TomGaval

Thanks Mark. I just heard from the prior owner and he said he used. Redline Lightweight Shockproof Gear Oil. So I just have to flip a coin now. Both are recommended. Blatchat never fails.

Just sent my Sadev sequential box out for a refresh since the box was out, while getting a clutch replaced. Good news in the box was in really good shape with a few dogs being replaced but overall the tech said to use the same oil that was in it. Unfortunately, I bought this car 5 years ago and have no idea what was in it. They said Motul 75 /140 is recommended but also said there was a very good Redline product that was blue, couldn't remember what. I've been using Redline MTL in my Caterham 6 speed in my other car, since I assembled it 20 years ago and that works great. But I'd like to see what the consensus is from the great and all powerful Blatchat wizards. Thanks. Tom

Mea Culpa. Thanks for the quick response. Tom

Anyone know what the size of the lug nuts for an S3 dedion are? Thread pitch as well. Thanks Tom

I have a QED built Kseries with the Caterham bell housing oil tank, so not quite apples to apples, but the method I use to determine the correct oil level is to fill it until it pukes into the catch tank. Works well for me. Tom

I love Blatchat. Ever since I bought and assembled my first RoverK engined car in 2000, I have depended heavily on the support of you guys and I look forward to my Lowflying every month. Caterhams are rare enough in the States, and a RoverK is like hen's teeth, so you are really my lifeline. Surprisingly enough the RoverK series has actually been more reliable than my Duratec engined beast. But as you can see, I still depend on you guys to help me keep it running too. Jonathan, Ian and Andrew, Thanks again for your amazingly prompt support. I ordered the MFRU from Rimmer Bros. and the Simtek plug kit this morning. Assuming the mail and Customs don't delay the delivery too much, I should be able to get back on the track in time for my next event. Thanks again. Tom

Looks like it's not a US part. So I'll be calling the UK parts distributors. I have the part number for the MFRU and have found the part online. Does anyone know the part number for the large square female connector? I can't seem to find it on any of the parts catalogues. Tom

Thanks, I'll see what I can find out at the local mini dealer. Tom

Hi Jonathan. Engine is the 2.3L Cosworth Duratec. Funny thing is that on my other car with the EU2 RoverK, there is no MFRU, just a couple relays. Wonder if I could do that on this car? Part number of the MFRU is YWB100970

Had a issue with my car not starting after a trailering it home from the track. Ran fine first day on track but start for the 4th session of the first day. finally turned over and ran fine during the session. and then ran fine the next day for two session, before I packed up and left. Unloading it from the trailer a few hours later it would crank well but not catch. Mechanic tells me today that the MFU is toast and I also need the female plug to it as well as there seems to be some burn marks on it. So my question is where can I find those two parts??? Mg/rover parts aren't really availble here in the states. Tom

Hi, Simon, Thanks for commenting, Im just south of Philadelphia,Pa, on the East coast of the US. I don't know who the US Nitron agent is off hand. I have a pretty competant mechanic, so if there are no special tools or parts needed for the revalving, he might be able to accomplish it. Any suggestions or support would be great. Thanks Tom Gaval tgaval@comcast.net

Hi Rodger! I hear you might be making a trip over for our 7s Gathering this year. Maybe you can take it for a session and let me know what you think. The Hoosiers are Bias ply, and the Michelin are Radial. I always heard that the Bias ply were more progressive in their slipping where as the Radials were abrupt in their release once the limit is reached. I may just do as Croc suggests first and have the car corner weighted with me in it. and maybe have have the toe in and camber checked. I'd love to fit the 10 inch Hoosiers all the way around like the yellow car, but with cycle wings they don't fit. The yellow car has clams which provide plenty of room for the big slicks. Might just have to take the wing stays off and give it a try to see if there is any improvement, Hope to see you in July. Tom

Thanks Croc, I'd need to put on almost 100 lbs to get to 300, you cheeky bastard. Yeah, I sorta forgot that 10 inch slick thing. I set the Michelin slicks to 20 psi cold currently, and pretty much leave them at that. They heat up to around 24psi hot with a 25 minute session. On the bias ply Hooiser slicks the car just takes a set and holds it as long as I don't let off the throttle or upset the car. On the Radial Michelins, it just feels like they have a lower grip level and the car never feels planted. I'm definitely slower thru the bowl on Lightning. So how do I find out what spring rates I now have? are there any markings or diameters I need to look for?

I have a 2000 S3 superlight with a K series that I built and everything is stock. Had the car set up 17 years ago and it handles great, nice and neutral. I bought an SV with a Cosworth 2.3L Duratec two years ago and it has almost every upgrade you can think of. It's got Nitrons with the remote reservoirs, and the guy I bought it from was a bit bigger than me at 6'8" and a little over 300 lbs. The car is running on Michelin radial slicks with 9.5 inch rims in the rear and 8 inch ones in the front. I put new slicks on this past year, but the car still doesn't feel as planted as my yellow superlight. My lap times are still faster in the older car with the standard shocks and softer set up. Can someone give me a few pointers as to setting up the car. I know that I should only do one thing at a time. But I feel like I should have the car corner weighted for me and Maybe soften up the suspension a bit as it seems not to roll as much as my S3. This car is a lot quicker than my older car due to 100++ more HP, but it just doesn't seem to hold as well in the turns. Where should I start? Thanks Tom

Hi Jim. I remember you and your drive across Pa to NJMP. It was your first time ever on track. Our group is a little bigger now with up to 20 sevens on track now. I think it was 12 when you were there. Hope all is well with you and your Caterham. You are still welcome to join in on the fun on or off track. Tom PS, no gloating from me Croc. Tom

