spiderlane

@charlie - thanks, I'll try a spanner check on the intake side and re-seat all connections. @mic - thanks, will try that anyway just in case I'd started the car with the throttle cracked open. Any thoughts on whether this could be related to a fuelling issue?

Hi Charlie Thanks for the response. I'd say that kind of debugging is outside of my level of knowledge and experience. (This is a new engine from Caterham with the kit BTW) Is there anything simple I can do to tell if the car engine is pinking?

I've just done 1000 miles in my new build R400 Duratec and getting to know the car know. I get what I can only describe as a "tappety" noise which gets faster with the engine revs (regardless of whether the clutch is in or out) which it loud enough to cut through the induction, exhaust, diff and road noise. Is this normal? Even with ear plugs in, I found this by far the most irritating noise when driving the car. Any ideas what's causing it, and more importantly whether anything can be done to quieten it down? BTW - Oil pressure seems fine ? - 35 ish on hot idle and 50 when pushing on Cheers Mark Edited by - spiderlane on 17 Aug 2010 15:19:03

I've recently got my R400 on the road and have just come back form 1000 miles in France so have had a real chance to get used to it. Aside from the normal clonks, whines and clatters in the drivetrain (which I'm pretty familiar with from a previous car) there is one issue which I'm finding it much harder to drive around... With the throttle just cracked open (usually when round town), the engine seems to hunt or oscillate a little which sets up a resonance in the drive line making it shunt terribly; if the revs are higher or lower then it's smooth and you can modulate the pedal nicely, but there is a black spot where, no matter how still you are with your right foot, it will kangaroo. It always seems to coincide with the speed I want for driving in traffic. It seems to always be around the 2,200 rpm mark. Is this something which can be cured? I'm well used to driving around the usual Caterham driveline shunt, but this is in addition to that and is really quite irritating. Is it something which can be improved with a mapping session, or TPS adjustment of some sort? All info gratefully received. Thanks Mark Edited by - spiderlane on 17 Aug 2010 15:11:39

Just to share my experiences. We had a c150hp 7 for 4 years which we sold 3 years ago. (Kids, house etc) When we first got it, we were just learning about the car, but by the end we're planning more power. Just got back into 7 ownership with an R400 on the basis that it was cheaper (in the long run) to have the power you will eventually want up front. Having said that, you can certainly feel the extra horses and it's gonna take some time to get use to a high HP 7 after a few years without one!

Hi I'm just fitting my (Caterham) CF front wings and I notice that one of them is not as shiny as the the other. It's a sort of satin semi gloss opposed to the shiny gloss finish of the other. Can I safely polish up the duller one with something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish (very very fine cutting action), or would this damage the surface? Cheers Mark

Hmmn, spoke too soon. Oil tight when cold on tickover, but just been out for a blat and when up to temperature it drips again (not quite as much as before). Will let it cool down, and try some hylomar on the thread and perhaps try to source a copper washer.

TPS = Throttle Position Sensor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throttle_position_sensor

Mic - I just nipped up the bolt and ran the engine. Completely dry! Thanks so much. :)

Ok, I've applied a bead of Hylomar blue around the shoulder of the bolt and replaced it. Any ideas of the correct torque setting for this bolt? Cheers Mark

Hi Mic, Thanks for the response, I'll try that. What does this bolt actually hold in place? Cheers Mark

Almost off topic, but that happened to me on my (K Series) Elise. Turned out that the way the throttle body is mounted is right under the mesh on the Elise engine cover and the rain tends to wash away the lubrication. Cleaned it up and oils the moving parts and it was OK. Could something similar have happened here? Water through the bonnet louvres?

Hi, I've just finished building my Dry Sump R400 Duratec, but the engine has had an oil leak from the first time I started it up. This is a standard Caterham engine supplied with the kit It's coming from the black caphead bolt on the underside of the sump pan, near the front where the oil hose to the oil radiator comes out. I've checked the tightness of this bolt and it seems to be done up very tight already, so much that I wouldn't want to tighten it any more. Here is the area it's leaking from The oil is coming from the 2nd of the black bolts (from left to right) It only leaks when the engine is running, and it's a constant drip-drip-drip. The car has just come back from CC for PBC and I asked them to fix this, but it looks like they haven't (despite telling me that everything was OK. ) Of course I'll call them on Monday, but I'm due to take the car abroad for a road trip on Tuesday so I'm wondering if it's something I can resolve in the mean time? Any ideas as to why it's leaking, or how to resolve it? All info gratefully received. Cheers Mark ETA : Standard Caterham engine. Edited by - spiderlane on 7 Aug 2010 16:05:41

Ouch, sorry to hear that Martyn. Hope you manage to get it sorted without too much drama. What a shame though after only a few weeks on the road :(

J - Without wanting to stick my nose in (too much), I'm guessing Rattie was referring to The Outcast's post? (but mistaking the author) Edited by - spiderlane on 3 Aug 2010 00:05:14

Andy Belcher at 7 Tech in Redhill is highly recommended, as are Redline in Caterham I believe.

Thanks Martin - I will report on thread for interest how noisy mine is. Mine is the Quaife LSD (according to the stamping on the casing) in case that's relevant. I believe that the Titan diff was an option,although not widely publicised. (Some discussion on that topic here Mark

I fitted mine with *reasonable* ease, using the method outlined by Martin (bottom bolts in loosely, top bolt drifted in). My top bolt had a chamfer already machined on the end. I did have to use a lump hammer to get it in (the rubber mallet didn't provide enough oomph) but it did pick up the far bush *ok*. FWIW I fitted the long bolt right to left (with the head on the drivers side) not sure whether this makes any difference? I cleaned out the diff casing holes first to ensure that the long bolt ran smoothly. I haven't actually heard my diff yet, cos the car is at CC after having just passed IVA (yay!) so I'm waiting to see how bad mine is.

I had pretty much the same problem (and solution as Domus). One went in ok but I had to pull the other into line whilst Mrs Spiderlane persuaded the bolt home with a rubber mallet.

I'll be interested to see how you get on with that oil Martyn. My car has just gone off for PBC and IVA - I've not heard the diff yet (only having driven it 20 yards) but I'm fully expecting it to be noisy when I get it on the road.

Thanks guys, very handy info esp. the advice from Caterham. I too was confused by which was the middle baffle.

Thanks guys. So it seems that the oil being at operating temperature is the important thing rather than the engine actually being running.

The Handbook says "Keep the engine running, open the dry sump tank cap and look inside, you will find two baffle levels with centre holes. In normal condition the oil should run approximately 5mm below the middle baffle level. Top up the oil if required" However, when I'm running the engine, there is oil flowing back into the top of the DS tank (from the oil cooler) and you cannot see the actual level. So how do I check that I have the correct oil level? All info gratefully received. Cheers Mark ETA : Spelling Edited by - spiderlane on 15 Jul 2010 09:45:25

I followed a tip I read on here and made up a filling tube from copper pipe which I could then feed in from the engine bay and successfully fill. Mine is a 6 speed box in an SV chassis - I think the SV chassis gives a little more clearance. I was able to get access to the plug from below using a stub of allen key and a spanner. I am however fortunate enough to have a scissor lift for this build; I recall last time that doing this on axle stands is tricky, so the hole in the sideskin might be a better option. Cheers Mark

The lower fitting is probably the speedo drive; ours wobbled and used to leak a lot of oil (2004 Roadsport)