Duratec engine - clutch failure.

[Catey]

Coming back from Oulton of Friday, after a reasonably hard start the clutch began to slip, very very quickly it became difficult to drive normally, we kept the gears low and the speed down, avaoided using revs and the clutch and limped home.
The motor is out now and the plate is 'knackered' and the pressure plate has been hot enough to have small cracks around the edge.
I couldn't get hold of caterham to get parts availability, but it appears that the solid (unsprung) drive plate in mine isn't on the parts list in the web shop.

I haven't had any slip problems up until Friday and I am looking at possibly the slave not returning the fluid to the master cylinder and therefore keeping the clutch springs under load? Thoughts?

Also anyone know a good alternative source for AP racing clutch or a similar replacement?

2009 Duratec R500 <4000 miles
AP Cover number CP5905 500
AP plate CP5341-16

Edited by Catey on Monday 5th August 21:32

[Purespeed]

I wasn't aware that CC fitted a unsprung clutch to the R500. I have had a couple of Duratec AP clutches from Raceline and they have both had springs on the friction plate. Both are performing perfectly.

Jason

[sfaulds]

I assume this is a sequential car? The Caterham part no. for the plate is 37Q012A and the cover should be 58136COVER.

You're probably riding the clutch without realising it - the low speed characteristics of the throttle bodies and unsprung plate make smooth progress in traffic hard work otherwise.

[rubystone]

You seem to have been a little unlucky with that car from reading your other posts. Did you buy it privately or through a dealer? 4000 miles isn't a lot on a clutch...

[mg2959]

rubystone said:

You seem to have been a little unlucky with that car from reading your other posts. Did you buy it privately or through a dealer? 4000 miles isn't a lot on a clutch...

That's horrific!! 4000 miles and your clutch has gone! Jesus! I'm really looking into Caterham ownership, but after doing some research it seems they are really unreliable. Clutch problems, bearings not being greased enough, throttle cable breaks. Are they really that problematic? A Honda dealer in the midlands has a R500 for sale on Autotrader for £35k it has just shy of 800 miles on it and is an 11 plate, and they are boasting it has a new clutch!! wtf!!! Or are people just driving them really hard? Starting to put me off, don't want to spend £20-£30k on what in essence will be a weekend toy if it never works! Opinions?

[mattmurdock]

I've done 5000 miles from new in my R500 without any clutch, throttle or engine issues. It had a electrical fit 6 months in, resulting in a new PCB board in the dash, but apart from that no issues at all. As Stuart says, low speed traffic is not an R500's forte, especially with the sequential box - very easy to be riding the clutch to avoid kangaroo/stall.

Does sound like Catey hasn't had a lot of luck with this particular car.

[JeffC]

mg2959 said:

That's horrific!! 4000 miles and your clutch has gone! Jesus! I'm really looking into Caterham ownership, but after doing some research it seems they are really unreliable. Clutch problems, bearings not being greased enough, throttle cable breaks. Are they really that problematic? A Honda dealer in the midlands has a R500 for sale on Autotrader for £35k it has just shy of 800 miles on it and is an 11 plate, and they are boasting it has a new clutch!! wtf!!! Or are people just driving them really hard? Starting to put me off, don't want to spend £20-£30k on what in essence will be a weekend toy if it never works! Opinions?

I must be just lucky, Ive owned over 20 7"s over the last 10 years and touch wood Ive been fine,and in the early days I was tracking a hayabusa powered car pretty much every other weekend covering 8,000 track miles in that car driving it flat out and it never had an issue however I spent a fair bit of time maintaining it myself and yes with other cars I have owned I've had the odd niggle but for me ( i had a tps go down on my current duratec last month) but to me that is just part and parcel of ownership of this type of car, take a look at the Porsche forum that is an eye opener on the subject of unreliability and mechanical failures !

Edited by JeffC on Tuesday 6th August 09:23

[framerateuk]

mg2959 said:

That's horrific!! 4000 miles and your clutch has gone! Jesus! I'm really looking into Caterham ownership, but after doing some research it seems they are really unreliable. Clutch problems, bearings not being greased enough, throttle cable breaks. Are they really that problematic? A Honda dealer in the midlands has a R500 for sale on Autotrader for £35k it has just shy of 800 miles on it and is an 11 plate, and they are boasting it has a new clutch!! wtf!!! Or are people just driving them really hard? Starting to put me off, don't want to spend £20-£30k on what in essence will be a weekend toy if it never works! Opinions?

Depends how the car is driven and how well it's looked after.

When I bought mine, I intentionally went for one that had a bit of mileage on it as it showed it had been used and not just sat rotting in the garage!

Keep in mind too, while the Duratec blocks are very reliable, at 260bhp they are at the higher end of what you can get out of them in an N/A form. With a car like that, assuming it's being tracked, then the high power will always mean higher wear on the components.

I've always thought an R400 would be the best all compromise - lots of power without as much concerns about upkeep.

[Catey]

Thanks for the views guys, i'm on the phone this morning trying to get a clutch.

Just some points for clarity, the guy (privately) I bought the car from had it as a toy, didn't know anything about maintaining it and therefore didn't.
Knowing that whenI bought it, I was sure that I got a fair deal on it and expected some troubles.
Thus far, am I happy with it? - "THRILLED!" Would be my answer.
It's great to drive, I've had race cars, modified TVRs and many others but this is by far my favourite so far.

If your thinking of buying a Caterham, I would suggest doing so. . . .

: )

[Tango7]

Catey,

Sorry to read of your problems but is this any use : http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=232241

[Catey]

Thanks Tango7, I had found it and had a chat with Jerry the night before, although it's not the same presusure plate it was my back stop, just in case.
Fortunately Tony in Caterham parts found one complete clutch left on the shelf and has dispatched it today (insert big smiley face here.)
So all being well, it will be in tomorrow night and then Cateys first outing at Anglesey on Saturday!
I'm tempted not to take a video camera for fear of their magnetic attraction to Armco rails, we'll see how I get on, as I've never been there before, if it goes ok, I'll film a lap or two.

Thanks for the tips and support, also Stuart at Fauldsport for his help.

Jason

[framerateuk]

Catey said:

Thanks Tango7, I had found it and had a chat with Jerry the night before, although it's not the same presusure plate it was my back stop, just in case.
Fortunately Tony in Caterham parts found one complete clutch left on the shelf and has dispatched it today (insert big smiley face here.)
So all being well, it will be in tomorrow night and then Cateys first outing at Anglesey on Saturday!
I'm tempted not to take a video camera for fear of their magnetic attraction to Armco rails, we'll see how I get on, as I've never been there before, if it goes ok, I'll film a lap or two.

Thanks for the tips and support, also Stuart at Fauldsport for his help.

Jason

Anglesea is great fun! Which layout are you doing? I preferred the the GP layout, but I think that was mostly because it was wet when I went on the coastal layout and I was afraid of having an intimate meeting with the pitlane barriers... It also feels busier on the coastal (I guess because they cut out a fair old section of track!

[Catey]

It's the GP Circuit with BaT, quite looking forward to doing a few miles in her without horses and cyclists round every bend.

: )