akakubi

Hey Jonathan! I found that CC fluid works fine for road and occasional track duty - never had any fade. In my previous saloons I used Ate Super Blue/Gold or Motul 600 - both fairly cheap and worked ok for light track duty and road use.

I wonder what causes it though? If the pump is set too high off the bottom (the manual states that when you first start the car after build use a min of 5L, or realistically 10L) then CC should surely make a workaround. Why bother fitting a larger tank if you can't use it anyway? Seems a bit strange....

Steve, First, the thread title got me giggling.... 😬 😳 Second, I had the same issue when I first built the car. They were seeping a bit of fluid after hard braking. Just a smudge really. I tightened them more (to the point where I thought the thread would go bust ) and they stopped doing it ever since. No thread sealant.

Cheers, Mark!

Thanks, guys! So I am wasn't going insane there. 😬 I will try to measure how much will fit. Might spend some time at the pump doing it though. 😬

How much more should I expect? 5L or 10L?

Hi all! I have noticed for a while already that there is something iffy about the fuel gauge on my R400 SV. I always fill up around 28L and get a full tank reading. The needle tracks the fuel use as expected (no sudden changes in indicated quantity). Once it is in the Red and I go to fill up, it's 28L again (the tank is 41L on the SV). If I shake the car a bit when it reads empty, I can hear the fuel slushing in the tank, so there is something in there. So last time I finally decided the gauge was poorly calibrated (assuming I had roughly 10-12L in the tank) and went out for a drive with the needle in the Red. Half-way through the journey, the engine started to lose power under acceleration and in the corners; even stalled once. So I crawled to the nearest petrol station and filled it up. And guess what? It was 28L again! After coming home (ran perfectly fine) I measured the fuel level with a piece of rope and it felt like the fuel was much lower in the tank than "full" would assume (as the gauge read). So now I am a bit confused: is the pump set too high and leaves a lot of fuel on the bottom or am I not filling it to the top. I stop filling as soon as the pump autoshuts. Cheers!

I used Halfords spray paint (did the "7" in silver and the rest in matte black). Make sure you sand the surface well (it's steel) and then use primer (also spray). I put a couple of coats and so far it has held up well (1 yr).

I did the same way, just removed it without loosening the tension. I then used a screw driver in one hole to align the alternator under tension. Worked fine.

In fact, it was so noisy, it was scaring the army guys at the barracks across the field. 😬 j/k The can does look very slim, however, so that may be a factor. A great day out and the organizers were superb. They got the right people in and wrong ones out very promptly. 😬 Val (Yellow/Black R400)

Yes, I had to remove the alternator to get the engine past the top bracing. Starter motor clears everything just fine. Trouble is that if you istall the engine/gearbox combo together, it's a hassle, as the end of the gearbox keeps getting trapped inside its tunnel. It's better to do the gearbox first and the engine after it. R400 SV

First, check the retaining clips are not loose (top of the caliper). If that's fine, add a bit of copper slip to the backs of the pads. That should do the trick. Also (considering the pads are still fine), an occasional heavy workout of them will cure the problem.

My R400 Duratec is 94.5db at around 5000RPM stationary. No mods.

A wild guess, but could it be that you were sent a wrong/faulty ECU of MFU? There were many bits missing in my R400 kit when I was building it. One annoying bit was the missing fuel pump cut-off diode (something) near the MFU. The pump would not prime without it. Spent six hours tracking down the problem as the manual failed to mention it at all. But when I called to order it the CC mechanic said that the MFU or ECU could be faulty as well. Neither was on mine luckily, but you may want to ask. Edited by - akakubi on 3 Mar 2009 14:35:39

The Duratec R400 should have fully adjustable shift lights. The engine's redline is stated at 7800RPM in my Duratec manual (it's out, so you should be able to get a copy from CC). I've set my shift lights to start coming on from 5500 onwards. I limited the lights at 7500 (when they just all flash red). I may want to dial down 100 or so as I hit the limiter a few times on the track.

Fair enough. Still, I would have thought that with regular driving and occasional charging a new battery should have lasted longer than that.

One word: Powervamp. My Banner died on me after 7 months and that's with charging it every few weeks. 😔

Those without the whiskers are just jealous of our downforce capabitlites. 😬 I used two rives for each. Holds like it's welded.

Yup, happens to me occasionally. I reduced the sensor gap and that cured it mostly, but it still does it from time to time. It normally happens when I get to about 80MPH, the needle drops to zero and stays there unless I slow down - a good safety measure. 😬 I found that it happens when dirt gets into the gap. When it's clean, it work fine. I wonder if there is a way to shield the whole thing from the elements somehow.

😬 told you. 😬

I would get a weather pack as well, if you plan to do some touring. Standard R400 kit comes with an aero screen. Chose the dash (Stack or regular). I've opted for a regular layout as I like the look of many gauges. 😬 Oh, and get a proper battery. My 8 month old Banner has just packed up on me for good (and misbevaved all summer for that).

A-Frame most likely. I did the roll bar and the squeak is still there. I now saw the "oversized" washers there, so replacing those will hopefully take care of it.

CR500 hands down. I have both and on the road A048's are terrible - bouncy and tramline like mad. I think I may switch to CR500 for the track as well after the Yoko's are done. I may be a bit slower overall, but they have much better feel. I've done track days on both and CR500 are a better tyre.

To add, when installing the engine, remove the alternator or you will spend hours trying to figure out why it doens't want to go in. 😬 Also, consider adding heat reflective padding to the outside of the pedal box to keep your feet cool (SV's are better, but still quite hot, especially considering the weather down there). Make sure all ground connections are proper (i.e. no paint between the metal bits)

Yeah, the diode is near the MFU indeed. So then it's not it. If the connector is the one with the rubber "lid" dangling by itself, that's the imm. Is the red LED flashing on the dash? If not, the imm is not connected. Try putting a fuse in it (15 I think).