oilteq

I am surprised nobody suggested disconnecting the sway bars prior to putting the car on the scales. Also, ramps are preferable. If you jack the car up and put the scales under it, you do not get repeatable readings. Driving a short distance between adjustments helps settle the suspension for a more accurate reading.

That would probably blow more chunks into the crevice above the top ring than back out the spark plug hole. I like the idea of taping clear plastic tubing to a vacuum cleaner hose better.

Ferdl is correct, although it takes a while. EP (Extreme Pressure) additives are aggressive toward yellow metals (copper, brass, bronze). GL4 gear lubes have half the amount of EP additive as GL5, making them more suitable for manual transmissions. It seems unlikely, given the size of the breather hole, but I suppose it is possible that the gear lubricant is foaming and escaping out the top that way. Foaming is often the result of moisture contamination or cross-contamination with another fluid. Perhaps an oil change will fix it.

Kitcat. Darned spell checker.

Kit at, sorry about the slow response. 30 to 40 miles is probably not enough to get a meaningful reading from a used oil analysis.

If you are concerned that oil pressure is low due to bearing wear, you can have an oil analysis run for about $15. Assuming copper-lead-tin bearings, those 3 metals would read high.

I have not seen any data that indicates higher octane gasoline is more stable. However, I have seen plenty of articles indicating E10 is less stable than ethanol-free gasoline, but it is not a choice in many states. An oil change is also a good idea going into storage. You want the rust inhibitors at their strongest as the big temperature swings approach. Nobody wants to hear it, but generally, petroleum oils are more effective at stopping rust than synthetics. Blaine

Synthetic oils often produce less seal swell than petroleum oils. An 80W-90 petroleum oil may dry it up.

Sorry, haven't been here for a long time. You can send a sample of used oil to a lab and have it analyzed for about $15. It may help determine if worn bearings are the problem.

Don't open the door too wide, or you will have to readjust your mirror. If you have a passenger, he or she had better be a really close friend.

I am the 3rd owner of a Birkin built by TMW, so it is hard to know who screwed it up, but the build quality (rebuild quality?) was lacking. Regardless of who you buy a se7en from, I recommend checking the torque of every suspension bolt and motor mount. One of the pictures at the link show the green car next to a black car. Why does the green car look so much bigger?

as a 1967 Lotus 7. It varies from state to state, but in some cases you only have to meet the emissions and safety requirements of the year of manufacture. I tried with 2 previous Birkins to title them as an old Lotus, one of them with an out of state registration that said 1968. The Iowa DMV required the year I finished it and Birkin on the title. So, I was a little hesitant when getting the new title and plate for this car. I found the nicest DMV lady, which sounds like faint praise. I explained that it was really a 2009 Birkin, and that I had not titled it for 3 years because it needed work and then other projects got in the way. First she declared it in storage, so I would not have to pay the back license fees. Then she put it through as a 1967 Lotus 7, saving me money on the license fee which is inversely related to vehicle age. It also adds to the resale value because it will be easier to license in states that are less friendly about emissions, if I ever decide to sell.

Trees have changed color in the Midwest. Beautiful in the trees, not so much on the lawn. I had the se7en out for a drive on Friday. It is a Birkin Duratec with 2.5" side exhaust. At the end of my block is a stop sign next to a lawn with a carpet of fallen leaves. As I blipped the throttle and let out the clutch, my perifrial vision caught a bunch of leaves blowing up into the air as if they had been hit with a leaf blower. Now if I could just figure out how to attach a bagger...

Perhaps red makes it more noticeable? Many of the nicks are down to the aluminum, but others are not. I could not get my iPad camera to capture the 3-D nature of the blemishes. I think I will try some red car wax.

I have mixed feelings about paint protection films. Yes, it protects the paint, but when this specialized Scotch tape becomes damaged, it looks worse than a paint chip. I do not know if wind works on the edges or what, but it becomes larger and more noticeable than a paint chip. Then, how do you repair it? Trim it close. A heat gun will not get it to reattach. Color matching car wax may help hide the almost white appearance of the damaged film, but I am afraid the wax may attack the adhesive and make the blemish bigger. I think protective film is worthwhile for the front of the rear fenders. It is a small relatively straight area you could recover fairly easily when it gets beat up. I am beginning to appreciate the tin can look of bare aluminum.

I thought the Lotus position was upside down with your head under the dash.

Many years ago, Ford tore apart some catalytic converters, analyzed the glass-like material on the surfaces, and found phosphorus. The industry tried to develop an engine test to determine an oil’s propensity for building cat deposits, but could not get repeatability. So, after wasting a few hundred thousand dollars, they put in a physical limit of 1200 ppm. A few years later it was lowered to 1000 ppm. Then they lowered it again with the API SM spec to 800 ppm. Phosphorus comes from ZDDP, a zinc phosphate anti-wear additive. Although phosphorus is what is limited, zinc is what the market recognizes. Google zinc and cam failure and see how many hits you get. New engines have lower valve spring pressures and are not a problem. Older flat tappet cam engines do not last as long on current passenger car oils. High RPM increases load between the cam and lifter. Performance cams ramp up faster and increase load. Diesel engine oil is allowed up to 1200 ppm phosphorus (API CJ-4). Racing oils are not limited and often warn against use in passenger cars. For most Se7en owners, I recommend a diesel engine oil that also meets gasoline engine requirements (API CJ-4/SN). Due to a quirk in the rules, if the diesel spec comes first, they waive the gasoline engine phosphorus requirement. It should be readily available in SAE 10W-30 and 15W-40. Blaine

Fuel dilution or polymer shear will cause viscosity to drop. If you achieved the highest oil temperature at 160 miles, temperature has a surprisingly big affect on viscosity. If you want to mail me a sample to test viscosity, send me a private email. However, we will not know if viscosity dropped unless you also send a sample of the new oil for a baseline. You can use 10W-30 or 15W-40 (in my Duratec 2.0 now), preferably a mineral oil. If that does not solve the problem, it is not viscosity related. If you do not have a catalytic converter, a diesel engine oil that also meets gasoline engine oil specs (API CJ4 / SN) will give you more anti-wear additive. If you do not have easy access to a filter cutter, you can clamp the filter in a vise and cut the can off with a hammer and chisel. Wear a glove on your chisel hand as the sharp metal from the can will easily cut. Do not ask how I know. Blaine

I rattled mine out with an electric impact wrench, but the engine was out of the car.

By the way, removing the timing chain cover will be a PITA. The duratec has a keyless crank. Rotate the engine and check that TDC and the cams align after tightening the crank pulley. Apparently, the pulley on my engine had slipped during tightening, perhaps when the builder changed cams. My crank timing was off by about 18 degrees. When I rebuilt it, I found slight indents in the pistons where the intake valves had made contact.

You may want to check with your builder for his thoughts. Again, a thicker oil will make it quieter, but will not fix it if something is wrong.

Tim What oil viscosity grade are you using? Going to a more viscous oil will not fix a mechanical problem, but if the only problem is noise, a thicker oil is likely to make it quieter. If your engine was in a Focus, under the insulated hood, is the rattle loud enough that you would hear it? Blaine

I have a Birkin in the Quad Cities. Blaine

I assume it has a Zetec engine that exhausts on the left. May I suggest using the side curtains (doors)? Even with ear muffs, the wind can beat the heck out of you, and the side curtains will keep the wind off of you. Use an ear plug in your left ear for the exhaust noise, and use your right ear to listen to your son as you yell back and forth to converse. Take lots of sun block. The wind blowing over you will keep you from realizing that you are burning until it is far too late. You have my wishes for a safe and trouble free trip.