TexasDreamer

Thanks for the info. Normally oil pressure at idle (100 rpm) is 2 bar = 30 psi so that sounds good. This situation came to my attention when I saw a small amount of smoke coming up through the louvers on the bonnet. There was oil sprayed around the engine bay and apparently some found its way to the exhaust manifold. I found the plug on the bottom of the catch can, so emptying it will be easy. My plan is to replace the oil filler cap, empty the catch can and see what happens. I've attached a pic of the valve cover so someone can tell me what oil filler cap to get. the diameter of the oil filler is about 1.5".

The engine is a 1700 Crossflow. The first image is a catch tank for oil. There is a clear vertical tube to show how much is in the canister. The tube is now full of oil. It was empty for a long time. The other end of the tube connects to a sort of box which connects to the crankcase. You can see the other end of the tube in the second picture going down beside the dipstick. I may have overfilled the crankcase. It loses oil pressure when the dipstick shows half a quart below "H" so I keep it above the max mark on the dipstick. May or not be related, but the oil filler cap on top of the valve cover disappeared. What part do I order to replace it? I'll be away for a few days, looking forward to any info I can get.

I put my size 13s in the passenger footwell and drive in socks. No matter what shoes I tired, my toe hung up on the rod which sticks out toward the driver on the accelerator pedal shaft. Any idea what that rod is for?

I have a 1991 Caterham which was imported from England a few years ago and it is titled as YR/Make: 1992 Cate Model: 7 Body style: RD. Texas recognizes Caterham so no problems getting it registered. The person who imported it titled it in another state. Someone else transferred it to TX. I transferred the title inside Texas. Only question was on the year because the VIN translates to 1991 but due to the original owner build time it was first registered (In England) in 1992. This question did not delay the title transfer.

I bought a set from Redline Components in the UK earlier this year for a 1991 RHD Crossflow.

For the type 9 transmission with mechanical speedometer cable, watch out for the right-angle speedo connection to the transmission. It is fragile and expensive. the two parts in the picture were one part before I broke it.

These tips made a huge difference. First I blocked up the engine so the top of the valve cover was horizontal. Then I moved the transmission in close and blocked it up in position. Then I used 4" bolts as shown in the big blue circle to line it up. Picked up the transmission in the middle. Slid right together, no issues. 10 minutes just like its supposed to be. If I had it to do over, I would also use 3/8" threaded rod (or sawed off bolt) in the top holes for extra help. fun fact to know and tell: The bolts which go from the engine side into the bell housing are 10mm x 1.5. The bolts at the top (small blue circle) which go from the bell housing into the engine are 3/8 x16. You can put a 3/8" bolt in a 10mm hole and it will screw in no issues but it will feel a little loose. You will go to Home Depot and come home with a 10mm bolt and it won't fit. If you try to put a 10mm bolt in a 3/8" hole, it won't go. This is not the first time I have made such a mistake and probably won't be the last. Thanks again for the help!

All this good advice makes we want to blow off work and run right out to try something:)

Thanks for the tips. The engine and trans are out of the car on the floor of my garage. I'll try a combination of the suggestions this weekend, apply some perseverance and see what I can do.

In the process of changing the clutch in my Crossflow with a T9 transmission. New clutch is installed on the flywheel. Now I can't get the transmission mated to the engine. The plastic clutch tool inserts fairly easily. It's certainly not loose but it goes in and out with no issue. The transmission mated up with the bell housing is removed so I know it can work. It took some (well a fair amount) of futsing to get the shaft lined up and a push, but it went in smoothly. I'm using the engine crane to position the transmission. Sometimes I have positioned the trans a little low with the crane and picked it up in my hands. Lots of wiggling. I am using the gap between the bell housing and the back of the block to gauge alignment: making the gap equal all the way around. After an hour and a half of trying, no success. Feels like this should have been done in about 10 minutes. Any tips or tricks? Thanks in advance.

Not many cars can make a Miata look bloated

At the risk of adding more smoke than light, I recently went through this in Texas with a 1991 Caterham Crossflow, probably not much different from yours. I had three choices of categories in which to register: Normal, Classic and Antique. Per state regulations, TX antique car tags are assigned to vehicles that are at least 25 years old, are collector’s items and are used for parades, exhibitions and other public events. Since I use my car for all kinds of travel around The Woodlands, that didn't work for me. Like you, I'm ok not willing to outright flaunt the rules. I ended up with Classic but other than a plate which says "Classic" I don't see any difference from normal. In contradiction to my earlier statement about flaunting rules, I do run without a front license plate. In nine months, no issues despite multiple times when I have passed through a speed trap. I'm thinking the biggest risk there is if I get stopped for something else, the nice officer will pile on the front plate infraction. Have you found a mechanic who is familiar with Sevens? Some jobs are beyond my skill. Some jobs have no room for the errors which come with my wrenching.

My came RHD and I think it's a great feature. Adds to the uniqueness of the car. Shows off it's British nature. A positive topic of conversation when people stop me to chat, which they frequently do. Never had a problem driving it, perhaps because it is so narrow.

Wiggling the key didn't cause the failure. Pawing all around under the dash didn't' cause it either. All the lights, horn etc. work as expected so no matter how messy the wiring is, it's functional and I'm not inclined to spend time figuring out what was done and why. So far, I have cleaned up a lot of electrical connections. Before I worked on them, I wiggled and pulled to see if engine stopped. No luck so it's hard to know if this will fix it or not. Cleaned up the Alternator connections, the ground connections as directed in the Owners Manual, the fuses, the ignition switch. I'm going to let it ride and see what happens. Thanks for all the advice.

1991 XFlow twice over the last 4 months has stopped running for no apparent reason. The first time I was decelerating on a frontage road about to turn off and it just quit. No hiccup, no sputter. Needles on the gauges went to zero and the engine stopped running. I coasted to a stop in a safe place, thought about it for a minute, then turned the key and it started right up. Yesterday I was making a left turn through an intersection at low speed and it just quit again. I didn’t notice the gauges. I started it up while still coasting and it ran fine all the way home. At twice in four months it’s very intermittent so it will be hard to know if I’ve really fixed it. Any idea on what’s wrong and how to fix it?