Front cover oil leak
Since I rebuilt the engine I've had an small oil leak somewhere around the front cover. It has not been any problems at all with normal street usage, but after a track day the the leaked oil makes a mess from…
30 ENTRIES / 2012
Caterham CSR Trackday toy: 2012
Trackdays, workshop projects and updates from 2012.
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Dry sump blanking cap
New vs old On the EU4 CSR 200 there is a hose between the external dry sump oil tank and the dry sump. When I rebuilt my engine I changed to an open oil system, and that hose was no longer needed and the…
Gelleråsen end of season
Beautiful crisp autumn day at Gelleråsen. Crisp indeed. In the morning the temperature was -4 degrees C and there was frozen water on the puddles. I was running an old and square set of slicks, and the grip…
Mantorp wear and tear
An humid day at Mantorp with rain in the morning and dry after lunch. One of those days when nothing felt good. I pushed harder and harder but the lap times stayed high and today's best time was 1:23.0. A…
Exhaust gasket leak
It seems I can't get the exhaust manifold to seal against the head no matter what I do. I have even bought new primaries . It still leaked. Photograph unavailable in the original archive Now I have removed the…
Min Stora Dag charity event
Min Stora Dag, or in english something like "My Special Day", is a non-profit charity organisation that tries to fulfil wishes from very sick children. The last three years they have organised an event on…
Yearly MOT - No problems, no worries!
Did two changes to the engine before the test: Put a hose from the catch tank into the airbox (closed oil ventilation system) Changed target lambda to 1.00 on low load and enabled closed loop lambda control.…
Progress
Sometimes it is fun to look back and see how much progress has been made over the years. I'll never forget my first track day with my Caterham. I'd traded in my Porsche 996 C2 for a Caterham and was terrified…
Mantorp - slicks vs CR500
Mantorp, again. A new personal best, again - 1.21,8!!! That is 1.5 seconds faster than last time, and I haven't changed anything except put on a new set of (second hand) rubber. I never thought I could reach…
OptimumLap simulation software
I got an invite to test a new software for simulation of how fast a car can run one lap on a race track, called OptimumLap. It uses a simplified model of how a car behaves on a race track, but according to the…
Paddle shift
Here is a can't miss video of a CSR 260 with Geartronics Paddle shift and a straight cut Quaife 60G 6 speed sequential gearbox. Embedded media (external) Unfortunately the price tag for a system like this is…
Mantorp and two new sets of slicks
Back to Mantorp. It may appear as it is the only track I go to, and yes, that is sadly true. I wish I could go to more tracks but Mantorp is both convenient and economical for me. Increased front neg camber…
Fuel injector voltage compensation
I've noticed that the engine sound changes when the cooling fan kicks in. Not a big deal, I thought, but now I understand it is something worth a bit of attention. Injector "dead time" is the time between…
Mantorp
Very windy, sunny day. The wind kept the top speed down on the long straight. Used 13" Radical slicks . Started with ~20 psi hot, but it got slippery a couple of turns if I pushed a bit too hard. Raised to ~22…
Inertial switch
Who said highway driving isn't exciting? Fortunately it was only the inertial switch that cut off the fuel pump. Never happened before and took a while to figure out standing roadside with oncoming darkness…
New exhaust primaries and collector
I could no longer ignore the fact that my exhaust flanged was warped and leaked, and I also found something that looked like a small crack on the 4-1 collector. The exhaust system on the EU4-version of the car…
Wideband lambda
I've installed an Innovate LC-1 wideband Lambda controller connected to my MBE 9A4 ECU. A wideband lambda output a linear 0-5V AFR ( air/fuel ratio ) sensor reading for a wide range of lambda values, in…
Flat tyre
The missing screw found...
Air temp sender location
The Cosworth carbon air box is supplied with a combined MAP and air temp sender, which measures temp and pressure inside the air box. After studying an ECU log file it reveals its location for air temperature…
Trackday slicks part #4 - how did it go?
During the winter I modified the rear calipers to fit 13" rims , and this weekend was the first test how it worked out. Well.. First impression was that it didn't. Lots of scrape marks on the inside of the…
Mantorp graduation
A big day today, I have done so many modifications since last track day before the winter. In short I have Fitted 13" rims and modified the rear brake calipers to fit. Bought an used set of Radical 13" slicks…
Camber calculator
An easy way to measure camber is to use a spirit and a ruler. It is really important that the car is standing on a completely flat surface for this to work. Accurate? Well, accurate enough for me anyway.…
Rear hub nuts
Both sides loose - scary! Left side so much I could turn it with my fingers. 41 mm socket. 270 Nm (yes that is a
Engine upgrade - part #9 - final results
So far the engine have behaved extremely well and almost no problems at all. A bad battery connector, small coolant leak because of a loose jubilee clip, oil filler cap leak, but nothing serious. Then it was…
Engine upgrade - part #8 - first start!!!
Finally it was time for the first start of the engine. The whole family was excited and my wife would help me with operating the throttle pedal, and my kids have promised not to destroy anything and keep out…
Engine upgrade - part #7 - electrical and fuel
My old Ford BlackOak ECU is locked so I needed a new after market ECU. My choice was MBE 9A4, because it already was proved to be working good with Duratecs, but mostly because that was the ECU my local engine…
Engine upgrade - part #6 - putting it together
Head and block now back together with new ARP bolts and new gasket. 60 lb/ft in three stages and ARP lube. A dab of sealant on marked spots in the assembly guide. Chain guides and cam chain. Alternator Roller…
Engine upgrade - part #5 - head
The head is back, ported nice and smooth, valve seats refurnished and the old valves grinded. Refurnished valve seats Smooth inlet Fitted new valve seals. Just press them in place with a socket large enough.…
Engine upgrade - part #4 - block assembly
The block is back from the workshop, clean as a silver plate, and finally I could start to assemble the engine. Torques are taken from the Ford Duratec assembly manual unless other sources are mentioned. ARP…
Engine upgrade - part #3 - parts
Now the larger parts of the engine are nicely packed into plastic bags for travel to the local engine workshop for a head port and cleaning. Unfortunately I have been set on hold here because they're currently…