keybaud

The calipers are AP racing calipers and were installed correctly, which is horizontally; however, the entry and bleed point on the AP calipers are at equal levels. I jacked up the front of the car to raise the brake fluid reservoir above the height of the brake bias valve and this also raised the bleed nipple above the brake hose entry point. The reason for the air still being inside the caliper appears more to do with the fluid flow inside the caliper, hence the need to remove the caliper and hold it vertical to ensure all the air can be removed.

The problem was resolved by removing the calipers and bleeding them whilst vertical, with a piece of wood between the pads. This allowed the trapped air in the caliper to finally be removed. Two months of anguish over...

I am having a nightmare trying to bleed my brakes, so I'd be grateful for any advice on how to find the actual problem and/or resolve it. I had the rear calipers refurbished and replaced all the brake hoses, as there was a leak in one of the calipers and the hoses were frayed in places. I bled the brakes manually, but even when no air came out, it still took 2 presses of the brake pedal before it went firm. I then bought a Sealey pressurised brake bleeder and did the brakes again. The system stayed pressurised before I started bleeding, so there isn't a leak, and it really was a lot easier to bleed. With the pressurised container still attached, the brakes function correctly, but as soon as the pressure is released, it still needs to 2 pumps until firm. The only thing I can think of is that there may be an airlock in the brake bias valve. How can I test if this is the problem and how can I fix it? I've had the reservoir higher than the valve for a week and I tried bleeding the rear calipers with the 3-way junction above the bias valve.

Or get a 7" wheel made up.

Which ECU is it? My Omex 600 rev counter output (blue/yellow wire) is the signal wire to the rev counter, which also has a positive and a negative feed. The ECU gets the RPM from the crank sensor. Page 25 has more details and discusses the coil positive and negative confusion. http://omextechnology.co.uk/600%20ECU%20Installation%20Manual%202v01.pdf

Lithium batteries are also charged by a different method (constant current) to lead acid batteries, so the battery will have to contain circuitry to stop them from being damaged by a lead acid battery charger. I assume that the electronics can't handle the very high currents of a jump start battery, which is much higher than a charger or alternator output, so the issue is the current, not the voltage. The high current may damage the internal circuitry of a lithium battery, whereas the lead in a lead acid battery can take quite a beating, as there are no electronics to be damaged. The electronics will also be why you can recharge a dead lithium battery, because it wasn't actually dead, it was protected when it reached a minimum voltage, so only pretending to be dead. All this extra gubbins is something else to go wrong, so, as I said earlier, lithium for reduced weight, lead for reduced maintenance. Other reasons I wouldn't use a lithium battery in a car, is the same reason I won't charge my lithium batteries inside a car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjAtBiTSsKY http://www.rcnews.net/2014/04/25/lipo-battery-fire-spreads-through-shed/ /edit Electric cars are designed to use lithium batteries and the entire charging mechanism is also designed for lithium batteries, whereas I wouldn't put a lithium battery in a car with a charging system for lead acid and chargers at home that are designed for lead acid. There are too many factors that could cause a problem and a burnt out Caterham isn't on my list of things I'd like for Xmas. I'm still looking for the photo of a burnt out BMW 3 series, where the owner user to rehcrage his radio control batteries with a proper lithium 12V charger. I say 'used to' as the car was damaged beyond repair in the ensuing fire when one of his batteries exploded.

I use LiPOs for radio control models and regularly have to replace them. They have fantastic discharge rates and the rate at which they can be charged is getting better, but they are much more delicate than a lead acid and can easily be damaged beyond repair. Even storing them at the incorrect charge state can damage them and discharging them too far kills them stone dead. If weight is a primary consideration, the LiPO is the way forward, but if reliability is more important, then I'd stick with lead acid.

I have 220 BHP with 6" front 13" wheels and 7" rear wheels. I have 70 profile AO21Rs for road and 55 profile CR500s for track, as I wanted more ground clearance on the roads without changing the suspension setup, but the AO21R is no longer road legal and the CR500 is no longer manufactured, so I'm in a similar pickle.The Avon replacement for the CR500 is the ZZR, the smallest of which is 185/55x13, so a little bit wider than the CR500 175/55x13. It is suitable for 5.5" to 7" wheels, so you could just fit them, if you haven't had problems with your narrower CR500s. Alternatively, you could get 2 wider rear wheels and fit the 215/55x13, which is suitable for 7" to 8.5" wheels, but make sure you know the wheels will fit and not interfere with anything else before you buy them. My rears are 7", ET50, 108mm PCD and fit a DeDion car. http://www.avonmotorsport.com/road-legal/performance/zzr /edit I could be wrong about the CR500 not being made any more, as it wasn't listed on one Avon related site, but I've found it on another one!

