EVO Caterham 420R engine going pop. Any details yet?
Discussion
shrink1061 said:
Because it was taken back to dealer after first track day then serviced again after 3000 miles. Not sure why you'd check in between
So your earlier statement is likely incorrect? The oil level has been checked at least once, probably twice?
IME there wouldn't be an issue though I would always check before and after a TD and wouldn't do more than a couple without changing the oil. But then again I don't understand why anyone would have Caterham (or anyone else) do the service work. It's all so quick, easy and cheap it's a no brainer for me.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 8th January 12:49
I think if you have the budget for a new 420R you may not necessarily be the kind of person who wants to work on a car. So it'll always end up going to some kind of mechanic.
Me, I bought a used 2006 1.6 K and as such I do all my own work. I think it depends how you approach caterham ownership.
I always expected to get my hands dirty looking after my car. It's cheaper and it's fun. But if I was spending £45k+ on a new car, I may not be so keen just to get spanner happy on it.
At least not until after the warranty period
Me, I bought a used 2006 1.6 K and as such I do all my own work. I think it depends how you approach caterham ownership.
I always expected to get my hands dirty looking after my car. It's cheaper and it's fun. But if I was spending £45k+ on a new car, I may not be so keen just to get spanner happy on it.
At least not until after the warranty period
REALIST123 said:
So your earlier statement is likely incorrect? The oil level has been checked at least once, probably twice?
IME there wouldn't be an issue though I would always check before and after a TD and wouldn't do more than a couple without changing the oil. But then again I don't understand why anyone would have Caterham (or anyone else) do the service work. It's all so quick, easy and cheap it's a no brainer for me.
Edited by REALIST123 on Sunday 8th January 12:49
coppice said:
Fair enough- I don't as I am a bloody liability with a set of tools . I have my car looked after by a trusted independent and don't enjoy it any the less for not spending half my time underneath it .
I hope you are capable of topping the oil up - I think that was suggested as the (possible) issue.Edited by bcr5784 on Sunday 8th January 18:56
Oh yes - it's just a bit hard getting the oil into that little hole the dipstick lives in.....
100k miles of almost entirely trouble free Seven driving so far suggests that it's possible to survive without having to get too intimate with Snap On's finest. Ironically I did spend a lot of time in my youth up to my neck in socket sets and the like , even helping to rebuild various cars (and even the odd gearbox ) with friends but its appeal was finite and I remained a liability except under close supervision.
100k miles of almost entirely trouble free Seven driving so far suggests that it's possible to survive without having to get too intimate with Snap On's finest. Ironically I did spend a lot of time in my youth up to my neck in socket sets and the like , even helping to rebuild various cars (and even the odd gearbox ) with friends but its appeal was finite and I remained a liability except under close supervision.
Guys! You do disappoint me! 
As it happens my car cost me in the region of £45K when I built it myself last year. (R400D, SV, with almost every option and then upgraded to RBTBs this year). I know a number of guys who also built their own cars of similar ilk and do all the servicing work; I guess if you build it, the maintenance will come..........
One thing. Routine maintenance is very straightforward; even the non routine things aren't too difficult and you'll never really get to know your car till you do it!
As it happens my car cost me in the region of £45K when I built it myself last year. (R400D, SV, with almost every option and then upgraded to RBTBs this year). I know a number of guys who also built their own cars of similar ilk and do all the servicing work; I guess if you build it, the maintenance will come..........
One thing. Routine maintenance is very straightforward; even the non routine things aren't too difficult and you'll never really get to know your car till you do it!
I'll defend myself by saying I do all my own work, check my own oil after each blat, and happy to upgrade / mod my car.
I always accepted in buying a 10 year old K series, that I'd need to do work on the car. There's always something that needs fixed.
In fact since I Bought it, its needed:
-Headlight loom repairing (had no dipped light on driver side)
-Driver seat re-mounting, as Caterham had put it on wrong, and the lever didn't go through the cross bar, and seat couldn't be moved forward
-cleaned and re-position the brake light switch
-fit rear ARB kit
and shortly, i'll be replacing the whole coolant system!
I always accepted in buying a 10 year old K series, that I'd need to do work on the car. There's always something that needs fixed.
In fact since I Bought it, its needed:
-Headlight loom repairing (had no dipped light on driver side)
-Driver seat re-mounting, as Caterham had put it on wrong, and the lever didn't go through the cross bar, and seat couldn't be moved forward
-cleaned and re-position the brake light switch
-fit rear ARB kit
and shortly, i'll be replacing the whole coolant system!
shrink1061 said:
I'll defend myself by saying I do all my own work, check my own oil after each blat, and happy to upgrade / mod my car.
