Black Hole

You are not an East Coaster:). Painand rudeness will likely ensue :banghead:. I will just have to go and get in the line.

I believe the oil leak is now resolved. The tightening of the fittings, transducer and LOP did not stem the leak. It appeared to be coming from either the low oil pressure switch (which screwed into an adapter between it and the brass union attached to the block) or the oil pressure xducer. There was enough oil on both that it was hard to tell which was the culprit. I took them all off (left the brass union attached to the block as it did not appear to come from that junction) and used Permatex thread sealant on all the fittings. Previously the oil appears after a short drive. The fittings are now dry after 15+ miles of driving so I think this resolved it. And to answer the question in the previous post, maybe a few tablespoons of oil came out when I removed the oil pressure xducer. No oil came out when i removed the LOP switch.

I went back to the CT inspection today and breezed through reinspect process. I arrived at 7:55 and they open at 8:00 (in the 30's this AM but the car is remarkably toasty. Only above 60 MPH did I have any chill). The waved me in at 8:00 and I was lucky to have the same as my first visit. Literally 5 minutes later he had verified the four items he failed me for were fixed: oil leak (at the oil pressure sender or LOP switch), reflectors on the side, a back up light and the exhaust headers and catalyst were wrapped with fiberglass insulation under the guards. I was at work by 8:20. Now I just need to strategically return to DMV when the lines aren't too long to get it registered. This process went much better than expected :hurray: and now I anticipate no issues other than long lines at the DMV to get the car registered before my temp plate expires in a month.

Well since I got the car with 900 miles on it the rear wings are already sand blasted outside the wing protectors. I think I will just throw up my hands and enjoy the patina. I have put 500 miles on the car and my wife enjoys how much I smile. She is a fan of the car (but has only been out it in once for a short drive - she did not rule out more drives!) She had no problem with my Elise and I think she will go for some country drives in this, she just does not like High G turns :driving:. So the car has been great and even with temps int he 40s I am not cold in it. I am getting used to the performance, but I have been pretty conservative so far. Missed the opportunity to take it to the last AutoX of the year so I will not get another opportunity until the spring. I have solved the immobilizer issue and I think I sealed up the minor oil leak today. I also have a small coolant leak and cleaning and retightening the overflow tank may have helped. We will see. I did an oil change and put in 5W-50 oil and the oil pressure is definitely higher (just over 4 bar cold) and the oil light did not come on at idle and maintained at least 1 bar. the car may not have been as hot as it has gotten when the LOP light came on, but this seems to be helping. I will be back at the CT DMV this week to clear the four fail points so I should be well on my way to CT registration. Still living the dream....:drool:

One more questions; how much oil will leak out when I remove the sensors. I suspect not much as this would have to be after the oil pump so only the oil in the galley above. I am assuming i do not need to drain the sump to keep from having a mess.

Thanks, I found the Loctitie 545 as well as Permatex high temperature sealant. I think i will head over to NAPA and see what they have in stock. I do not believe they are all NPT, but some may be (there are a total of four potential joints to leak, I do not think it is leaking at the block.

Thanks, there are already a couple of small chips on the front as the car already had 900 miles when I got it. The complete front of my Porsche is done and it has definitely worked so that is good advise. I could go back to the shop that did my car. I was already thinking of doing the front of the wings, maybe I should continue to the nose. How extensive did you cover the car?

I have an oil leak on my new 7 that appears to be coming from the pressure sending unit which consists of a brass fitting attached to the block with two exit ports. One has a pressure transducer connected directly to it (has a press on connector with multiple pins) and the other has a fitting between it and a low oil pressure switch (I think it only had one wire connected to it). I was able to move the pressure xducer fitting a few degrees, The others seemed tight (though clearance was an issue so it was a challenge to get a wrench on). After tightening it is still leaking. This is a small leak (enough for CT to not pass my DMV inspection to register the car) as it has no apparent effect on the oil level. So what is the best way to seal this connector. I believe teflon tape will be a problem on the LOP as it will inhibit the ground. So what is the right type of sealant for this type of joint?

My car made a new friend today Met up with Paul (wemtd) and went for a great drive in CT and up into MA. Overcast but not too cold. Great roads except one in MA had been sanded on Thursday night due to a snow storm and I got sand blasted following Paul. First real drive in my car and the responsiveness is phenomenal. http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=11899&stc=1

