bball7754

Mike - Think you talked with Bill Varnum. He does live close, but he can be tough to get in touch with. Believe his number is unlisted, but I'll see if I can find it. Steve

Russ - I realize this isn't US based or cheap, but though I'd post anyway for general informational purposes. UK source for trigger wheels, etc., including complete kits. http://trigger-wheels.com/store/index.html Steve

No weber expert (see other posts) but you might want to make sure the carb's are in synch first. I'm not sure that adjusting the idle valve will help in the mid-range. Believe the circuit the adjustable idle valve/idle adjustment screw is on should only affect the idle and a bit of the transition into the mid-range circuit. Steve

Mike - Pretty sure it's Caterham specific. Maybe take it off and see if a local parts store has something close that would work? My replacement hoses also haven't held up well. Purchased some silicone hoses from http://www.classicsiliconehoses.com/. Haven't installed them yet, but they look good and match the pattern of my existing hoses. Steve

No exhaust leak, and the venturi screws were in place. Looking more and more like put 'er all back together, and keep my fingers crossed.

They are Weber 40 DCOE's, and agree that switching the linkage would not be fun. Fuel pump is mechanical, and the front carb has plenty of fuel. Wondered about timing (I haven't checked it since this happened), but wouldn't it affect all 4 cylinders in the same way? Front 2 are definitely not running lean.

My Crossflow is not a happy camper these days. Symptoms are that cylinders 3 + 4 are running lean. I get spitback through the carb right up to 6K rpm, ceramics on both plugs are white. Came on more or less suddenly at a trackday. Valve springs seem ok, and all the valves open and close. Compression check on the cylinders was good - they actually were the best of the 4, #1 the worst. I've pulled the carb, but before I did checked to see if they were in synch, and they were. No apparent leaking around the O rings between the carb and manifold, but that's only based on a visual check. Didn't check by spraying starter around the carb while running. Was hoping something would jump out at me when I got the carb off and apart, but everything appears ok. One other possible issue is that the O rings for the Pump Jet covers are disintegrating. Replaced them when I rebuilt the carbs about a year ago, and clearly the O rings provided in the rebuild kit weren't up to the task. But hard to imagine they would allow enough air in, particularly when the carb is on the main circuit. I'm about to the point where I'm just going to put the carb back together (with the old O rings on the Pump Jet cover - yes, I did save the old ones) and hope for a miracle. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks Steve

Mike - Not only were you on the "pileups", but weren't they about 10 years old? I had a distinct tire advantage that day. Steve

Mike - I think it was mostly my higher corner exit speed. I'll second the impact of having the carbs in synch, and fresh plugs. Haven't changed my rotor and cap yet, although they are sitting on the shelf. I do think that all the "official" HP numbers for Crossflows are at the flywheel. I have the 244 cam, which should put me in the 150 HP range, but doubt the engine is making that today at the flywheel. I think 135 to 140 is more realistic. From my reading on Blatchat, the Aldon distributors that are "unleaded" also impact HP. They were built with a very conservative amount of total advance, to the point that if you set the right advance at idle (I think about 14 degrees), there isn't enough total advance to get where you need to be at WOT (35 +?). Aldon will recalibrate the distributor to the correct advance - just have to ship it to them, and provide some info about the specifics of your engine. In the end, it's just a number. Sort of like one's age. Steve

Interesting project to install a supercharged 2.3 Duratec in a CSR chassis. Dyno'd at 423 hp. http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=191958&pn=1&ps=15 Steve

Mike - The Mocal gauge is often recommended, partially because it sort of looks like the Caterham gauges. Gauge and fittings are available from British American Transfer (BAT). http://www.batinc.net/mocal-central.htm Hoping you'll keep track of all the fittings you'll need - and then let me know so I can do the same on my Xflow. Steve

The Elite is impressive, but the Tatra's number seems amazing considering it was designed in 1938. Doubt there was a wind tunnel or CFD involved in that design. There was an article about a Tatra T87 in the Times this past weekend. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/automobiles/collectibles/25contest.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=tatra&st=cse Steve

Mike - I think I would go for the High Pressure/High Capacity (part no. FP200a) option from Burton's first: https://www.burtonpower.com/product_main.aspx?prodLanding.aspx?CCode=PC090 Another thought. Given the poor reliability/accuracy of the electrical sender, are you sure the pressure is really low? What if the gauge is not displaying the actual oil pressure, and is understating what it is? Steve

I needed new tires when I bought my Caterham and, without doing any real research, selected a set of Michelin Pilots. Big mistake. On Blatchat they are referred to as "Pileups" due to their lack of traction. Think it's the weight thing again. A tire designed for good all weather performance on a 3,500 (on up) lb. car may not do so well with only 1,200 (or so) lbs. on it. Steve

Are you in Ontario? A quick Google search found a brochure for the Drive Clean program that indicates that Kit Cars and "Historic" vehicles are exempt. Possible to get it registered as a Kit Car? I think you'd get the tail pipe test, which apparently doesn't test the NOx level. Before I registered my Cross Flow Caterham under a program that doesn't require emissions tests, I took it to have one just to see. I passed the CO (allowed 5.00%, had 1.93%), but failed on the HC (allowed 500 PPM, had 1527 PPM). I think the only thing you'll be able to lean out is the idle - everything else would require a change in jets.

This article might be relevant to the conversation. Apologies for the image quality. Steve

I use Fram PH3614 for my Crossflow. Steve

Michael - I'm interested in your doors. The price you paid is displaying as 9640 - could you clarify? Thx Steve

Both Caterham and Samco UK offer sets for the Xflow, but they only come in Blue, etc. Preferred to have something more in keeping with rest of the appearance of the Xflow (Bling factor = 0) so ordered them in Classic Black from this company: http://www.classicsiliconehoses.com/ Several satisfied customers on Blatchat, and their prices are better than Caterham or Samco. Arrived two weeks after I ordered. They aren't on yet, but they look good.

Just got a set of silicone hoses for my Crossflow. Thoughts on what clamps to use? T-bolt? Anyone have any experience with these constant torque clamps? http://www.breezeclamps.com/ct.htm Steve

Ian - The Caterham supplied oil pressure sender is known for it's unreliability. I'd vote for the sender. I replaced mine on my Xflow, and it almost immediately began the same erratic behavior. Changing to a mechanical gauge has been on my to-do list for a few years now (I don't always move too fast). I basically don't pay much attention to my pressure gauge, on the assumption that it's wrong. Not the smartest thing to do - but some would say the same thing about owning a Seven. Steve

Discovered an interesting issue on my '98 Caterham this past weekend. About 15 of the rivets holding my driver's side floor pan had failed. The rivet heads had separated from the rivet bodies, and the floor pan was sagging by as much as 1/2". Since the seat is only mounted to the floor pan, it was a bit disconcerting, particularly with a track day at Putnam coming up this weekend. A quick search on Blatchat revealed this is a fairly common problem. Easy to fix - just used a 5/32" drill to get rid of the rivet bodies, then re-riveted the pan. But not something I would have thought to check. Steve

Skip - Well, as you've probably figured out I didn't make it in to Denver. May be back out this summer, and if we are I'll try again. Hope all this snow melts for you by Sunday. Steve

Skip - I'm going to be in Breckenridge tomorrow through next Saturday, so I'll just miss it. I've been in touch with Ben and may come into Denver to see both him and Nathan - as well as Al's Series 2 and Alakossie's Superlight. As they say, timing is everything in life. Steve

Hank - What happened to the dry-sump Twin Cam? Steve