Alexander Gurr

Hi Guys, I have a new build Academy car that I have now put about 250 miles on and one thing I really can't get used to is the gearchange. It is a standard 5 speed box and seems quite clunky compared with the 6 speed box in my old car. It is particularly so when cold, where the first to second shift is next to impossible. Has anyone experienced anything similar 🤔 My thoughts are that: - the gearbox oil is wrong - I used Coma (I think it was 80/90) - there may be insufficient gearbox oil in the car - I got an extra litre in (I think) when building and Caterham told me they checked the level, as requested, at the post build - the clutch may not be engaging sufficiently - I don't know why, but it just doesn't feel quite right, but this may be because it is now hydraulic vs the old cable operated clutch in the old car Has anyone else experienced similar issues in the past 🤔

Have you tried putting through from the other side. Some bolts go from back to front and others front to back....or they did on mine at least

Quoting Mcalvert: must add them to my list of stands to visit On a more serious note, who is going to Autospo and when? I'm planning on being there on Thursday. Hope to 'bump in' to some friendly faces there? All the best Michael I am going on Saturday. I get a free ticket through Caterham for the Academy and am looking to pick up all the gear I need for racing.....it may be rather an expensive day ❗

Hi Guys, I am faffing around with the last few jobs on the car before Caterham come to pick her up on Monday. I am trying to get the IVA mirrors on, but am having real trouble getting the IVA bracket to attach to the back of the mirror. When I try to do up the screw, the ball in the back of the mirror case just turns around and I can't get any purchase on it. Does anyone have any tips on how to get around this? Cheers, Alex

Thanks Ian.....this is going to have to be a job for next weekend as I need to spend some time with the family tomorrow and it is back to work Monday. I am gutted, as I feel I am only 1 - 2 days off finishing, but rather than rush these last stages I will wait until next weekend to have a look. Cheers, Alex

I just checked all of the leads and plugs and they were fine. I then went through the recommended start procedure.....taking out the connection from the inertia switch and cranking the car over to get oil pressure. The strange thing is she fired up perfectly, which makes me think that I have the wrong connection to the inertia switch (two green and yellow wires to a three pin female plug), because I assumed with this disconnected it shouldn't be able to fire? Or does it cut the fuel pump and the car will run for a few seconds until the fuel line is dry? Anyway I reconnected the inertia switch connection and she fired again and ran sweetly at 1,500rpm, before starting to settle down towards 1,000rpm. One other thing that worries me though is that it was reading virtually zero oil pressure. I know the system is full and switched off after a few seconds, but how do I make sure I have sufficient oil pressure as I really don't want to do any damage to her at this stage. Cheers, Alex

Thanks Eugene. I put 20 litres of fuel in this afternoon, so can't be that. All of the visible connections look firm. There is smoke coming from the exhaust and when I first turned her over she backfired and stopped after a few seconds. Since then she fires up OK, but seems to be running on 3 cylinders. There is also smoke coming from the exhaust primaries, but I thought that might just something burning off. I guess I need somehow to work out if it is fuel or spark

My final fluid check is the diff, but I am really struggling to see how I get to the filler plug with the de-dion tube in the way. I have one of the new BMW diffs and there is very little clearance between the diff and the de-dion. Is it another pig of a job like the gearbox, or am I best to un-bolt rear dampers and jack the de-dion tube right up out of the way? Cheers, Alex

Just fired the car up for the first time and she sounds as though she is running on 2 - 3 cylinders. I have checked all of the wiring and it looks OK. Is this normal and does it just take time sort itself out, or is it likely that there is a problem of some sort? Cheers, Alex

Thanks guys. I found it, ground down a allen key and got it out. I have just spent the last couple of hours with a contraption Heath Robinson would be proud of to fill the gearbox up. I got lord knows how much oil in the gearbox and a very good quantity on the floor. I am guessing I probably got about a litre in, but really am not sure. When it goes in for its post build inspection I will get Caterham to check it as I am really paranoid about having enough in there

Thanks guys.....the only thing I can see on the passenger side is a metal disk about 2" in diameter with no obvious cut out for an allen key to go into....it seems to be filled with mastic or sealant of some sort. Any ideas? Cheers, Alex

Guys, I am in the throws of getting the old girl ready for her first fire up and need to fill the gearbox (standard 5 speed). I just want to check the filler plug location....the manual is very vague. Is it drivers side next to the lowest cutout in the transmission tunnel? Cheers, Alex