I always accepted in buying a 10 year old K series, that I'd need to do work on the car. There's always something that needs fixed.
In fact since I Bought it, its needed:
-Headlight loom repairing (had no dipped light on driver side)
-Driver seat re-mounting, as Caterham had put it on wrong, and the lever didn't go through the cross bar, and seat couldn't be moved forward
-cleaned and re-position the brake light switch
-fit rear ARB kit
and shortly, i'll be replacing the whole coolant system!
I always accepted in buying a 10 year old K series, that I'd need to do work on the car. There's always something that needs fixed.
In fact since I Bought it, its needed:
-Headlight loom repairing (had no dipped light on driver side)
-Driver seat re-mounting, as Caterham had put it on wrong, and the lever didn't go through the cross bar, and seat couldn't be moved forward
-cleaned and re-position the brake light switch
-fit rear ARB kit
and shortly, i'll be replacing the whole coolant system!
Good for you! I really think half the fun in having one of these is looking after it yourself. The main reason I sold my 997 and bought the R400 was to be more involved.
Not sure I can agree with your statement about those who pay a lot preferring to pay others. I know quite a few who built there own, quite pricey, cars who do it all.
Have you joined the L7C? I've found it well worth the cost, which is easily recovered with the various discount arrangements anyway and blatchat and the club meets are a great source of info etc. .
shrink1061 said:
I think if you have the budget for a new 420R you may not necessarily be the kind of person who wants to work on a car. So it'll always end up going to some kind of mechanic.
Me, I bought a used 2006 1.6 K and as such I do all my own work. I think it depends how you approach caterham ownership.
I always expected to get my hands dirty looking after my car. It's cheaper and it's fun. But if I was spending £45k+ on a new car, I may not be so keen just to get spanner happy on it.
At least not until after the warranty period
I do all my own work on my 620R. I have always picked up the spanners for my cars - from Escorts to Ferraris. The only reason I would ever go to a garage/dealer is for something very specialist (I know my limits) or where the marketplace demands a dealer stamp and even in those cases I would always do "inbetween" services and non-stamp work myself. This way I know it gets done properly and IMO the cars get a standard of care way in excess of that where the basic service requirements are met by an annual visit to a dealer.Me, I bought a used 2006 1.6 K and as such I do all my own work. I think it depends how you approach caterham ownership.
I always expected to get my hands dirty looking after my car. It's cheaper and it's fun. But if I was spending £45k+ on a new car, I may not be so keen just to get spanner happy on it.
At least not until after the warranty period
One of the joys of Caterham (and other 7 style car) ownership is that the marketplace is completely accepting/expecting that owner spannering takes place.
baypond said:
It seems oil level of EVO car went unchecked and it ran dry. Too many drivers/journos and not one person given responsibllity for the wellbeing of the car.
Really ?.What's your source of that info?
I would be surprised if it was true, as chatting to the eco staff member who was the owner / custodian what ever you want to call them, when we all shared a track day at Blyton park, he treated it with kid gloves and all,was checked like it was his own car, as did the other staff and drivers at EVO too!
Just wanted to check it was a fact that the car ran dry?
Back in the day, I asked about the truth of HGF in the k-series. Apparently it had never been seen.
Oh yes and all those k-r500 blow-ups. That was owners not warming the oil properly.
And they've just removed gullible from the dictionary
Oh yes and all those k-r500 blow-ups. That was owners not warming the oil properly.
And they've just removed gullible from the dictionary
baypond said:
Who knows, I asked when confirming my deposit. Seemed a reasonable explanation. What is surprising to me is that EVO have never mentioned it again.
There are generic problems with transverse designed engines being installed longitudinally. The Duratec, in particular, can trap large quantities of oil when exposed to lateral G. Personally I would only use a dry sump in a track (or extreme road performance) car fitted with a longitudinal engine.
DCL said:
There are generic problems with transverse designed engines being installed longitudinally. The Duratec, in particular, can trap large quantities of oil when exposed to lateral G. Personally I would only use a dry sump in a track (or extreme road performance) car fitted with a longitudinal engine.
That is an extremely interesting fact, thanks for sharing!I had never even considered that the Duratec had be conceived as poweplant for transvers installation into an engine bay!
I suppose I assumed they were just like modern versions of in line 4 engines that Ford have produced for decades.
And yes I have to agree, that a dry sump is a must for any caterham that spends a lot of time on track, it's the best insurance policy for your engines continued high oil pressure in all driving conditions.
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