Roger Ford

My team managed to lose the wire security rope for use with the high level tyre rack on my Brian James Minno. Don't suppose anyone has one surplus to requirements?

Today when looking for a momentary push-button for my oil-light project, I fished down a box full of wires and bits that I haven't touched since my rebuild four years ago. In there was exactly this connector, brand new and complete with terminals. Arrgh.

My dash is a completely custom layout, nothing like the standard dash.

Just got room over the oil pressure gauge and clock. Ah, thinks I, there's a chassis tube behind there. But it looks like these are surface mount, so shouldn't be a problem. Not cheap for a light, but a lot cheaper than the Stack gauge, so I've ordered it.

Now that looks good, thanks. I'll just have to check if I've got space on the dash to mount it.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an oil pressure light that I might actually notice if it comes on in the middle of a race? Having managed to destroy two bottom ends this year due to oil failures I'm determined to stop it happening again. A bright light that flashes might be even better, but I don't want to rig up a flasher circuit so it would need to be one with it's own built-in strobe circuit. I'm considering one of these to replace my Stack MOPG, but it's not cheap, and I'm still not certain I'll notice it flashing.

I guess that explains why so many people don't seem to understand that the chequered flag on test sessions / trackdays means "slightly less than one lap left". Why is "latent heat" worse than heat when you're driving? Things that are very hot aren't going to get hotter. I suppose there will be some transfer from very hot things to less hot things, but can you give me an example of when that might be harmful?

It's likely the plates are sulphated. You could try some Bat-aid pills (they're not the snake oil they might sound like) and then charge with an intelligent charger which has an anti-sulphation setting. Probably won't work, but for £4 (assuming you have or can borrow an appropriate charger) it's worth a try.

Thanks Revilla but I think I've sorted them now from the eBay seller.

Sorry, missed your previous post. Yes please!

Same vendor has this which I think is correct, but he's only listing one of them. Whether he realy has only one, or doesn't know how to list multiple items (there was only one of the housings listed as well), I don't know. I've asked. Can't find it anywhere else in the UK, unfortunately (I presume it's SLK rather than SLA?)

Shipping for 2 x $1 terminals from the US is $48.62!

Excellent, thanks. Not clear from the ebay ad if it comes with the terminals - let's hope so.

OK, that's done. The crimp tool didn't do a brilliant job, the JPT connectors are slightly smaller than the middle position on it. I ended up crimping the insulation part by hand, then using the tool on the wire part and finishing it with my trusty long-nose pliers. Now while I was doing that I noticed that the wires leading to the coolant temp sensor were cracking up. Cursing myself for not having noticed before I sent another order in to Vehicle Wiring Products for a 2-way Junior Timer connector and associated hardware and wires. Made up the connector, soldered up the wires - and found the connector didn't fit. See pic below: On the left we have the original connector. On the right is a 2-way Junior Timer connector. Note the cutout at the top is offset to the right on the original, but in the centre of the JT connector. I went for Junior Timer rather than Junior Power Timer based on the rear view - no built-in seals with the JT connector, but a fitting for a "boot" instead. But I'm told they're compatible anyway, and pics of the JPT connector show the cutout in the centre as well. So anyone know what this special version used by Caterham is? I can probably bodge it with a couple of 2.8mm female spade terminals if necessary, but I'd rather have the right thing.

Thanks Stu. That looks to be identical to the one sold by Vehicle Wiring Products for quite a lot less. I guess it could be a cheaper copy, but as VWP have everything else I need I'll take a gamble on that.

The ebay ones only have 150mm wires on them. I think I need them to be rather longer than that, so it looks like Polevolt. That way I can buy the correct colour wires to match the existing ones in the loom. Don't fancy paying 43 quid for a specialist crimp tool though, so will have to rely on careful crimping with pliers. Works OK with Econoseal, so reckon it should be OK.

The wires are damaged and have been bodged, so I'll need to do some splicing anyway. I'll take a look on eBay.

Thanks, that looks right.

Anyone know the type (and preferably source) for the throttle position sensor connector on a K-Series? Mine's been bodged with three 2.8mm spade connectors. Would be nice to get the proper connector on it. Ta.

There's one on Amazon lightning deals at 1:35 tomorrow for Prime members. Normally £37 and gets good reviews. Maybe £30 tomorrow? Will be keeping an eye on that.

Ah, thanks. If anything suitable comes up perhaps you could PM me or post here. Manstein - no great issues down here. Took around 2 weeks to get a variation on my FAC for a second rifle, which seemed reasonable.

You can't. However, as far as I can see, 14.4v for four cells is considered a mild overcharge so while it's not ideal for the longevity of the cells, it's not really going to do them any harm. Sources vary as to whether the maximum charge voltage is 3.5v per cell (=14v total) or 3.6 (14.4) or even 3.65 (14.6). And apparently the cells can usually manage up to 4.2v (16.8) without serious damage. It would seem to be worth while checking your alternator/voltage regulator output if you get one of these. If it's providing a bit more than the typical 14.4v it's not going to be good for the battery.

I find it hard to see how it can have "complicated charging electronics" in it and still maintain a 400 amp path from the cells to the outside world. About the only way I can imagine that happening is if there was a way to disconnect the "starting" circuit from the "charging" circuit. But that would need a solenoid as large as the one on the starter motor.

Does that make sense to anyone else? If the batteries are at 14.4v, and the alternator is providing 14.4v, then no current is going to flow in either direction. What's this "topping charge" they're talking about? The only thing I can think is that the battery voltage is supposed to be able to drop lower after charging, but can't. I'm not sure why that should be - in my experience with "conventional" LiIon batteries which have a full-charge voltage of 4.2V, they'll hold that voltage for some considerable time when disconnected from the charger.