Has anyone got a 5-speed gear knob for sale? I bought an aluminium ball one from EBay, which is very nicely made, but it is about an inch too low. I could get an extension for it, but I'd rather have a single knob has the extra height built in to the design.

Ignoring the type of liquid used in a cooling system, the coolant's purpose is to transfer heat. Anything else it does is a side-effect, beneficial or otherwise. Waterless based solutions are not as effective at transferring heat, but offer beneficial side-effects, such as reduced corrosion and reduced pressure (so less chance of hoses blowing). They also boil at a higher temperature, so can be used for an engine that runs hot, but deliberately making an engine run hotter will require more thought than just using waterless coolant, as the oil viscocity will now be reduced. Note 1: If they transfer heat slower than water, this means that they not only take it away from the engine at a reduced rate, they also give it off at a reduced rate at the radiator, but if the engine termperature is the same for both types of coolant, then the water mix is not working at its full capacity. Bad analogy: I use a 10Kg bucket to carry 5Kg of sand and I then use a 5Kg bucket to carry 5Kg of sand, the sand transfer rate is the same, despite the smaller bucket. My personal opinion: Snake oil in a pretty bottle. It's primary function (for normal cars, inc 7s) isn't as good as water based coolants, but it looks pretty and gives users something to talk about down the pub. P.S. If it has a lower thermal capacity and you get a leak, you'll hit problems with waterless coolants quicker than with water-based ones.

Part of my adjustable front anti-roll bar has snapped and it isn't possible to replace this part any more. I want to replace the broken anti-roll bar with a standard one as I don't race the car, which is a 1992 Vauxhall Challenge S3 with standard width front suspension.

My Vx is 59mm on CR500s and 75mm on 70 profile AO21Rs

Going across at an angle and then straightening up as you ride over the bump or putting your wheels on the curb, if there is one, are two other options.

Added linkiness http://www.caterham.nl/cars-for-sale/page/show_ad/catid/8/adid/321

The UK distributor for Newton Equipment is Think Automotive. Give them a call and they'll be able to get you a replacement without buying a complete assembly. http://www.thinkauto.com/

Not meaning to pour water on parades, but they are already only £19.99 with free P&P on Amazon (sold by Mad4Bikes). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Custom-Fit-DIY-Motorcycle-Plugs/dp/B005FU8A0C Edited by - keybaud on 20 Aug 2014 15:53:06

Quoting Jonathan Kay: Which model? Have you asked BC for diagrams already? Jonathan It's a 1992 Vauxhall Challenge Caterham and I have the Vauxhall build manual from that period; however, I know that the car is on its third ECU loom, so the actual wiring may not correspond to the diagram. I'll start at the alternator next weekend and trace the wiring back to see if it is the 2 white cables I find at the other end. The good news is, I didn't buy a new starter motor, so I've saved myself some work and cash and the rebuild on the old one was needed. Having said this, I was looking at the diagram as I typed this and I've just found the ignition switch with the 4 white wires and the feed to the solenoid, so I'll look at them in more detail tomorrow. The previous owner added a kill switch and I appear to have too many cables coming into the ignition switch! Edited by - keybaud on 19 Aug 2014 12:52:10

Quoting Jonathan Kay: Have you done Myles' jumping trick? Yes, and it 'jumps into life', hence my removing all the cables out of the back of the ignition switch to isolate the cable from the ignition switch to the solenoid for testing and to be able to remove it from the list of possible causes. Relays? Vx engine cars don't appear to have them! I have just looked at the wiring diagram from the Caterham build manual, but it looks like it was drawn in pencil, by hand, on A5 and then blown up to A4 to prevent anyone actually being able to interpret it! Edited by - keybaud on 18 Aug 2014 18:52:51