Excellent, thanks guys. If I remove the plane washer and the shakeproof washer from the inside that will give me another couple of mm to play with and will hopefully stop the unions bottoming out. Cheers, Alex

Thanks guys. I haven't put any washers between the runner and the floor, so looks as though the drivers seat will have to come out again. Just a thought, but why wouldn't you just use a plain nut on the underside of the floor rather than the nyloc nut? You could threadlock it on, or even put a nyloc nut on afterwards. Cheers, Alex

I filled the brake system for the first time today and when trying to pressurise it noticed that both front brake pipes, where the connect to the braided brake pipes at the front side skins were leaking. Basically it seems as though the female union is bottoming out on the washers and locknut before it seals itself. I am using a washer on either side of the sideskin and a shakeproof washer and locknut on the inside of the sideskin, as stated in the manual. Has anyone come across this issue before? Is it a case of simply trying to find thinner washers and locknuts, or is there something else worth exploring? Cheers, Alex

So today I spent all day trying, only partially successfully to get a pair of tillets into the car. The passengers side is now fixed, but the drivers side is only partially there. I have secured and tightened the bolts going through the front of the runners, but for the life of me cant see how I can get any sort of alum key on the bolt going through the runner at the back of the seat. Without being able to hold it in place the nyloc nut just spins the bolt. Is there a trick to this, or do I just remove the nyloc nut from the rear bolts, put a plain nut on and threadlock it in place from underneath 🤔

Thanks guys Any recommendations for suppliers of nylon bolts? Cheers, Alex

I am getting to the stage where I need to secure my rear wings to the car and given that it is going to be an Academy car I was wondering whether rivets are really the best way, or whether there is another way of securing them that wont damage the ali side skin should it gat a tap. Does anyone know of another method or should I just stick with the rivets? Cheers, Alex

Quoting Michael Downing: Quoting Paul Richards: Confirm you can normally replace cable with diff in place. You didn't really want to know that, did you Alex? Nope 😬 Just to check...I have a BMW diff that has the handbrake adjuster on the right hand side further back than on the old Sierra diff. I just cant see how you can get this past the diff (between it and the transmission tunnel to get the cable out. How would you go about changing the handbrake cable with the diff in situ? Many thanks, Alex

It is the rubber gater at either end of the cable where they attach to the calipers. It may be possible to get the cable out with everything in situe, but for the life of me I can't see how as the plastic adjusters won't go between the diff and the transmission tunnel! Cheers, Alex

Hi Guys, I am putting the diff back in my car for a second time and noticed that the rubber at the end of the handbrake cable is split, not all the way down, but partially. Before I put the diff back in and move on, do you guys think this might result in an IVA failure? I would hate to crack on, then realise that I had to take the diff back out just to change the blooming cable. Under normal circumstances i would call Caterham, but it is Sunday and I want to make decent progress with the build today. Ta in advance. Alex

Quoting Michael Downing: And another bolt makes two! Now to centre it Michael I have been doing this today and it is a pig. I had exactly the same challenge as you. I got the two bottom bolts in OK, but the top required a lot of "gentle persuasion" from an Irish screwdriver before it went in. I was reluctant to do so until Caterham gave me the adive "hit it with a hammer" 🙅🏻‍♂️ Just don't make the same mistake I have, which is to put the handbrake in as per the build manual and not as per the workshop instructions which require the white adjuster nuts to be on the right hand side and not the left as per the build manual. Mile will be coming out again on Sunday so I can go through the whole palarva again just for that simple mistake 🙅🏻‍♂️

Thanks guys. My manual says to fit all the engine mounting bolts, but leave loose. Position the gearbox and tighten the bolts on the gearbox mount, then go and tighten the engine mounting bolts. I followed these instructions and each time I did it the gearbox would pull slightly so that it sits ever so slightly closer to the drivers side at the tail than the passengers. As I said, it is 2 - 3 mm, but it is noticeable, even if the box is clear of the transmission tunnel all the way down. I think I will slacken everything off again, re-position and have one last go. If it moves back to its current position then I will assume that is the natural order of things and move on 😬 Unfortunately I am not good at letting things like this go, which is why I keep re-checking everything I have done 10 times over

Thanks Paul.....the manual says to tighten the gearbox mounts, then the engine mounts afterwards. Once the engine mounts are tightened I don't have any real movement in the gearbox. I will have another go, but how mch of an issue would 2 - 3mm out be? Cheers, Alex