SteveP

I am getting the following 'phenomenon' with my rear light clusters, and am hoping someone can tell me how to correct it. Switch right indicator on -> both brake lights flash, indicator does not Switch left indicator on -> indicator flashes normally Switch right indicator on and press brake pedal -> flashing stops and brake lights come on Switch left indicator on and press brake pedal -> all is working OK All the front indicators / lights work OK, so I'm guessing that there is something wrong with the wiring specific to the offside rear cluster. Indeed, having waggled (technical I know) the wires a bit the indicator worked OK momentarily but then when I pressed the brake, it went back as described. Now, no matter how much waggling it stays bust Any ideas (please, I've got to get the car legal for an event in a couple of weeks) How do I go about diagnosing the problem? As an aside, I changed the battery (and lead terminals) today since my old Torque Starter battery died and have replaced it with a Banner - car starts fine though As always, your pearls of wisdom are greatly appreciated SteveP

I want to take the brackets off the sidescreens that attach them to windscreen upright, but having removed the nyloc's, the machine screw just won't budge out of the sidescreen - it seems to be almost welded in. Are they meant to come out? The heads on the machine screw are getting more and more chewed as I try and get them out. Thanks SteveP

Hopefully not a daft question, but I'm looking for a good mail order / web company who supply a wide variety of stainless / zinc plated nuts, bolts, machine screws, cap screws, etc. Having removed my cycle wings, all of the bolts holding it on sheared due to age and rust and I can't get any replacements down the local DIY stores so am looking for a supplier Relatively low volume, but I want to order a variety of stuff to replace the ageing bolts on the car. Any ideas? SteveP Screwfix don't have a big enough range.

Davey Bee, I have a s/c 5 speed unit that has Quaife internals in my xflow and yes, it's quite noisy - but then I've never driven a Caterham with a normal box so I have no comparison. I tend to agree with robmar in that you get used to it, and it does make the car sound like a race car, even if I need more power to make it one!! SteveP

Ash, Might have to if I can't make them fit. Will let you know if I am going to. SteveP

Thanks for the info. I have a follow up question relating to the rims themselves. The rims on which my current SO2's sit are 7J x 15, whereas the normal road Prisoner wheels are 6.5J x 15. Given the problem I'm having with fouling, even if I put 195's on the 7J rims, will they still be too wide to fit under the front wings? Thanks SteveP Edited by - SteveP on 25 Feb 2002 09:29:26

Didn't think that SO3's were in the same league as SO2's, but only going on comments from other threads. BMTR? Not heard of them - do you have any details? SteveP

Thanks Ken. In an ideal world I would agree, but from browsing the other threads SO2's are no longer available new so I'm forced into looking for an alternative. Unless anyone knows of a supplier of new SO2's that is... SteveP

Despite many threads on the subject of tyres, looking for an answer specific to 15" wheels. Bought a set of 15" wheels shod with 205/50 Bridgestone SO2's when I bought the car, thinking that they would be great for sprinting. Have just tried fitting them today for the first time, only to find that the fronts foul on the cycle wing supports and I can't 'encourage' the supports enough to give me clearance. Rear tyres are fine. So, thought is ditch the 205's on the front (keep rears) and get two new 195/50's. Question is what to go for that will mix well with the Brigestone's on the back, or is this a daft idea and get a complete set of sticky 195/50's all round? Thoughts and comments welcome. Also, if anyone knows of a good supplier / fitter in the East Midlands if you could let me have the details. Car is 1700 Supersprint, 135bhp Thanks SteveP

Many thanks for all the replies. Roger, unfortunately I have no idea what size my slow run jets are but yes, the spitting does tend to occur on a light throttle, floor it and there is no coughing at all, so it sounds like you've hit the nail on the head. I'll check the balance of the carbs for sure and invest in some tinkering if I find it becomes an excessive problem. SteveP

I have Weber 45s on my 1700 xflow which also has a Kent 244 cam. Since I bought it 6 months ago, the carbs have tended to 'cough' at low revs i.e 2 - 2.5K. I had my head in the engine bay at the weekend and swear I saw what looked like a fine mist being ejected from the where the (left) carb joins the inlet manifold. It is quite sporadic and doesn't feel like a misfire, indeed get the thing upto 4500 - 6000 revs and it positively sings with no hint of coughing. It was recently rolling roaded and they commented that the timing and carburation were all fine. Is this characteristic of a slightly wilder cam than the 234 standard, carbs out of balance, or something else? SteveP

I was also told that the Bridgestone SO2's were the only ones to have from list 1A - so I picked up set, ready scrubbed. I must admit, I didn't know that they were supposed to get softer the more the rubber is worn though! We shall see when they get their first outing in May. SteveP Edited by - SteveP on 28 Jan 2002 17:33:35

Apologies if this question has been asked to death but I didn't find the answer from the archives. I have a type 9 5 speed 'box with s/c gears fitted to an '89 Supersprint, originally supplied by Quaife (not a full Quaife 'box I believe i.e no filler point, drain plug) - what grade / make of oil should I be filling it up with? I've got Castrol EP90 for the Sierra diff and trunnions - will this be OK? Thanks for the advice Steve P

Looking for some advice on new brake pads for my 1700 Supersprint. Brakes are standard all round as far as I can tell, but find that the performance is pants to the point of scary and am therefore thinking about a pad change to get more bite(don't really want to go to new calipers just yet). Car is used on the road and for occasional sprints / hillclimbs - any suggestions. Anything else I can do to get better performance? Previous posts suggest Green Stuff pads then others say not. Thanks Steve P

I had my QR wheel fitted by Caterham since as they put it "the only way to get the bush out is to destroy it" and I didn't fancy destroying something on my newly acquired car!

