the only stresses present in the bolt above the harness attachment are those due to the pretension of the bolt - no stresses would be induced in that region by load from the harness. Unless one gets very heavy handed with the torque wrench, I wouldn't have thought those pretension stresses would be that great - certainly not compared with those caused by the impact of an accident (heaven forbid). The pretension stresses are also constant (or near constant) so there's no fatigue crack growth. So as long as the hole doesn't extend below the top of the harness attachment (pretty much the bottom of the bolt head), I don't see how any harm can be done. Getting carried away, I had a look at the effect of a 3 mm hole down the entire length of the 10 mm bolt. With a 100 kg driver in a 50g impact, my back-of-the-envelope sums (and it was a static rather than dynamic analysis (especially with the rate at which my brain works!)) give reserve factors of 2.6 in shear and 3.5 in tension compared with 2.9 and 3.6 resp. for a bolt with no hole. Anyway, forgive my ramblings - as I say, I need to get out more ... Adam

For my tonneau, I drilled into the tops of the bolts securing the harnesses and riveted popper bases to the bolt heads. I guess it could be argued that weakening a safety-critical component such as a harness fixing bolt isn't wise, but I reasoned that what I was doing was largely similar to using a caphead bolt - and that you'd be looking at an almighty impact to come anywhere near to shearing the harness bolts, drilled or not. FWIW ... Adam

Hi Andrew, I haven't got any meaningful before and after figures I'm afraid. The car was mapped by the two Steves without the cold air feed and made 203 BHP and 164 lb ft. It was subsequently remapped with the cold air feed and made 210 HP and 179 lb ft. However, the remap was on a different rolling road and other things had also changed (the cam timing was found to be off after the initial RR session) so I think those figures are pretty meaningless to be honest. Also the bonnet was off for both RR sessions. Subjectively, before concocting the cold air feed, I did think the car became slightly 'asthmatic' on hot days, particularly after sitting in traffic, and that is no longer the case. I believe it's also slightly quieter, but I've no data to confirm that. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Adam