Rex

I use stainless steel bolts, nuts and large washers. I use large rubber washers under the stainless steel ones.

Well, when I bought my car from him in 2007,he was 75 I think. He still travels around the country attending races and generally is a lover of life. Caterham pulled his dealership from him for a couple of years during that shake-up they had because they said he wasn't aggressive enough. People here in the states complained mightily because he is so well liked. Caterham came to their senses and gave his dealership back to him. That made a lot of us happy.

Well, the speedometer is finally back in the dash and the light is working. Thanks to the people of Blatchat for coming through again. JIM

Absolutely!! He is still around and as sharp as ever.

The grommet is the cover over the switches and lampholder. George Alderman, the dealer I bought the car from many years ago thinks the problem in getting the instrument back into the dash may be that I brought it into the house to clean it up and it may have expanded slightly. The car is in an unheated garage and it is about 15 degrees fahrenheit. I took the gauge back outside so it can cool down. Jim

Well, I finally got the speedometer dash light. Ian from Caerbont gave me the number and I was able to find one in Florida. It seems to fit, but no matter which way I turn it the grommet will no longer fit over it. It seems to be locked in alright, but I can't seem to get the speedometer back into the dash. I was able to remove it from the dash, but have had no luck getting it back in. I've tried taking it through the steering wheel(momo) and above it below it and around the sides. I've put a fair amount of 3 in 1 oil on all the sticking points, but still no luck. It looks like the momo steering wheel is held on by some allen screws, but I've had no luck getting them loose. I thought I should ask for help before I try to stick a broomhandle between the dash and the wheel to try to gain a little more space. Of course the worst thing would be to break something. Jim (slow-witted and puzzled)

I finally got the speedometer out. The black bulbholder is missing. There is just a hole there, so I am assuming the bulb and holder must have fallen out at some point. Looked all over but can't find it. I am now heading to the autoparts with the speedometer and a picture of what the bulb and holder should look like. Thanks for all the help guys-I haven't given up.

What does the potentiometer look like? It's very hard for me to see in there, although I can feel the switches. If there's a black bulb holder in there, I can't see it. Maybe I should spray some WD40 on the three wired switch and try to pull it out and disconnect it with a vise grip so I can get the speedometer completely unhooked--then I should be able to see what I'm doing.

Yes--it looks like picture #5. Do I want to keep pulling on that switch?

OK, I have loosened up the speedometer and there is a large round rubber bong and there is an electrical plug with three wires attached to it. I've pulled pretty hard on that but cannot get it to come out. I could try grabbing it with a small visegrip, but I sure don't want to break anything. There is no individual plug with one wire attached to it. I've pulled the rubber bung off and there is nothing in there but four little switches.

I live in the wilds of Central Pennsylvania--no other seveners around here that I know of. I forgot to say that my car is a 2002 SV with the original speedometer

My speedometer works OK but it no longer lights up at night. I'm not sure how to get to the bulb and change it. I am as old as dirt and the last time I loosened the screws to lower it I could not see the back of it without SWMBO helping me with a mirror and a flashlight. Since she just had major back surgery I think I had better not ask for her help this time. I don't really want to disconnect the whole speedometer, since I have had calibration problems with it in the past. If this requires replacing the speedometer, I don't think it would be worth it since I almost never drive it at night. Thanks to anyone who can help.

I don't know if I am alone in thinking this, but I think the FIA bar seriously detracts from the looks of the seven. No matter what safety precautions you take, it doesn't guarantee anything. I think my standard SV rollbar looks fine--I would not order a seven with the FIA bar for this reason.

Does anyone know the approximate weights of the commonly used seven engines? e.g. Sigma, Rover, Zetec, crossflow, Duratec and Vauxhall 16v Just curious is all. I know the sump and bellhousing have to be factored in as well. Thanks to anyone who can help.

I couldn't find the potentiometer. Maybe mine doesn't have one. If I had found it I probably would have made matters worse. Simple solutions for simple minds I guess.

My story is very similar. My 2002 car initially read 20% high. I flipped the four switches and that reduced the error to 10%. After reading so many horror stories, I finally came up with a solution. Many of my solutions seem to be crude and this is no exception. I located some stick-on numbers that came very close to matching those on the speedo face. I used 20, 40, 60, 80, 100. I moved these all 10% to the right and was able to cover up the old numbers by placing the new ones on the glass. O.K. it's not a work of art--but it is perfectly accurate. I wish I could send you a picture. Unless you were looking for it I doubt you would notice it. Laugh if you will, but I finally know what speed I'm travelling!

I built a crude one for my SV, but it works great. My ankle and foot get tired on long drives, and this thing really helps. It is just a long tube that connects to the gas pedal and fits between the seat and transmission tunnel. I put a handle on the end of it to make it easier to crab. You can use your hand to control it or the side of your leg.

The low flying archivist Martin Phipps checked my ratio during one of his visits to Caterham. My six speed has a 3.92 final drive. It works out to about 4100 rpm at 70 mph with a Zetec engine and 16" wheels.

Thank you Jonathan! All is well again. JIM

My Zetec 7 started up momentarily, and then shut down. I don't hear the fuel pump. It's a very cold morning, so I pushed it out into the sun in the hopes that it would warm up and free itself. It is cranking great, so fuel seems to be the problem. Thanks to anyone who can help.

Just my opinion, but I think the standard bar is much better looking than the FIA bar. Also, if you use the full hood (like I do) erecting the hood is much easier if you have the standard bar. If you do happen to roll the car over, the FIA bar is taller and stronger. The first three sports cars I owned had no roll-over bar at all. I never did roll any of these cars, but maybe it's just a matter of time. I wouldn't change from the standard bar unless I was going to do a lot of track time, although the only track I have been on does not require the FIA bar--just the standard bar.

Tom: I use that name on Blatchat (one of our favorite golden retrievers), but you may remember that my name is really Jim Schnure and you were kind enough to invite me to NJMP a few years ago. I drove down in my 2002 SV and had a great time with all you guys. Isn't it sad about Hillary?

Tom: My switch has tripped 5 or 6 times for no good reason. A new one from Ford for the Zetec engine was $82.00. It worked for about a week and then went crackerdog. I amputated the thing and now no more problems.

Make sure the problem is not with the connection to the sending unit. I cleaned the connection with steel wool and made sure it was clamped tight. Then I wrapped the whole thing with duct tape. Both my heat guage and oil pressure guage were intermittent. Now they work perfectly. I think the problem was moisture.

The Low Flying archivist can get you the exact specs your car was sold with. He does a great job.