Not sure about the DLR3 but I have an RL3 and Lucas Constant Energy Ignition and the rev limiter doesn't work properly. It cuts in at 5800rpm and is not adjustable - consequently it is no longer connected. Steve P

I had my 1700 Supersprint (also built by Steve Parker coincidentally) rolling road-ed at John Noble this Wednesday and produced max 137Bhp at the flywheel - talking to the guys there, they said that the standard Caterham Supersprint (quoted by Caterham as producing 135Bhp) generally produces around 120 - 125Bhp. Mine has a different cam and bigger Webers. On the subject of rolling roads, the power map I got showed peak power at the wheels of just 82.5 Bhp but then factored in 50 odd Bhp of drag which gave the flywheel figure. Is this likely to be a feature of how this particular rolling road works and therefore on the road is actually producing say 120Bhp at the wheels or am I really losing 50 Bhp through transmission, etc Steve P

How have people affixed the mesh to their grilles / cars? Cable ties? Little U-bolts? On a different note (still sort of to do with grilles) - where can I buy myself a timing beam strut - I don't really want to have to make one (just lazy I guess)

Michael, I'm in Nottingham - yes, would like to try out someone's 7 grille for fit should there be anyone nearby.

Mine is a '89 Supersprint - will the '7' grille still fit? Thanks for the reply on the mesh, Brent, I'm off to B&Q soonest!

I also have this old style grille and when I inquired about getting a shiny new one with the 'Big 7' I was told that it would not fit - is this correct? Any way to make it fit since I quite like the 'Big 7' grille. Lali, where did you get your protective radiator mesh from? I'm after some for exactly the same reason as you.

I have a 1700 xflow which I understand to have a Lucas Constant Energy Ignition system fitted (I'm only going on the history file). The car also has a Microdynamics RL3 limiter which seems to cut in at around 5800rpm (too low) no matter how much I adjust it. I've seen posts about this ignition system messing up rev limiters so can anyone confirm what I'm seeing is the ignition or is the rev limiter bust or recommended a rev limiter which will be suitable? If anyone know how the 'Test' spade connector which is attached to the limiter is used, that would be very helpful. Steve P

Thanks Roger for your help. Yes it is a 1700. I've since contacted Arrowstar who unfortunately couldn't tell me what pistons they had fitted (hmm) although I was quoted £87 +VAT each for a forged one. Perhaps Oily was right is saying that only piston rings were fitted - do piston ring sets really cost £30 per piston? (You can see how new I am to this). Still awaiting a call back from someone at Arrowstar who supposedly knows what has happened. Wasn't aware of the difference in bore size between std and forged and therefore now trying to check with original engine builder to verify that forged were definitely fitted at the outset. Apart from partial stripping of the engine, I don't suppose there is any easy way to tell what's been fitted, is there? Other people have said that forged pistons make a distinctive sound, like a big end rattle but I can't say that I've noticed any such noise. Cheers Steve P

OK, now I'm worried. I will be questioning Arrowstar but assuming that they have just put bog standard pistons back in (which seems likely now), what exactly are the chances of something catastrophic happening to my engine? Roger said it was very common for the piston rings and even the pistons to fail with a 244 cam. At the moment I run it reasonably quickly up to about 6k revs. I'm looking to do a fair bit of hillclimbing / sprinting next year and don't really want a piston breaking on me. For those others who have / had a xflow with this cam, did you also have forged pistons? Should I be shelling out £350+ and machining costs to put my mind at rest? Slightly panic-ing! Steve P

Just to echo what has already been said. I have a Superprint with 244 cam and on 45DOCEs plus the other upgraded bits (duplex timing chain, steel rocker posts, double valve springs, etc) and it's great on the road - lots of grunt, plenty fast enough and so-far reliable. Not had it on the circuit yet though. Also, a follow up question from a point mentioned by Roger King. Not had the car that long but when I spoke to the engine builder he mentioned that forged pistons had been originally fitted - great. Having looked at the history, noticed that the pistons have been replaced (last year, by Arrowstar Racing) but it doesn't mention what for. They cost about £30 each. Being a total novice - am I safe to assume at this price that they are forged pistons? Or likely to be standard cast items? I don't really want one snapping or failing on me. Could check with Arrowstar, but thought I'd try you guys first. Thanks Steve P