A Snowy Blat

The Met office said fog, fog and more fog.  However by the time I surfaced it was lovely sunshine albeit there was a covering of snow on the hills in Rammy.  So I decided that on such a lovely day I should make the most of it and go for a drive.  On the whole the roads were fine, a few were closed over the tops from Belmont to Rivington but otherwise it was nice and fresh.

Only needed the heater on 1 today.

Stones Bank Road

Belmont Road

Broadhead Road

Christmas Eve Blat

With all the rain we have had it has been impossible to get out in the Caterham.  It's not that I don't want to take the car out in the wet but I just don't want to hit the sort of puddles and streams that are on the roads at the moment.

I went to fill up and then had a very cold hour and a half trekking around Pendle Hill.  I must remember my woolly hat next time as my ears got a bit cold.

Great Day out Watching the Caterhams at Croft

Thanks to all who organised the ESV to be at Croft.  The racing was excellent, the sun was out and we had a great pitch to park up and show the cars.

From MTL to MT90

After 200 miles to Croft and back today I can confirm that it made no difference what so ever.  I still have noisy overrun in 4th.  I would say that the gear change is no different, i.e. no worse than before.

So far I have managed to resists the temptation to tinker and upgrade, well except for a 12V socket, Map Holder and High Level Brake Light.  Anyway, the rattling overrun in 4th annoys me so when the gearbox oil discussion came up again on blatchat and someone pointed out the difference between MTL and MT90 I thought, well for £30 and a few hours messing about, lets see if it makes a difference.

I bought a cheap sucker from Amazon and it worked a treat.  I found it best to curl the pipe into a circle and hold it like that for a while, then as you feed in into the gearbox you have more chance of the pipe going to the bottom of the gearbox.  Rightly or wrongly I raised the car at the back to try and get the oil to the front of the gear box.

I managed to get 1.2 litres of the MTL out.  It's only a year old which seems a shame but there you go.  If you don't try things you never learn.  I did go for a quick 10 mile drive before trying to suck the oil out.  I think it made the oil easier to get out even if it did make the gearbox and bellhousing a bit hot to touch.

New stuff going in.

More Bowland Blatting

Saturday was rubbish with regards the weather but Sunday was glorious.  Well, it was in the morning.  I need to find a quicker way back and avoid built up areas or very narrow bumpy roads.  Next week is Croft.

More Blatting Around Bowland

Couldn't wait to get back from holiday so I could get out in the car.  I really should have taken it on holiday with me but until I got there I wasn't sure about parking.  Anyway if you want a great cottage near Dinas Mawddy and you want to take your seven then let me know as the parking and security for a seven is perfect.

The hardest job today was avoiding rabbits, ducks, sheep and pheasants.   Oh, and a tractor.

For the first time since having the car I needed the heater on '2' and my wolly hat on today.

Blatting the Long Causeway

With torrential rain promised for tomorrow I decided to head out this morning.  I had been wanting to drive along the Long Causeway for while, on the map and on google view it looked a good road for a Caterham.  The drive to it was pretty plain but once there it was indeed a great road.

The red section is the Long Causeway.  At the moment they are building a windfarm so there are some 30mph sections.

Harewood Hill Climb

LADS organised a day to the Harewood Hill Climb in the foreign land otherwise known as Yorkhsire.  What a great day out.  Really fancy trying hill climbing having now watched so many others having a go.  The route and weather was perfect.  More of the same please LADS.

The BMW club turned out in style.

Not sure if he had glued his hand to his helmet.

A fantastic setting.

Blatting around Pendle

I am slowly finding a good set of roads to take the car on around Pendle.  Not main roads as they are too busy, not B roads as the car bottoms out.  On top of the that there are some great views to be had if you hit the road at 6.30am.  I do think we are enjoying a very unusual summer / year.  Only once have I been prevented from going out for a blat.  Certainly getting my money's worth out of it this year.

Parked up on Pendle Road just outside Downham.

Parked up on Pendle Road just outside Downham.

Near Newchurch in Pendle.

A lovely day for blatting.

Prop Shaft Grease ???

I decided to jack the car up today and take the torque wrench to all the bolts now I have covered nearly 1500 miles.  Rear Wheel hubs were spot on as were most other bolts.  However the exhaust side engine mount bolts (3 No.) needed 1/4 turn each, the gearbox to chassis needed 1/4 turn and the long diff bolt needed 1/4 turn.

Whilst under the car I noticed a black line of something where the prop joint is.  I had coated the tunnel in Dinitrol before installing the prop so the brown stuff is just dinitrol.  Should I be concerned about the black line?  It does look like grease and certainly lines up with the prop joint.  Is the joint losing grease and should I be worried?

Propshaft with line of what appears like grease on the inside of the tunnel which is itself coated with dinitrol.

Solenoid / Starter Motor Connections

It seems a few of us struggle to know which wires go where, myself included so here is a picture of my connections now that I am up and running.

Right Hand Connector has the red from the battery, two browns from the loom and a cable with heat shrink.  The Left hand connector has a solid cable to the starter and does not need touching.  The Middle Bottom connector has two white/red wires from the loom.

Another picture although not that clear.  There's not a lot of room in there.

Forest of Bowland Blat II

Got up at 6.30 to get out to beat the traffic (cyclists), had a fabulous two hour drive around Waddington, Newton, Chipping, Longbridge and Haslingdon.  Kids were just getting up when I got home.  Gotta love summer and sevens.

I have never been one for sat navs, always preffered to read a map the night before and trust my memory.  Call it age, blame the seven, I don't know, but even the basic Nuvi 2497 is a godsend in a Caterham.  Draw the map on the computer, download it and off you go.  Effortless and if you speed past a turning it sorts you out.

Can't remember where I parked but it must have been near Dunsop Bridge.  A lovely drive and the heater was very welcome given I set off in shorts and a t-shirt.

Cadir Idris - July 2014

Having walked up Cadir Idris a few years ago and seen nothing due to the weather it seemed ideal to take the Caterham down for a long weekend and have another go.

We set off early on Friday and used the motorways for 50-60 miles before heading through Mold, Denbigh, Llansannan, Llanfair TH, Llangernew, Llanwrst, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau and Tal y Llyn.  We stayed at Dolffanog Fach in the Caroll room and cannot recommend it enough.  The place is just perfect, luxury all the way with fantastic hosts in Carl and Sara.  Parking for the Caterham is also perfect and with the Caroll room you can keep an eye on your loved one.

Had a clear walk up Cadir Idris on Saturday before heading home on Sunday via Dolgellau, Porthmadog, Cricceth, Abersoch, Cricceth, Beddgelert, Betws y Coed, Llanwrst, Llangernew, Llansanan, Denbigh, Mold and then the motorways.

We had to use the roof for half the journey there and home and to be honest I found it fine.  A little noisier than without or is it just a slightly different kind of noise.  The wiper fuse kept blowing but it seems it may just be too small at 7.5A and it needs a 15A fuse.

As I learn more about the car, the clonks worry me less and less but the vibration / resonance does get a little bit annoying.  It seems to be at it's worst at 3750 on my car, I suspect other cars are different.  The easy remedy is to blitz through it, but the wife's not keen on that approach.

The car parked up at Dolffanog Fach.  The finish sauna behind.

Parked up in Dolgellau.  Three times we have stopped there for a look around and three times we have been disappointed.  I think we are done with the place now.

Parked up outside the Gelert shop in Beddgelert.

Heading up Cadir Idris

About 1/3 of the way up.

Heading back down.

The roof going on at the Black Lion in Llanfiar TH

Wifey taking snaps on route.  An intelligent go pro if you like.

Roof on but no wipers.