seventh-heaven

Following a lot of scratching of head I have concluded that my gauge is broken! Has anyone got a spare kicking around? The one with the white needle!

Can you describe exactly what you mean when you say you did 32 lb/ft 3 times? Can't currently see why that would damage the bolts! Did you just check them 3 times with same setting on torque wrench or undo them and them re tighten them to 32?

Peter, Sorry not been on for a while! Good to know there is someone close by! Do you go to local met - not been for years but keep meaning to! Andy

Does it have a Car Pass with it? Is it just for one? Thanks Andyh

Does anyone know if the Duratec Bell Sump tank can be used with a Zetec? Have our friends at Ford continued to use the same Bell housing bolt pattern? Thanks Andyh

Can you confirm length of bed? THanks Andyh

Water - Did Caterhams have an oil as standard? Edited by - seventh-heaven on 15 Sep 2008 22:36:52

As the title says looking for a VDO temp gauge. Vintage pre Caterham labelled gauges. Got a very dodgy reading and want to test it before resorting to a re-wire! Thanks Andyh

Hmmm.....Kind of ironic timing - 3 of us currently sat in Wilhelmshohe Hotel near the Ring having a lovely extra night here in part due to the failure of a Facet Silver Top pump on a zetec fitted 7! I have also had at least one failure on my Zetec seven over the last few years! However I can thoroughly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting the Ring - great welcome, great setting, fantastic food & beer, and a massive worshop/garage that will house at least 6 seven's. Currently housing 2 + a poorly A6 tow car needing a new alternator before we can return! Andyh

I'm sure that MOT's come round quicker every year! Or maybe I'm just getting old!? Anyway for the last couple of years the MOT station have commented on corrosion on the rear discs - so this year I actually remembered to have a look before the test. Sure enough the inner face has evidence of some corrosion and is definitely not as smooth and shiny as the outer face. Now the inner pad is clearly still doing some work but not as effective a job as the outer pad - but the size is similar so not massively different wear rates. Is this a common feature that others see? Andyh

If when you by-pass the switch on top of the radiator the fan runs then there are only 2 possible causes of this symptom: 1) The switch is defective; or 2) The switch is not getting hot. As you have replaced the switch already it does not seem unreasonable to initially focus on 2. The causes of 2 above can only really be: 2a) The radiator is not full and there is air between the hot water in the radiator and the switch. 2b) The water is not circulating effectively so no hot water is reaching the radiator. Of course 2b could be due to a defective thermostat or a defective pump but the checks will be the same. You say that you had water out of the switch hole when you changed the switch which suggests that the radiator does not have air. None the less I would check that again to be sure by unscrewing the Allen key plug near the top pipe (assuming same as mine!). Once you have confirmed no air, you need to turn to 2b and check water circulation. When started from cold both hoses to the radiator should remain cold until gauge reads about 80 degrees. There may be a smaller bypass hose from the thermostat housing which should get hot. Once the temp gets around 80 degrees you would expect the top hose to the rad to get hot. You will then be able to feel the hot water spread down the radiator to the bottom and then the bottom hose back to the engine will get hot. If all this occurs before the temp gauge reaches much over 90 degrees that the circulation is fine. Another reasonable test is driving - if the engine does not overheat when it is driving normally then circulation is almost certainly OK. So is the overheat only at stand still. If none of the above reaches a solution then there are only really 2 possibilities - either the new switch is defective or of course it could be the gauge over reading - but then that would again probably manifest itself when in normal driving. Hope that is useful. Andyh Edited by - seventh-heaven on 4 Nov 2007 17:03:17

The Dual mass flywheel is designed to do the things you describe, however its name is a good description. There is a mass attached directly to the crank, and there is a separate mass connected to the clutch and hence the transmission input shaft. The two masses are connected and have an element of springing and damping between them to give the noise benefits you describe. On both the ones I have played with (i.e the old one coming out and the new one going in) there was an element of pay between the two masses - or in other words you could turn the clutch mass a 3-4mm at the outside rim whilst the engine mass stayed constant. It strikes me that this could cause shunt in the transmission particularly on overun for example as the slack is taken from on extreme to another when the engine comes of the power and effectively becomes a brake. So the question is still valid please - should I be seeing the slack in the 2 bits of the flywheel as described above. Thanks Andyh Edited by - seventh-heaven on 4 Nov 2007 15:07:59