I thought I would post a separate thread from my new owner thread to document my CT DMV experience of registering a 2009 Caterham SV. First the bad news. I failed the test. :cuss: But the good news it is I don't have a lot to do. First the background - I bought a car from Mid-Atlantic Caterham (George Alderman has been great). The car came with a Delaware title as a 2009 ASVE (it actually had a 2009 Caterham title and I though that may be an issue with CT as it did not highlight it as a composite vehicle. George went back to DE DMV and they corrected the title as they agreed it was wrong). Because Mid-Atlantic is a registered car dealer he was able to provide a temporary DE plate and registration. Per CT rules if the car is legally titled and registered in another state it only requires a "courtesy inspection" (nice oxymoron). I went to inspection yesterday in Wethersfield (only CT location for a composite inspection - fortunately only 20 min from my home). After waiting for four cars in front of me, my turn came up after only about 20 min. They did agree that the car could go through the courtesy inspection and not a full composite vehicle inspection after verifying the car has a VIN. The VIN on the title is the Caterham VIN etched into the frame rail. (Note: you do not fill out the form R-95 for a courtesy inspection, only for a full inspection. They had me fill out a simple form of name address and car make, model and VIN). The other good news is you don't have to pay the $88 composite inspection or the $50 VIN assignment fee, all free. The inspection involved a walk around the car, validation that all lights were working and then he checked under the bonnet and checked under the car on a lift. The test ends with a brake test on a plate that measures deceleration. He commented on the windshield washing nozzle and I said yes, but no fluid in the reservoir. I do not know if having a washer is a requirement! So what did I fail - No red reflectors on side of vehicle at rear. Will add stick on reflectors - No reverse light - not stated in regs that I can find but they said it is required for a 2009 composite vehicle. George is sending me the light, not sure if the switch is on the transmission which means I may wire it into the rear fog light switch on the dashboard - I need to heat wrap the exhaust under the shields!!! http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=11898&stc=1 As you can see from the picture I had already added a heat shield on the headers as I knew CT was a stickler for heat protection on side exhausts. They stated this was not adequate and I must wrap the headers and the cat under the shields! I ordered fiberglass heat shield and will add it. They also noted no heat shielding is required after the catalyst. - Oil leaks noted under engine. The leak appears to be from the oil pressure take off. There is a brass T attached to the engine block and two transducers, one should be the pressure sender that is directly connected to the brass fitting and the other port has an adapter and then another sensor that should be the low oil pressure switch. I was able to move one fitting about 10 deg. We will see if that stops the leak. What is the best way to seal up these fittings???? Bottom line is this went better than expected and is not hard to resolve. I went in with a car that met as many of the requirements as possible. Examples include having 3-pt belts as I was advised by an inspector ahead of time you MUST have FMVSS approved belts so 4/5/6 pt with a cam release will not pass. You can have both. The car originally did not have the turn signals on the front wings and I had them added before the inspection. I added the heat shield that I thought would resolve that (but apparently not!). My goal was to "lubricate the system" by having as few concerns as possible. I figure if you have a long list of issues they will just keep inspecting to find more. Working with the FAA and foreign regulatory agencies, you learn that the more the look the more they find and the more they continue to look! The inspector did not know what the car was, but he was very nice and all in all it certainly exceeded expectations. Now to complete the punch list and I need to get back before my temp expires on Dec 11th.

I believe I have resolved the issue with the immobilizer and the car not staring. When I was turning the key nothing was happening other than the charging light illuminating. After multiple attempts the car always started. The immobilizer antenna was tightly wound around the ignition barrel. I unwound it and created a bit of a loose loop. Now the car has started on the first turn of the key each time.

We will definitely meet up for a drive. My mom lives down in Woodbridge so I am down there in the summer. Unfortunately that is not my T-Shirt, hat was frizille showing his good taste in cars. I have been AutoX'ing but I definitely want to try this car at a track day and Lime Rock is on my list. Which group do you go with?

Thanks. The best advice I got was be sure to see any car you want to buy. Every car I have been in has been a different experience. No two cars are the same (even amongst the same make). As you learned there are many variations, each with their own strengths.

Hi Blake As Croc mentioned I got a SV a couple of weeks ago. I am in West Hartford so it is about 90 minutes from Westchester. You are welcome to come check it out. There is also a Birkin nearby that is similar to a S3. I highly recommend the visit to NJMP. I went for the July 4th event and saw more 7s of every flavor than I have ever seen and it was very helpful to see all the variants and talk to owners. And a ride with Croc will certainly give you an appreciation of the vast capabilities of these cars and his driving (and if you are like me turn you green, and not with envy ) I am 5'9" and 185 lbs. I fit into the S3 and it is a nice snug fit. I chose the SV partially because it was the car that best matched what I wanted, if it was an S3 I probably still would have bought it. If you are primarily street driving the car the SV is certainly a little easier. If it is a track car it would make less of a difference. PM me if you are interested. Jay

I've done that one too (in my Elise, not in the 7 yet). That is a more advanced technique.

You have excellent taste :cooldude: Thanks for the link on the immobilizer, I will take a look. I got under the dashboard last night and moved the antenna wire and created a loop i could put the fob near instead of it being tightly wound around the ignition lock and it started the first time. Maybe it is just a matter of getting the antenna to see the fob. I may try the trick that was done on Wheeler Dealers where Edd installed a 12V socket, wrapped the antenna around the socket and put the transponder inside of it.

This is a Duratec car, but it uses a MBE ECU and a non-chipped key with a Sterling branded key fob. I don't think this type of fob has any battery in it?

