Graham King

Chris, all good advice above but I'd start off with Revilla's as it's the easiest to do. As Revilla says the k-series are very sensitive to oil level (as little as 1/4 litre can make a big difference). The oil pickup in a k-series is towards the front of the sump so hard acceleration will cause the oil to surge towards the back moving it away from the pickup hence the pressure drops off, lifting off allows it to settle again so the pressure comes back up. You can see the same effect when cornering hard. I fitted a mechanical oil gauge a long time ago, it's really straightforward and gives peace of mind that the readings you are seeing are correct. I also removed the sump foam and have seen no detrimental effects. I suspect your current problem is oil level being low but fitting the gauge and removing the foam are worthwhile changes as well in my book. Graham

Folks, no real catches here, if anyone wants this and can collect it's theirs for nothing. This is my son's old Ford Fiesta Zetec S (2001). It served him well for 5 years whilst at Uni. It's done 110,000 miles and is still in good mechanical condition. He has started working now so has bought himself a new car. However it failed it's MoT as part of the passenger side floorpan requires welding and there are a few other advisories. The estimate for the welding was 2-300 pounds, given the likely value of the car anyway we have decided to not do the work and to scrap it. If anyone can do the welding themselves then it is perfectly driveable. Currently it is sitting on our drive, no MoT and SORNed. If it's of interest to anyone drop me a line and provided you can collect then it's yours. Graham.

David, yes that would achieve the same thing, assuming you can find a way of ensuring it seals properly. Mine is a QED kit and comes with the 16/8/16 Tee included, it's really simple to fit. Graham.

LD, I can't quite picture what you mean, I'm not with my car but I don't think I have an unused connector on top of the expansion bottle. If this would mean the bypass would go into the expansion tank then I wouldn't have thought that was advisable. mine is t'eed into the hose that runs from the 16mm hose that runs between the bottom of the expansion tank and the submarine. Graham.

My understanding was that in the k-series days, roadsports (which were 5-speed) as standard had a 3.92 open diff as standard, this wasn't changed if the 6-speed was selected as an option. Cars that were provided with a 6-speed as standard (e.g. Superlight) had an LSD fitted which was 3.62. The LSD could be selected as an option on the Roadsports of course. I'm sure there exceptions to this rule but that was the standard options from the factory.

Abbot, probably not a lot of use, but on a k-series it is definitely possible to remove the engine leaving the box in place, I've done it a number of times. just make sure the box is supported properly underneath as you pull the engine away. Graham

Abbot, does it only happen in reverse or now in forward gears as well, there's no difference in the clutch operation between reverse and forward gears. Does the pedal feel normal? You can visually inspect things (to a degree) by removing the rubber boot that covers the clutch fork and the gap in the top of the bellhousing. If it does need replacing then replacing it is straightforward once the engine is out, the only slightly tricky bit is ensuring the plate is centrally aligned so that the shaft fits once all clamped up. You can buy tools to aid this or you can do by feel by ensuring the edge of the clutch friction plate lines up evenly with the clutch pressure plate. Sounds worse than it is tbh. Graham.

Smithy, since this thread I drilled a small hole in the stat in the QED system, as Jonathan mentioned in his previous post. This has completely removed the cycling I referred to initially, but as suggested, it does now take longer to warm up. Your assumptions around the QED fitting are correct, 8mm bypass and leave standard bypass in situ. To be honest I've never really thought about why or what effect that has or what would happen if it was removed. I'm happier with the overall system now and aside from whilst stationary the water temp never rises above 80, even during pretty high speed runs during the Classic last weekend where it was hot. Graham.

Generally accepted pressures are 18psi all round (cold) then change from there for road use. If I'm on track usually drop to 16 cold. Graham

I'd second Mark's suggestion, the symptoms you describe, whilst could be attributable to a number of things are exactly what happens when the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) fails. It's an easy fix, unfortunately the TPS isn't the cheapest item in the world. Graham.

Martin, ah ok, I have no experience of the 21, but I would have thought provided you got a 2nd hand unit that had come from a k-series then you should have no problems as everything is the same. I can't comment on the other variants I'm afraid. Perhaps a call to Road and Race transmissions (nr Sevenoaks, Kent) may help as they know everything there is to know about these boxes. Not sure how easy they are to come across 2nd hand, but again Road and Race may be able to help. Graham.

Martin, I'm pretty confident that all 6 speed boxes fitted to K-Series cars had the same ratios. I've got the ratios listed somewhere if you need them, but sounds like you've got them anyway. Similarly for the CRB, the manufacturer of the bearing did change a few years ago but only one CRB as standard. There are other options for the CRB, notably from Burton Power, that are perhaps more robust but these do require modification to fit properly. If you do a search for CRB you'll find loads of threads on it. Is there a specific reason for asking? Graham.

Julian, as others have said, do not over tighten the sump plug, it is very easy to strip the thread in the sump. In your situation I'd drain the oil back out, check the thread, assuming it's ok then fit a new washer and redo. I also tend to use plumbers tape wrapped round the sump plug. Graham

No problem, glad it was obvious, a spare clutch cable, along with a throttle cable, is one of my "must carry" spares when I go on any longer journeys (e.g. Le Mans).

