Jobs done in first year of ownership

[elan_fan]

Got my beloved in Feb

Done:

22% steering rack
new rear A frame and trailing arms
new coolant hoses and filling tee
new cycle wings and wing stays
cam belt and tensioner
remove old rover front mount and fit blanking plate to cover
replace brake hoses and convert rears to braided hoses and replace rear calipers
handbrake cable
new dampers and springs all round
remove spare wheel carrier and fit numberplate light as SLR
change to clear lenses
remove yellow foam from sump
change fluids and filters
new nuts and bolts all round
replaced CV gaiters
52mm throttle body
new gear knob

thoroughly enjoyed working on it, had to buy a few new tools which is always a bonus

[Incorrigible]

Well done, but replace the sump foam unless you've fitted a dry smp or drive miss daisy

[elan_fan]

Ooh a foam lover eh?

Its got an apollo and no thanks i'll go with Mr DVA

[Incorrigible]

Definitely not a lover, but it's there for a reason

If you're only doing road work then it's not necessary, but if you're only doing road work why would you change a fully synthetic oil after 3,000 miles

Ask Dave if you should change all the oil or some of it

[elan_fan]

bks you smart arse

I'll change the oil again in the spring and drain the apollo just for you

[Incorrigible]

HTH

It's very easy to get oil surge on a wet sump K, Gerrards at Mallory can show it up, in some cases very severely. Whether a bit of foam is going to be the difference between life and death is very difficult to tell, and obviously spending several thousand pounds on a dry sump is the way forward.

My POV is for a tenner each oil change why not put one in. You also get to inspect the inside of the engine a bit and clean any sludge that has collected in the sump in the off season.

[DVandrews]

Incorrigible said:

HTH

It's very easy to get oil surge on a wet sump K, Gerrards at Mallory can show it up, in some cases very severely. Whether a bit of foam is going to be the difference between life and death is very difficult to tell, and obviously spending several thousand pounds on a dry sump is the way forward.

My POV is for a tenner each oil change why not put one in. You also get to inspect the inside of the engine a bit and clean any sludge that has collected in the sump in the off season.

The reason is that they can and do break up and block the pick up resulting in even worse oil starvation than they are supposed to prevent. I have seen a significant number of engines wrecked due to foam particles blocking the pickup, if you had seen the carnage and cause as clearly and as often as I have you would probably agree. The measure of a system is not made on the number of times it suceeds but rather by the number of times it fails and the consequences of such a failure.

If you have an Apollo then you are to a degree protected, even if the oil pump starts to pump air (and therefore loses pressure), there is at least a buffer of 3 litres of oil which is fed to the engine albeit at reduced pressure.

If you drill the gasket on the lee side with a cluster of holes juxtaposed to the pickup, then most of the thrown oil will drain to the sump near the pickup and this will help to reduce the affects of surge.

I am sceptical about the efficiency of the foam in it's designated postion as it occupies pretty much the same space as the ally plate and sump gasket which themselves act as a primary anti sideways surge device. I can't see what extra the yellow foam of death contributes.

Dave

Edited by DVandrews on Tuesday 2nd November 22:41

[Murray993]

elan_fan said:

Got my beloved in Feb

remove yellow foam from sump

What does that mean? Wont regular oil changes stop this?

[Risky]

Murray 993
Not sure you are understanding correctly. The foam referred to is a block of foam rather like a pan scrub that is meant to act as a baffle. It is notorious for becoming stiff and breaking up causing all sorts of problems with blockage of pickups and oilways.

[Risky]

Murray 993
Not sure you are understanding correctly. The foam referred to is a block of foam rather like a pan scrub that is meant to act as a baffle. It is notorious for becoming stiff and breaking up causing all sorts of problems with blockage of pickups and oilways.

[Incorrigible]

DVandrews said:

I am sceptical about the efficiency of the foam in it's designated postion as it occupies pretty much the same space as the ally plate and sump gasket which themselves act as a primary anti sideways surge device. I can't see what extra the yellow foam of death contributes.

It's worth noting that Caterham recommend changing the foam EVERY oil change. I too have seen them break up with all the associated consequences. However these were never with foam less than 3 years old.

I totally agree that it won't give you much protection, but a little is sometimes the difference.

Also we drop the sumps on everything pre-season so an extra 5 minutes isn't really an issue.

BTW need to get some more cams from you in the near future, got another VVC to fit much shiny stuff to

[jasgti]

Just got add to the sump foam debate a new sump gasket is nearly £50 delivered and I think you can only get away with using them twice so changeing at every oil change does add a bit to the costs

[Murray993]

Risky said:

Murray 993
Not sure you are understanding correctly. The foam referred to is a block of foam rather like a pan scrub that is meant to act as a baffle. It is notorious for becoming stiff and breaking up causing all sorts of problems with blockage of pickups and oilways.

I wasn't and thank you.