Does anyone know how much play there should be in a Dual Mass Flywheel? Just changed the clutch on the tin top (A6 2.8 Quattro) and decided to change the flywheel as the old one appeared to have more play than I would have expected. When the new one arrived it also had play in it, so i concluded that this was normal and fitted it anyway on the basis that it was a good in vestment having taken gbox etc out. Now having got it all back together I am suprised to find more transmission shunt than I had before - and as I cannot find any loose mountings that I might have missed I am beginning to wonder if the flywheel is at fault!? Any thoughts? Andyh

Sadly the blue thing might be a sign of age!! I read somewhere that blue is the first colour most people begin to struggle with particularly in poor light conditions. I have my eyes checked regularly for work and (touch wood!) I have perfect vision despite nearing the big 40, but I am aware that I struggle with blue text on a screen for example and occasionally see things outside at night that are a bit blue and fuzzy! Best place to get SPA gauges? Andyh

Craig, I have managed to pick up a Pace Dry Sump from Ebay in the UK. I haven't fitted it yet but looking at it I would say it will make little difference to the ground clearance compared to the one I got from James Whiting 10+ years ago. Andyh

Mobil 1 5W40 from French supermarkets (still less than £22 for 5 litres). Had to use UK 0W40 once due to too long between booze cruises! Never had rattly tappets on either over the last 11 years. Engine is 1800 130 spec from Orion Si that had done 3000 mls when I got it. No internal mods - now done 25000 in 7. Andyh

Nick/Elie, I have an second hand pair of rear calipers that I was going to use on the B but the suspension came with a fully refurbed pair. Andyh Edited by - seventh-heaven on 21 May 2006 22:49:07

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/ Andyh

Sounds about right. Mine runs bang on 90 and never moves - unless I am sat in traffic. Some say I should run it cooler for more power but I think I should just lose some weight! Andyh

I have also read this. However I am using Mobil 1 5w/50 and I have no problems. Andyh

That sounds odd. May be worth ringing Raceline or Dunnels. Andyh

No. It's well above the level in the sump. What age is your engine? 1800or 2000? I'll keep thinking! Andyh

Not convinced that they are the same but it is worth checking to eliminate the possibility. I have put a page on my web site with 3 pics from a Workshop manual showing where it is and what it looks like when out. Check it out and let me know. http://www.seventh-heaven.demon.co.uk/Pic%20Only/Caterham/Zetec%20OPR.htm Andyh

Paceman, Nickh7 mailed me and suggested I post as I was one of the Zetecs that had problems with Oil Pressure Relief valve. Can you give a bit more detail about what it is and isn't doing? For example, does it crank over but not start and as a result go flat - if so cranking for how long? Does it not crank, effectively stalling at the compression stage on one of the pots? Once it does fire does it then run normally? Are you running Carbs or injection - just to get a full picture. The problem I had in connection with the Oil Pressure Relief valve was as follows. The oil pump has an OPR to avoid excessive oil pressure when the oil is cold. For several years when my 7 was new I had difficulty starting it when cold. In the summer I could usually get it to fire, but if I used any throttle it died immediately. In the winter it was a real b****r even to get it to fire, but once it did same principle of let it idle for 10 mins before I could use any throttle. Needless to say in winter I either had to jump it or use a start pack. I don't now remember how I found the problem but I discovered that the OPR was in fact seized in the closed position and hence with cold oil the pressure was very high. This resulted in the tappets pumping up and lifting the valves off their seats and hey presto - no compression! When I went to the Ford (Fix or Repair Daily!) dealer to get a replacement piston I started to describe the item and expected a long trawl through the microfiche to find the relevant bit. None of it! Within 20 seconds the guy disapeared and reappeared equally quickly with a piston in his hand. "This will be what you want - a service item on most Zetec cars that come in for service! They have changed the shape now to stop it happening.". Piston fitted and not a problem since. However I would note that even now the engine does not turn over enthusiastically - but I never fail to get it to run when cold after a couple of attempts. Also when the starter gets hot it becomes somewhat reluctant. Where abouts are you? Andyh

5 litres of 5W-40 from French supermarkets £22!! If you know anyone going on a booze cruise.......... 😳 Andyh