Matt, the return spring would be immediately obvious, there's usually only one on the clutch pedal so you'll see it easily. The cable, may not be quite so obvious as it could be broken inside the sheathing but with the pedal box cover removed you'll probably be able to operate the clutch from above, or get someone else to operate, so may be able to better diagnose where the noise is coming from. The cable is linked to the clutch fork under a rubber boot on top of the bell housing, the rubber boot has a spring loaded clip in it that you will need to press rom both sides, the boot should then be able to be pulled back revealing the fork etc, you should be able to see better then what the issue may be. If in doubt I'd replace the clutch cable first as it's relatively cheap and easy before attempting anything more drastic. Graham

Matt, apart from a clutch pedal return spring there's no springs on the clutch mechanism. You can check the return spring by removing the pedal box cover, it comes off with 8 screws so relatively straight forward to do with the bonnet removed. I doubt it's that though as it wouldn't explain the other systems you describe. I suspect it's the clutch cable itself that has partially broken, again this isn't difficult to replace, just a bit fiddly, you'll need to remove the pedal box cover for this as well and then follow the cable to the top of the bell housing. The other possibility is the clutch fork that has cracked and bent so the clutch isn't engaging/disengaging properly, this would require the engine to be removed to replace at which point you'd be best off replacing the whole clutch assembly anyway. I'd start by removing the pedal box cover and inspecting the spring and cable. Graham

Glasgow, I have exactly same as you, but R888 not R888R. Had no trouble balancing mine and no noticeable vibration, I haven't watched on the machine though. Tbh I'm not sure I'd use Kwikfit to do it. I use a local garage, I'm no expert but I know my garage have stopped and rotated and refitted tyre if they've thought the weights were getting too much. Graham

Tom, I have what sounds a very similar setup to you, DVA 1.8K (210BHP) with an Apollo. I too used to suffer heavy oil usage (approx .75 litres per 1000 miles). 1) It sounds like you are taking the oil level reading correctly, I always do mine with the engine running and warm. 2) Can you be more specific about "uses lots of oil". How much does it use per 1000 miles for example. Ultimately it will be losing it and/or using it. In my case it was doing both, I had a small leak from the rear crankshaft oil seal, this is quite common apparently, this was noticeable by small amounts of oil appearing on the underside of the gearbox and the sump. For ages I assumed it was the sump gasket and replaced it a couple of times to no avail. The main cause of my oil usage were worn valve stem seals however. This was diagnosed by removing the exhaust and looking in the chambers, these were wet and black. Looking at the spark plugs also gave a clue as two of these (2 & 4) were also wet on occasion and much darker than the others. I eventually removed the engine and had the valve seals replaced, also replaced the piston rings at the same time and fitted a new rear oil seal. Since doing this, all now seems well with the world. No more leaks and little to no oil usage. If you remove the spark plugs what colour are they? Graham.

Mr A, ah in that case I can't help but if you want one ask Caterham to fit one at the factory for you, can't believe they'd charge that much for it, parts are negligible cost and an hour or two (max) of labour. Graham.

I can't see what relevance the Apollo tank has on the dipstick, the dipstick goes into the sump, the level required in the sump is the same whether an Apollo is fitted or not. The Apollo does increase the overall volume of oil in the system but only by the amount it holds in itself. Immediately after turning off (as PGM advise) the tank will still be full, as the tank drains back into the sump you will obviously get higher readings. I've always checked my oil level with the engine warm and running as Caterham advised for the k-series. Graham.

Mr A, what engine have you got, if it's a k-series then I could probably dig out the wiring diagram for you for the start button (which is what I assume you are referring to). As for the steering lock, if you have a removable steering wheel then the installation of this removes the steering lock as well (as the upper column is replaced), if you have a fixed steering wheel then the steering lock is incorporated into the ignition barrel. I removed mine years ago as the ignition barrel with keys in used to get in the way of my legs. The immobiliser (k-series) is unaffected by the ignition barrel removal. Graham.

Solstice, agree with the comments re timing to get engine out and back in again, but having just completed replacing my rear oil seal, 2 points to bear in mind: 1) Make sure you buy a good replacement seal, mine was replaced when the engine was refreshed and it blew out after approx 1000 miles. See my post from a few weeks ago but DVA supplied me with a proper OEM seal. 2) You will need to allow 24 hours for the sealant that is used to go off. You will also highly likely need to use some form of clamping mechanism to hold it in place whilst it is going off so don't plan on getting it out and back in a day. Graham

Simon, not a wrap exactly but have you considered a dip, this is one just down the road from me (Lingfield) http://www.southeastcustomcoatings.co.uk/page2.html, my neighbour had a few parts on his engine and his front wheel arches done on his Tiger and I am very impressed by the results. Have a view of the video at the bottom of the page. Graham. Sory should have added that he had them dipped in carbon not Ali.

Just to update on this, took engine out today, the seal on the engine was indeed gold in colour. It had actually blown out, didn't appear to have failed. There was sealant round it and it didn't appear damaged particulary apart from just not seated at all. New one fitted, sealed and being left clamped in place overnight. Graham.

Andy, can only add my thanks to those above, was a great day, only problem I find now is that having done the GP circuit last year and this the Indy circuit just doesn't cut it any more. On the assumption the club decide to do it again next year, can I suggest we ask MSV to open the noise testing area at 7:30 not 8, there were loads of us there by 7:30 that could have got the noise test done as we arrived but as it was had to join a queue of 40+ cars at 8, that block up the entire pit area and then struggle to get to the 8:30 briefing on time. A small gripe really (I think MSV are the best track day organisers I've been with) but would just make the start of the day so much more relaxed. thanks again. Graham