susser

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my Dunsfold AM slot is free tomorrow. If you are interested, please call club office on 01873777303 and get it for free! There's a deadline that runs out at 15:00 today !!

Bit of an update on this "Mystery": I have Angus and Tessa to thank for their "My Caterham" series and the Red Herring Alert, appearing in Technical/ Engine 2-Electrical. My problem was almost certainly the same as Angus describes his. The ECU was, I believe, shutting down the Fuel Pump as it was getting a confusing or intermittent signal from the CPS. If the problem still existed, I suppose I could check it by displaying the CPS signal on an oscilloscope, but as it seems to have cleared up by just rearranging the harness, I'll leave it alone. I think it's significant that this whole problem started after I'd taken the inlet manifold off to facilitate flushing out the cooling system. !! http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/susser/Cars/Caterham/DSCF9244.jpg One of my red herrings was a dodgy section of track within the MFRU ! Couldn't get the Photobucket link to work--brain fade. Sorted no. DOH ! Should have left the original comment in place. Thank You Angus and Tessa for this insight into my problem and Thank You L7C for just "being there".

No, that's the right image, just in the wrong place. I might mess with it in a bit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sorted. Thanks Jonathan.

I've err mailed you Jonathan. Brain fade and general ineptitude on my part !

OK another info injection. Checked the earths (I could find) around the place, all clean and secure. MFRU dismantled. The PCB track from pin 3 to the Fuel Pump relay has some corrosion. Resistance checked at 2.8Ω (this could be intermittently going high). Wire soldered in to bypass this section. Subsequently went for a drive and cut out after 3 miles. This time recycling the ignition a number of times failed to power the FP. Got home on the ECU bypass switch. The Black/ Purple (Fuel Pump signal) wire was at 12+V indicating that the ECU did not want to run the pump. Installed a wire to take the place of the ECU switching: a lead to earth the BP (terminal 3 of the MFRU Input plug). This pulls 140mA. The Fuel pump pulls 4.3A. Again, this supports the theory that the ECU is shutting the fuel pump down by making the relay earth path go open circuit. OK I can override the ECU and take control of the Fuel Pump, feeding into the fuse directly or grounding the signal wire from the MFRU, but what else could I do? Replacing the ECU would involve a new/ reprogrammed Immobiliser. Not only that, it's has the Supersport upgrade; higher RPM limit and shift light, so a set off fleabay won't support my supersport head/ cams.

I've fitted a bypass switch that feeds 12V into the Fuel Pump fuse, so I don't get stranded. Checking the earths around the place, it seems that there is about 0.04V between the ECU casing and the battery when the engine's running. I assume that is normal. I guess the next step could be wiring a Voltmeter to the ECU casing and see if the earth fails and the casing goes to 12V (assuming that the ECU casing shares the ECU board earth.) Based on the assumption (yet again!!) that the ECU fails to earth the Fuel Pump signal (BG) wire and precipitates FP shutdown. I've taken the car out today, for the first time for a long time. The fuel pump cut out 4 times within a few minutes under road conditions. That suggests a loose connection somewhere I suggest, but I don't want to start pulling the ECU apart. Can't just screw in another ECU from the scrappy can I ?

Hi Charles. I had wondered about the immobiliser: it flashes and clicks etc as normal. When the Fuel Pump switches off, the red led doesn't come on, as it would if I tried to start the engine with the Immobiliser armed. That's why I wasn't thinking that the Immobiliser is the problem. HOWEVER. The car's been standing for yonks with a flat battery or no battery at all and I had to press the disarm 5 times before the immobiliser would respond. Maybe it's a bit unhappy? Hi there Jonathan. I understand it is the "Trigger" wire. It sits "downstream" of the relay coil and the ECU earths it to complete the circuit and allow the coil to energise. The reading of 2.4V is obtained by probing the wire that comes out of the MFRU and goes to the ECU, I imagine that it's at that voltage as a result of the resistance and current flow in the circuit as it makes it's way to earth. The wire goes to 13.4V at the time the Fuel Pump fuse goes from 13 or so Volts to zero and the engine starts to falter. (All the plugs are in.) All clear I hope Paul.

Thanks SM25T. I've been thinking along those lines as a get out. In the meantime, I've ordered one of those "Add a circuit" things to enable me to feed into the fuse that feeds the pump in case the thing strands me. The thing that bothers me most is: why is the ECU trying to stop the fuel pump? If I fit an external relay and use the BP trigger wire to allow the ECU to run the Fuel Pump as intended (ie prime 2 sec on ignition energised) (and the ECU is intending to shut down the Fuel Pump) then I'll be no better off. (If the MFRU is not the faulty component) I'll stop before I get confused

Thanks for your input Andrew. I think that the BP is taking the coil to ground, thus completing the coil circuit. So, if the BP goes to 12V, it's possibly the ECU open circuiting the BP to shut the Fuel Pump down? I'll open up the MFRU and put a Volt meter across the contacts to test your theory all the same.