If your battery is fully charged, put a voltmeter on it when you crank the engine. If it drops to below 11V, the battery may need replacing. If it stays at a high voltage, put a voltmeter across the 12v signal wire that is in between the 2 'chunky' connections on the starter motor and crank the engine. If this is low, you are suffering a drop between the battery and the starter motor. Test the battery again, after this, to confirm that the drop is at the signal wire and not that the battery has given up between tests. I was going to make a post today about my XE starter motor woes, so I'll tag it onto this one to avoid multiple XE starter motor posts on the same day...and to keep JK happy. 😬 I have traced and checked every cable from the battery to the starter motor and back again, in an effort to resolve my starting problems and I have now discovered that the problem is nothing to do with the starter motor itself or any of the wiring to and from it. I had a low voltage at the solenoid, which seemed to cause the starter to engage and disengage erratically, although it didn't 'click'. I replaced or tested all the cables and stripped and rebuilt the starter motor, but the problem remained. This weekend I removed all the connections from the back of the ignition and tested the starter with each individual connection and I found that I only get the voltage drop when one of 2 cables are connected. Unfortunately, the wiring has been modified in the past to fit a kill switch and I'm not sure what the 2 cables actually do. They are white, but so are 2 other cables and these don't cause the voltage drop. I am starting to think the culprit is the alternator; however, I need to work out how to test this. I will dig out the wiring layout from the manual this evening.

Have you washed the car since you last looked under the bonnet?

It shouldn't matter if the disc isn't exactly in the middle of the calliper, as bike hydraulic brakes self adjust, the same way car brakes do. i.e. The pistons move out towards the disc when the lever is pulled, but only retract a small amount when the lever is released. If one piston moves further than the other until it contacts the disc, it should stay out further when the lever is released. This is why you have to push the pistons back in when you replace the pads. If you can spin the wheel and either the disc or wheel rim are warped, you may get a metallic 'chin, chin' sound. If you do, this is the disc rubbing on the brake. This needs to be fixed before you do anything with the brakes. Once the wheel rotates freely and the disc doesn't rub on the pads, spin the wheel and gently press the lever to see if the pistons and pads more evenly towards the disc. If one doesn't move, then it may have seized. To fix this you want to remove the calliper, gently push both pistons back in as far as they will go (follow manufacturers instructions on how to do this), place the calliper over the disc and squeeze the lever to move the pistons out again. Keep doing this until the pistons move freely. If you are brave, you can use a thinner sheet than the disc or remove the pads. This will also allow the pistons to move out further, so you can see if they have corroded, which would cause them to stick. Once you have got everything to move freely, bleed the brakes according to the manufacturers instructions, as you may have air trapped preventing the callipers from moving simultaneously. If this is done properly, it will also centre the pads on the disc. If you're ever near Malvern I'm happy to have a look, as I strip and rebuild my own brakes. /edit Having reread your post, I think the issue is the pads have been pushed out too far, possibly someone pressing the brake lever with the wheel off and they need resetting, but it's hard to say without seeing them. Also, never push a hydraulic brake lever when the bike is upside down, as you run the risk of getting air into the brake hose. What make and model are the brakes or what year and model is the bike? Edited by - keybaud on 21 Jul 2014 23:58:36

Caterham said the Caterham dry sump oil tank holds 7l. The garage doing some work for me confirmed that they put 7l in; however, they reckon that about 3l of that went on the floor. I assumed that the system wasn't fully drained when they added it, but I'll be adding it 1l at a time when I next change the oil. My alternator is on the exhaust side. If the engine mounts are for a K-series, you may want to confirm what needs to be changed to fit a Vx, as I believe the VX engine sits lower in the car than a K-series, as the engine is taller. Edited by - keybaud on 3 Jul 2014 11:19:38 Edited by - keybaud on 3 Jul 2014 11:20:32

Interesting post on oils for a Duratec, especially the 3rd poster! http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3008811&page=1 Edited by - keybaud on 30 Jun 2014 23:59:42

Quoting Tazio77: I've dropped a mail to Phil to find out one way or the other, I know there are two types, one with 2 conning tower type outlets, one with 3, , but cannot work out what all the outlets are actually for clearly one connects to the bottom of the header tank, but the others..... There are 3 types; the Vx Challenge variant only has a single conning tower, going to the bottom of the header tank. Edited by - keybaud on 27 Jun 2014 18:14:55

Quoting 700newtons: Quoting Jonathan Kay: Battery voltage at rest and when you try to start? It drops to 4v... My new battery drops to just over 11v when starting, so try with another battery. Also, measure the voltage drop between ignition off and ignition on, without starting. Then turn the lights on and measure it again. It shouldn't drop my much. If it does, the battery is duff. Just because the battery reads over 12v unloaded, doesn't mean the battery is good. I had 2 bad ones that both read 12.4v unloaded.