irrotational

Been thinking about it some more. In summary I think the batteries need to be completely separate to drive the wheels (two sets of wiring and two motors are present on the bike) but I would need them to be wired in parralell to charge from one charger (i.e. not doubling the voltage if they were in serial). I can't see any easy way to do this so I think I'll just charge each battery separately in turn. Actually..I think I could put in a bridge between the batteries, i.e. connect positive to positive and negative to negative. I'd then have one battery "bank" driving two motors, and the charger would then be connecting to the positive side of one half of the bank and the negative side on the other half of the bank.

Thanks for embedding the photo!! Some additional info:- There are two motors with two sets of wires going down to them, so I don't think the batteries are meant to be connected in serial. I think this is why there are 4 wires on the main bike loom. It's the wires to the batteries that look like they have been modified, so i wonder if some kind of parralell connection existed between them originally to facilitate the double charging. I'm quite happy o charge one battery at a time if that is the easiest/safest thing to do. There are a couple of serial numbers on the bike itself but these don't turn up any hits in google unfortunately.

I've made a photo of the wires and tried to annotate it as best i can. The connector blocks are not there any more as I had to take them off and replace them with basic ones. The pins in the connector blocks had broken, which is why I started looking closely at the wiring. https://goo.gl/photos/huV3XQjnujPmsprc7 I checked and double checked all the connections before hand. The charger was definitely connecting to the black battery wire, and the white battery wire. The charger wires themselves are both black, so I put green tape around the charger wire and all the white wires.

Hi JK! 1. The bike/motor loom has a connector block, as do the batteries, and the charger. To charge the batteries you disconnect the bike half of the connector block and connect the charger half of the connector block. 2. Yes - well it was the one supplied with the bike. The connector blocks/plugs are hard black plastic with either 3 sticking out pins, or 3 sockets, and the fourth wire has the opposite (so it's a socket if the other 3 are pins or a pin if the other 3 are sockets). It's an unusual connector (for me) and the only ones we have. 3. Good question - i'll quickly google and come back. 4. Don't know and not sure i can test easily as all the bike wiring and switching is buried in the bike. The voltages across the batteries are 4.8v and 6v currently - and they stay at this voltage even with the charge connected. They may well be goosed - I'm assuming the weird charging setup has broken at least one of them. If I connect the charger to just one battery, as i would expect, then I get 8.5V across the charging connection, and the same voltage across the battery terminals, as I might expect (although I thought it ought to be 12V but I don't know if the charger does a stepped voltage charge or something).

Hi, feeling a bit naughty as I haven't posted in BC for ages and my question isn't even Caterham related I bought, second-hand, a kids elctric quad bike. We've used it, and importantly charged it, a few times...but the charge never seems to last that long and it always seemed a bit low on power. I've looked at the electrics and they seemed to have been modified along the way. Before launching into the details the basic question is, is the charger connecting up to the batteries properly to charge both of them? So there are 2, 10 volt batteries, each with a live and neutral. There are 4 wires from them, via a keyed-connector block, into the main harness for the bike (which presumably takes the power to the motor(s). The connector block has one sticking out pin and three sockets so it can only be connected up one way. This all makes sense to me so far. The charger only has two wires/pins and is rated as 12V output. As it was supplied, one pin connects to the live of one battery and the neutral of the other battery. There's no other connection between the batteries when charging. I've connected it up as it was, and I get 17V!? across the charging connection. I can only think this is basically the charger, and one battery, acting to charge the other!? So assuming this is wrong - what should I do to fix it? I'm assuming the simplest way is to charge each battery in turn. I.e. connect the two wires from the charger to the two wires from one battery...once charged then disconnect and conect to the other battery? Is there a simple way to alter the charger connection so it can charge both batteries at once? or is this impossible because the charger wont have enough voltage (and amperage!?) to charge both at once. Any advice (or sarcastic mocking) gratefully recieved!

Thanks Alan - really useful summary. I'm probably stupid but I had assumed Caterham wil not sell K series engines any more? Unless they have an old one when doing a swap or some such?

I got an error message when I tried to PM you as well. Let me know if it hasn't come through.

Hi - found the thread - I am definitely interested assuming there are not significant differences between the blocks and pistons. I'll PM you just now.

Hi everyone - thanks for the replies - I'll send you PM's I won't/can't do any of the work myself, as I have very little time available...plus lack expertise, tools etc. I would love to one day, when time and tools allow :-) EDIT - graham I got an error message form the website when PM'ing you

Thanks both. Stupid question but do you need a vvc head for a vvc bottom end? If not then I'd happily buy that I guess?

Still posting this in a bit of a shock. Car is a 1997 1.6 K series superlight. I thought I had a serious head gasket failure and the car has gone into a specialist garage. BUT the cylinder head has gone soft and been dented by the liners, plus there is a chunk missing from at least one of the pistons! Sounds like my options are to rebuild the engine replacing quite a lot of the internals, or source a new block and head and have the Caterham "bits" transferred across. Have no idea of the costs of either option at the moment! Any advice, sympathy, or cunning plans gratefully recieved. Particularly any details on how/what/where to source a donor engine?

The seats thing is very strange...but I think they have done the odd thing like that before. When they announced the new R500, weren't they quite precious about the switch gear or something? I'm sure there was something you weren't allowed to buy... but my memory may be failing.

Just to come back on one point - for my own benefit! When coming back off the throttle after inducing power-oversteer, I assume/believe you have to react pretty quickly - but not completely snap off the throttle? I have had a couple of VERY slow speed spins where I believe I came off the throttle too quickly, the rear goes very light, and it just keeps on spinning round. Is that possible/correct?

I was going to say - isn't that where the Apollo goes? Nifty looking solution though

I have sent a BM requesting prices of the cars - happy to sit behind Ed in the queue. Again would be looking at price shipped to the UK. Very very interested - so please let me know if you haven't got the BM

Well if for some reason David doesn't want it, can I add myself to the queue?

As above - can be found for £50 to £60 per tyre as it has a special deal attached to it.

BM me if you get stuck - i have a couple floating about...for a 1.6k but assume they are the same...

Assuming they're the wrong connectors for Ed too - I'll take them as third dibs!?

Indeed - motorway spec = HH on and earplugs!!

Sorry - posted then dissappeared! manningpaul - I'm after 185's...need to check the size - do they normally come in 60's or 65's!? If its both then i'll double check. Mankee - thanks for offer but I'll follow up with manningpaul first if that's ok?

dibs on the piping? I'll Bm you

slightly random request but I keep my old/illegal tyres on a spare set of rims for trackday use...anyway due to my "over exuberance" on corner exits one of my tyres is much more worn than the other 3... Anyone willing to post me an old tyre? I'm happy to pay £5-£10 for the effort plus postage? BM me

I wish 70's fitted under my front wingstays...would save me a fortune... ☹️

I'm not sure what I did but got it on... The solid pipe ended in a copper looking nut. This then went into a bigger nut, which then screwed into the filter.... By unlocking the copper nut off the middle brass one I was able to spin the whole thing 180 degrees and then re-lock it all up. Car starts and no petrol came out so I'm taking that as a good sign!