1996 K Series 1600 EU2 fuel pump loses power and cuts out at seemingly random times. Traced the fault (?) back to the trigger wire from ECU to FP relay in the MFRU. In the case of this EU2, it's the Black/ Purple (“BP”) that feeds into the MFRU Input plug on pin 3. (It goes to earth to energise the Fuel Pump "FP" relay.) Probing this wire shows the following characteristics: Ign on; BP goes to 2.4V, FP runs for a second or two as normal, BP goes to 12V Starter initiated; BP goes to 2.4V engine starts and runs. Engine running; BP at 2.4V (occasionally going to 13.4V very briefly.) Engine warm; BP flicking between 2.4V and 0.7V BP goes to 13.4V, engine falters and gradually dies. Tachometer follows RPM. Starter initiated; BP sits at 12V Ign cycled off-on, starter initiated; Engine starts and runs. With my limited ideas about how the thing works: It seems that the ECU itself is intending the engine to keep running but shuts down the fuel pump: it's supplying sparks, the CPS is being read and the ECU is driving the tachometer. (AS far as the ECU is concerned: things that shut the Fuel Pump down are, Lack of rotation of the crankshaft (crash detectected ?), Immobiliser armed, anything else?

Hi there. I've just registered on the new website thing and upon uploading a profile picture I get the following message: The specified file temporary://OBNS TE 08 Esses 1.jpg could not be copied, because no file by that name exists. Please check that you supplied the correct filename. Clearly I did because the picture is there. That indeed, is the picture, so to speak. I tried it again: The specified file temporary://OBNS TE 08 Esses 1.jpg could not be copied, because no file by that name exists. Please check that you supplied the correct filename. so there is defo a pattern emerging.

They wooden stoop so low.

To generalise: I would say that most drivers of sports cars wave when waved at. Speaking generally, in general.

Out in Jonny-The-Boy's Triumph GT6 and had a very mixed response (when waving) from the various MGs that were about for one of their "club Do's" Could it be that MG and Triumph are a bit like Caterham and Westfield (stands well back)

My preference includes having the throttle pedal at rest, in line with the brake pedal when it's in use: The reason being that whilst the right foot is braking, I can rock my ankle and blip the throttle whilst double declutching. Sometimes called Heel and Toe, but try that in a Caterham footwell with human sized feet !!

Daniel Great blog. I'd forgotten how much fun 100cc karting was. (100C-B-ICA.) It would have been even more fun if we'd had the luxury of clutches 20 years ago as well. Real good karting fun thanks. 18,000rpm in my days. More now ?.

Needs sealant up into the space between that vertical flange and the chassis rail as well. I didn't get a very good fit there in spite of using skin pins in every rivet hole. (to pull the faces together.)

That looks the same as mine: I fitted the lowered floor myself and was able to afford much more time to it than I suggest Caterham/Arch could. The floor must clear that lateral support and as the outboard side is located vetically between the inner skin and chassis tube, then it must therefore clear the tube. (Better than having contact with it and causing chafe/ wear, I think.) The std floor passes below that box section and slides horizontally between the outer skin and longitudinal chassis tube.

To put it simply: If you draw the turning circle arc for your car; drawing arcs for each front wheel from a point extended perpendicular to each wheel at it's centre to a line extended from the rear axle, the lines from each front wheel should intersect the line extended from the rear axle at exactly the same point. It will only work for every angle of steering if your Ackermann set-up is perfect (Unlikely, even for VW), then whether the vehicle is moving backwards or forwards, the tracks of the front wheels should be exactly the same. For a more eloquent explananation, this is handy. Drat, forgot how to do the link wossname. Forgot to mention that this is not an Answer, more an illustration of how steering should work. Edited by - susser on 6 Dec 2013 22:05:53

I'll have the screen please, if I may. I'm in Carrotland so a GONAD or post would be a favourite delivery method. Frustratingly; I'm in Pembrokeshire this week. I don't suppose that's of any help is it ? (My transport is a thirsty motorhome) Edited by - susser on 29 Aug 2013 11:42:13

Hi Alan We are coming to spectate in the motorhome on Friday/Sat. Staying on the Camping Club site. I'll put the pedal to the plastic so we get there early enough to enjoy a bit extra. Incidentally; the online booking system shows the site as full up (it isn't) !:Louise the Manager ? said she thought it had been a bit quiet !.

I'm considering a trip to Llandow to spectate and want to know if being a spectator is possible/ easy/ welcome/ etc: So what is the spectator situation please ?

I'm having a go at your socks on the err bay; I've got a set of winter tyres on the BMW 330 and they are fantastic, but, I got stuck on wet ice the other day and short of chains or studs, the socks are the only way out. well not the only way out 'cos I managed to get out in order to get here to write this. I'm not one to let The Truth stand in the way of a Good Story.

Now's the time to get a good deal. I bought my winter wheels in June 2011 arf arf

Testing the awesome power of BC; My E90 330d (M57N2 engine) and Sprinter 906 (with the OM646 engine) both specifically exclude the use of "Biodiesel" or RME additives. I'm curious as to why? Is it the seals ?? is it the DPF ??? is it the lubricity ????? Is this too many questions ?????? (A mate has claimed that his Landy had a Diesel Runaway because a diaphragm in the system was degraded and thus allowed engine oil into the inlet tract with the runaway being the result.)