Kitcat

That car has been on RMSC's used car "for sale" site for about a year. First it was $40K, then $30K, OBO. Does seem like a nice car, tho getting parts for its Vauxhall engine may be a challenge.

Remove the windshield.

Catalyst????

Start & die? Never had that problem with my Crossflow:).

I note at the bottom of this site it says the most users ever was "77". Are you toying with us Mazda? I know folks like to rib you for being "ruggedly handsome", a comment you may never live down. But that same source also described you as "certifiably insane" (tho they said it like it was a good thing:)). Are we expected to believe that this 7's site which is full of 7's owners had 77 visitors at one time? Fess up, that isn't right (is it?).

Mike: Good job. I look forward to your comparo of the Caterham CSR 260 vs the Exige 240S. My money is on the 260, as long as the track doesn't have a lot of long straights (No tests on the VIR long course, please).

Doesn't seem heat related as tapping it w/a hammer wakes it up & gets it going. RMSC says its a fragile component that can be reliably repaired IF the person knows just what to do. Something to do with a wire that shakes loose and has to rerouted and re-soldered. Clearly neither I nor my mechanic were up to the challenge. So I ordered a "house brand, no-name starter" today from Dave Bean. Cost $218, weighs 8 1/2 pounds. They swear by them. Salesman said no problems with the one in his Europa after 10 years. The Tilton which is also nice costs double and weighs a pound less.

The weight for this combo is consistent with the other magazine articles I have read (Stalker & Ultralight owners can quit hanging their heads). It's 200 lbs more than my Classic, X-flow, which I had weighed a coupla months ago.

My friends at RMSC suggested I check for a loose wire on my oil pressure problem. Bingo: pressure is back after I re-crimped the connector to the sender. My starter has been working too. I must be livin right.

SW25. By chance, I have 2 copies of the Wallages' book:"Rebuilding and Tuning Ford's Kent Crossflow Engine". PM your post office address & I will ship one out to you, gratis. When I asked Rocky Mountain Sports Cars about swapping my X-flow for a Zetec, their recommendation was to sell the X-flow car & buy one w/a Zetec. Yes it can/has been /will be done, but it's a huge hassle. I find myself so busy re-repairing things that were repaired 2 months ago, that adding unnecessary repair projects seems overwhelming. Besides, I think the X-flow engine is a safety feature. Why? Because you will be going just that much slower if something ugly happens:)).

It's on the Tennessee side of the Dragon. I think the 777 event did its auto-x there last July. I am adding this to my list of possible road trips. Its only about 4 1/2 hours from Cincy, via interstate.

Jbanker. I expect to partake of some of the LOG 28 events. Definitely Putnam. I did it with them last year following the US GP. I mite try the auto-x, which I have never done in my 7, tho many times in other cars in years long since passed. Anyone else? Will this be a semi-official Midwest Sevens gathering? We already have a Stalker and a Caterham. My impression is that the organizer, Young Kim, is right up there with Al Navarro when it comes to putting on an event!

If there is a better auto scribe than Peter Egan, I haven't stumbled across him yet. He could make driving a Model T seem like a an exciting automotive experience (In fact I think he did that already). I started reading R & T in 1962, and soon thereafter developed a severe case of Lotus 7 lust. Peter has done everything he can over the years to keep that lust alive. I read his Lotus 7 restoration articles in the early 90's, suffered with him when he sold it, and stayed connected to the Seven model thru his occasional reviews of newer 7 vehicles (The RMSC site has his R & T article on a later model standard Zetec-engined Caterham). Now, there he goes again! Its nice when someone can put into words what we all feel about these evocative, mysterious little cars that are so much more than the sum of their very few parts.

Speaking of Stalkers, I note that on one of the pages of the CHILL website for Indy Lotus owners (Which is sponsoring next year's Lotus Owners Gathering -LOG28) there are two Lotuses pictured: an Elise and a Stalker (!).

Junkies: 3185 posts Addicts: 250 posts

The Forum is helpful? Without the answers to my many dumb questions over the last 18 months, I wouldn't have had the guts to actually buy a Seven. Without the for-sale section, I wouldn't have found the Seven I bought. Without the tech section, I wouldn't be able to keep it on the road. Plus, this Forum gives me my daily "Seven-fix", sort of like a methadone maintenance program for addicts. Except my irrational addiction is to Sevens and so far it has not been incapacitating, tho I do now have permanent ringing in my ears:).