According to George Alderman who built the car the low pressure reading is not a concern and the light comes up at a high pressure (like 20 psi, not 3-4 psi). If I want to hook up a mechanical pressure gauge, where do I conveniently hook up to get the signal (where is the Caterham gauge tapped into the oil system?). The starting "issue" continues to baffle me. I am pretty sure it is related to the immobilizer. I started the car around five times today. The good news it always started, but it does not start on the first key turn. The immobilizer light remained flashing, I think it may turn steady when it is OK to start. It seems to like it when I hold the key briefly in the start position, I then hear a whirring sound (does not sound like a relay click) and then it seems to start. I am getting used to the clutch (first car I have stalled in a long time) and I am loving the way this car transitions in the corners:D Another day of fabulous weather and fantastic driving (just going to work was fun)

Thanks, I was wondering if the Caterham gauge could be off. I know my tach is a bit flaky with a period of no RPMs after start up. I will have to check that.

Thank you for all of the kind replies and advice. I can see I will need plenty of support and the community here is a huge asset. I haven't owned such a "needy" car since my Austin-Healy 3000. I'll continue to experiment with the gas pumps and I can always follow Tom's advice and go for the fuel jugs. Beautiful day here in CT so I drove it to work. Another friend drove his FF Cobra but my Europa buddy bailed! Needless to say in a parking lot of a huge aerospace company, I had plenty of people reviewing the car. Everyone is extremely impressed by the build quality as it is a very tidy car. Experimented with adopting the Lotus Position (a la Jim Clark in a Lotus 25) by scrunching down in the seat and that worked pretty well to make the pedal position better. Now I just need to add some red to the interior I am still having immobilizer issues. This morning and evening the car did not start when I turned the key. This evening I let it sit for about 30 sec and then it started right up. Any ideas? And my oil pressure is running low at idle. After the car got hot (about 85deg) the pressure light came on at idle (which looks about 1 Bar - 14 psi on the gauge).The the car idles around 1200 RPM. The car is filled with mineral Rotella and I think it is a light viscosity (10W-30?) as the engine only has 100 miles or so since rebuild and this was put in for break in. George recommended changing after about 500 miles but I think I may need to go to 5W-50. Next step is getting it registered. I am looking forward to the challenge (currently on a Delaware temp plate) :willy_nilly: Jay

I have finally joined the club and purchased a 7. My car is a 2009 Caterham Roadsport SV with a 175HP Duratec. Classic Team Lotus BRG with yellow stripes. Delivered on Wednesday but I headed out of town on Friday so I missed out on the gorgeous driving weather this weekend in CT. First I want to thank this list. Between lurking on the forum, eagerly awaiting Croc's Saturday morning for sale thread, contacting quite a few of you and joining the fun at NJMP in July the information I received was invaluable. The final lead was when Bob Collum posted some pictures from Mid-Atlantic Caterham that led me to contact George Alderman and the purchase of the car pictured. Now the questions! How the hell do you get gas into the tank!:banghead: It really did not want to fill up. I tried various contortions with the hose and the orientation of the handle and adjusting the flow but it kept wanting to cut off I can't quite get the seat to pedal position where I want. I have a short 30" inseam and either need to move the seat rails forward (standard Caterham seats on runners) or move the pedals aft. Are the pedals adjustable? The SV does not have the large trapezoidal foot box, but I think there is an access panel just under the intake. Are the pedals on threaded rods or does the whole assembly move? I stopped the car and left the key in the ignition for about 15 minutes to show a friend. When I went to start the car, nothing happened. I tried removing the key and reinitiating but no luck. Finally I let the car roll backwards and tried a jump start. It did not start (I did not think the battery was dead), but when I turned the key it came to life. Any nuances to the immobilizer system? What does it take to deactivate it as I don't think I need it. All in all, living the dream. My wife even enjoyed the first ride in the car (we will see about rides 2,3...) Jay

The seller states its a 1996. He also says he has 13" Caterham road wheels. I assume the wagon wheels pictured are 16" so there may be a third set of wheels. No engine pictures in the ad but he sent me some very tiny ones that show a 1700 super sprint and he says it has a 831C block. Wit was sitting at $15K for a while so I was thinking of bidding. Price appears to be moving up now. I am traveling for two weeks and asked him if he objected to me bidding but not transacting the deal until the end of the month. No answer on that one.

Automotive Restorations in Stratford CT (not to be confused with New England Classic Cars right around the corner in Stratford) added this 1964 Lotus 7 powered by a pre-Xflow Cosworth on their site and on Hemmings. Expensive at $43,500 but it is stated to have been fully restored in 2010. I have been to their shop and they always have nice high quality cars: http://www.automotiverestorations.com/sales/home/1964-lotus-super-seven-s2 http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/lotus/super-seven/1871753.html Jay

I tried to send you a PM, but it appears your inbox is full. I have a couple of questions for you so can you email me at jayfrankelcomcastnet Thanks

Where's Jay? - this looks like your ideal spec! Thanks - I talked to Tom about this car. I was thinking of going to look at the car when we are skiing at Breckenridge this winter. While a little too red, that can be fixed. The main concern is CT registration with no catalyst and the title is for a new car and not a classic. May have to take another look.