Thanks Guys, I reset it last week and will be doing another track day this Saturday, so I'll see how it does and hope that I don't spend another session in the infield and have to be towed in again. Rex, if you are in the southeastern part of Pa, you should join us at NJMP. Tom

So on my third session of the day at the track on Friday, on the second lap, while at about 100mph and beginning to brake for a right hand turn, I feel the power cut off. Still had the paddle shifters working, but no throttle response. I drive off into the infield and come to rest next to a flag station. I tried to restart the car, with no success. Power on, the car would crank but not start. I was towed back into the paddock after the session ended. I apparently pulled far enough off the track and into an area that was out the way so they kept the session running for the remaining 20 plus minutes. Back in the Paddock, Croc and Simon, two other caterham owners, both suggested that the inertial fuel cut off switch may be the culprit and when I pushed it to reset, it clicked and I was able to start the car and it ran fine in the paddock. I never had an issue with it before and I don't think I hit any curbs. So is this an issue that I should address with a new part or is it TADTS? If replacing, is this a caterham part, or one I can source here in the states from a ford or Jaguar as I've seen ones that look similar. Thanks Tom

Just got home from today's (Monday) track day after switching over to a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. It was a spectacular fall day with no clouds in the sky and air temperatures ranging from 72F at 10:30 AM for the first session, to 82F for the mid to late afternoon ones. Morning sessions, the water temps started out at around 180F for the first few laps while I kept the revs lower waiting for the oil temps to come up. After running hard for the rest of the 25 minute session water temp hit a high of 195F and Oil was up to 220F. Afternoon sessions with the ambient air temps at 82F, the water max was 198F and Oil got to ,225F So just a little higher than with just the water and water wetter, but with 12 to 15 degrees F lower air temp than the summer max air temps. I'll leave the 50/50 mix in for the rest of the fall dates and for the early spring dates next season. I may leave it in all next season just to see if there is any difference once the summer temps arrive, to continue the experiment. Thanks again for all the help guys. Blatchat still has tremendous knowledge base to help with issues. Tom

Hi Stephen, There are a group of us with Caterhams that are members of the New Jersey Motorsports Driver Club that run on the two tracks at New Jersey Motorsport Park. Driver club membership is sort of like a country club membership, we have dues and get preferential treatment at the 40 or so member trackdays reserved for the drivers club. I've made about 25 days on average over the last several years. The last couple of years the track has allowed us to host a 7's only run group and we have reached 20 se7ens on track together this year. See the recent article in the last LowFlying. There are about 7 Caterham owning members, of the club, and we run with the advanced group, with mostly GT3's, Corvettes, Mustangs, Ferraris, miatas, and the occasional Nascar type race car. 25 minute sessions, usually 5 sessions a day. Nice full breakfast and sitdown lunch included. Usually 20 to 70 cars total split between all run groups, Novice, Open wheel, Intermediate and Advanced. Weekend events are the heavily attended ones. Next event is Monday, and I think 25 members are signed up for it so far. Cost for the members day is $165. Plus, gas and tires of course. Croc another L7Club member is currently hooning around with ECR and ECK (slipperman) this week somewhere east of you guys in Hungry, or Slovakia or maybe both. Croc has a full time job. I don't. If you are ever in the Philadelphia or NYC area, let us know, Croc or I would be happy to have you join us at the track. Tom

I have now run 15 or so trackdays since the last report. Coolant temps on track on even 100F days were no more than 200 F max and usually 185-195F while running hard for 25 minute sessions . Oil temp when running hard maxed out at 220F. On the cool down lap temps would droup to 180F coolant, 200F or less for the oil. I've been running the Water and water wetter mixture during this time with no pressurization or coolant loss. Now that my efforts of burning copious amounts of 105 octane race fuel has failed to continue the global warming trend and Fall has finally made it's scheduled appearance right on time, I've drained out the water/water wetter mixture and replaced it with a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze. I have about 6 or so track days left between now and mid November so I will report back after the next track day as to the results of this experiment. Current daytime temps now are in the low 60's to low 70's F. May get into the 50's in November, So a big change from our highs in the high 90's during this summer. Not an exact apples to apples comparison, but we will see if the coolant change makes any difference. Tom

Ran again today and the ambient temperature was a bit hotter. 96F or 35.6C Coolant temp stayed right aroung 198F hitting 200F briefly. OIl temp stayed between 200-210F. I'll keep a record of the gauge temps as the summer and fall temps vary, that way I'll have a good comparison when I switch over to the 50/50 mix for the winter. Tom

I have the Geartronix paddle shifter with the Sadev and it definitely blips itself on the downshift, no clutch needed up or down. Shifts are very smooth with a slight lift on the way down while braking. Butter smooth on the way up with the go pedal down hard. It shifts much better with more revs. When coming back into the paddock after a session on track, the downshifts are harsh when just idling back down the Pit in lane. I seem to recall that the MBE ECU is also able to control the blipping, but a little fuzzy on that point. Tom

John, in the interest of science, I will switch over to a 50/50 mix in the fall before the last couple of trackdays. Of course it won't be exactly the same conditions as the fall temps could be anywhere from the 70s to the high 50's, but I will be able to see what the temperature varience will be as I should have a good range of temps with just the water and water wetter during the next couple of months. I'll report back later. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions given by the Blatchat contibutors. Tom

The car is kept in an attached garage, but it is unheated, so after the last session in November, I will drain a bit of the current mixture and add a sufficent amount of traditional antifreeze to achieve a suitable mixture to prevent freezing. The car is only tracked, so it won't be outside after the fall until it warms up in the spring. Tom

Move to Florida?