Among my many (mis)adventures at the Dragon was this: I was attempting to repair my broken throttle linkage. For reasons I don't recall (and can't possibly now imagine), I took the fire extinguisher out of its holder in the passenger compartment. Later when I finally got everything repaired ,and being exceedingly late for Saturday's Sevens' festivities, I hurriedly shoved it back into the passenger area, between a bunch of junk I had stuffed there. Way too busy to secure it properly. Unbeknownst to me, the safety pin had fallen out, so when I shoved the extinguisher back in, the trigger was compressed and out came the fire suppressant . Man, that stuff really shoots out fast! By the time I figured out what was happening, I had bought myself another hour of delay, this time for cleanup. And yes, one of my many recent repairs was to a leaky gas hose connection above the carbs. Thanks for the reminder that its past time for a new fire extinguisher. You know, you just don't get stories like these with regular cars:).

Southwind: You nailed it! Currently (no pun intended), I am without an oil pressure gauge and a starter. The last thing I need is a sophisticated monitoring mechanism to announce additional system failures:).

John-I have the Lucas starter. Ian-Why take out the 4 spark plugs? If avoiding ignition is the concern, can't I just unplug them? (Of course, if the starter wont work, it's all pretty theoretical:)).

John-I am not sure what I have but it is a '97 unit with the solenoid mounted piggyback on the starter. It looks huge. I just sent an e-mail to Dave Bean & we'll see what they have, thanks. Ian-where on the block is the oil sensor? Driver's side, passenger, front/back, high/low? Is it always in the same location on Kent engines? I have the "How to rebuild/tune a Kent Engine" book and, assuming the location hasn't been changed, I can look it up there. Thanks, Mike

After many wrong paths I finally diagnosed my car's intermittent failure to start as a solenoid/starter issue. I had them rebuilt. That worked flawlessly for 8 weeks. Then the intermittent failure to start resumed, but infrequently. And, it was easily solved by pulling the hood & taping the solenoid & starter. Yesterday that technique stopped working. I had to combine it with using a long screwdriver to connect the terminals on the solenoid which gives it a jolt. Then climb back in & try starting it with the key. After 10-15 attempts, climbing in & out of the car (with the top up/side screen in place BTW) it finally started and I got home. Of course, part of the fun was the bystanders it drew, full of questions about the car, the engine etc., etc (Folks, I just want to fix this & drive home). So I am inclined to replace the entire unit and buy myself some peace of mind. Hence my question: Is there a commonly available replacement starter/solenoid for a Crossflow at an Auto-zone type place? If so what model # does it carry and how do I identify the engine (My hunch is they have never heard of a Kent Crossflow). I can buy the unit thru RMSC but the price will be outlandish. Question # 2. After the car finally started I noticed I had zero oil pressure. All the other gauges worked fine. Oil is topped up, car ran great, no overheating, coughing, etc. Earlier in the day the pressure was fine. So I drove it about 7 miles, 15 minutes & finished my trip home. So how do I diagnose this? I am hoping its just a problem with the gauge or sending unit and the pressure is fine. Is there a simple way of testing the system? I am not a mechanic and will take it to a shop I trust but I don't want to drive it there (about 20 miles, mostly Interstate) if I am hurting (killing) the engine. If necessary I will have it towed but want to avoid that cost if possible. Thanks!

Another kit car? What about a Noble? You can get barely used ones for mid 60's-mid 80's and they will run circles around the Porsche. It sounds like you have gotten a great price. Last weekend I looked at the same /model/year/mileage car at a Porsche dealer's lot that was advertised at $54K, and I am sure they would deal . Given that a comparable new 911 is $90K, it's tempting. Since you aren't talking about selling the Seven, that makes it easier. But to my eyes, there is something un-inspirational, even bland, about that model. If I were going to buy a lightly used Porsche, I would get a Cayman S. However, given the price advantage you seem to have (probably what the Porsche dealer has offered in trade) I might end up with the friend's car too. I wish I had this problem:).

You have now entered the "moron zone". The amazing thing is he finally looks up, sees his car is missing and doesnt give it a second thought.

OK, I am dragging out and installing the arm restraint kit that I have but have been procrastinating on.

My hat's off to any parent with kids at home who can also pull off Seven ownership. I agree, a tow vehicle and trailer is a small price to pay given the alternative that I employed (no Seven til kids left home).