clubstylus

Forgot to say ---- really great to meet up with Kev and Liz again , particularly having their Stylus there and ready , after it had no engine/gearbox and other bits just a week ago

Carl , a FDMC member friend took this video of some GURSTON runs on the 21st April --- I'm in the middle somewhere and the car before me plus 9 after me were in my class

You'll find it under YOUTUBE MrGrumpydriver Gurston 21st April 2012 Don't know how to link it , sorry

Link for you: (hopefully the right one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajCjyAdWV7w

About 1:40 for the Stylus

Look's like I'll be on my own for Goodwood this Saturday ---- could be a brolly day but no one to hold it Hopefully no push starts needed

I should have known after being given the car number 13 that it wasn't going to be a good day I had juddering problems just trying to move around the paddock no matter how careful I was with the rev's and clutch . Once out on the track(it was pissing down and standing water at one stage)I heard a real ''dropping of bits of metal into a bucket sound'' going through Fordwater then couldn't get it out of 5th entering No-name , managed to ram it into 3rd with a terrible crunch and cruised back to the paddock . That was the end of my day so it's an engine out job to investigate clutch/gearbox damage
Both Simon and Jeff were blown out for sound around the track so no timed runs for them either
During the day around 6 cars were off the track , some with BIG damage Then around 2-45pm a lady Caterham driver back ended her car into the end of the pit lane wall , after losing control exiting the Chicane --- narrowly missing a marshal too although they did fall over. She was being worked around behind a screen for best part of an hour but still not out of the car when the helicopter arrived to airlift her out . We left at 4-00pm and don't yet know the out come. Generally not a nice day so just hope she is ok ultimately

It was pissing down last night so left the Stylus sheeted/netted on the trailer , today's no better so it can wait till Monday for a break (forcast sun and showers) . When you can't drive the car , it's damn difficult getting it backwards through the narrow passage by the house , across the lawn then up the slope into the shed ---- so sunshine helps if you can't do it in one go

I had heard news of the accident at Goodwood this morning but it wasn't public at the time so said nothing. It's now been on BBC Local news that ''Sandra Harrison-Moore from Milton Keynes died last night from head injuries'' She was just 27yrs old.
Dreadfull news and does show us all that motorsport is dangerous , so most of us were very fortunate yesterday in those conditions.

First look at the Stylus today and I removed the flipfront then took the lid off the clutch cylinder . It was half full and lumps of gel type gunge in the oil I sat in the car and pressed the clutch pedal which then made the gearstick move
Jacked it up to look at the gearbox rubber mount , forced a lever between box and tunnel tube , expecting the rubber to be split or sloppy ------ then noticed that there was a gap appearing when I levered between bellhousing and the box
I'm assuming that one or more bolts have sheared OR the bellhousing has cracked at the bolting face Anyway , it's engine out so have got most stuff disconnected now and water drained , just exhaust , starter , bellhousing bolts and engine mounts tomorrow then I'll be able to see what's happened in there. Obviously the front oil seal has leaked due to the out of alignment box and engine/bellhousing --- that's been leaking a little even last year

Crumbs- all the best fixing that one Rob!

Well , no surprises really , just shock that I was driving it at all . The bellhousing is sound which is quite amazing because having got the engine out I could see the housing just drop forward and with two bolts sitting in the bottom -- one behind the flywheel the other in front of it Oil everywhere , some box oil and hydraulic oil too . I've pumped dot 4 through the cylinder and actuator till it was clean but the hyd pipes weren't tight , unscrewing easily , so I guess they were leaking Can't understand any of this because if anything I tend to be heavy handed with tightening plus the housing was threadlocked

I've not removed the clutch today but the cover looks sound , no broken springs , the plate too . I'll take it apart anyway because the flywheel is chewed up a bit -- hardly surprising with bolts flying around in there . The other bolts will just have flown out of the two rear 60mm holes I suppose --- luckily.

There's no real play in the input shaft so not sure where all the gearbox oil's come from yet. The actuator plunger doesn't appear to be leaking but I'll dismantel it to check if it needs a seal. The box will have to come out for a full check , bearing , seal etc plus I'll need new ring gear pressed onto the flywheel

Motorsport will have to go on the back burner for a while , until funds and time allow

good luck Rob - plenty to keep you out of trouble there!

Dismantled the clutch and removed the flywheel today . Cover and plate are fine and apart from the clamping surfaces of cover and flywheel looking like it's been pretty warm in there , both are ok but the ring gear is torn apart . DHL will be taking it up to Paul Dunnell tomorrow for him to fit a new one so that's soon sorted.
I cleaned the hyd oil and gel gunge from the master cylinder , put the pipes back on then flushed everything out with new dot 4 . Been busy with other things so haven't sorted the actuator or the box out yet
I'm not sure that Brian Hill still services or builds box's these days which is disappointing --- last I heard he was development only now He , for me is the best gearbox man around regardless of his years --- even more years than mine My box is a 2.8 variety from a Caterham with Quaife internals plus quickshift -- Brian rebuilt it for me plus strengthening modifications with better oil flow .

Rob,

I have got my rear axle at BGH Geartech at the moment.

They have gone back to what I believe is their original location
http://www.bghgeartech.co.uk/html/contact.html
When I was at BGH before Brian said that all of the big lathes were never moved.
Chris does alot (if not all) of the gearbox building there so its probably him that you'll speak to on the phone.

All the best
Dave

pigeondave wrote:Rob,

I have got my rear axle at BGH Geartech at the moment.

They have gone back to what I believe is their original location
http://www.bghgeartech.co.uk/html/contact.html
When I was at BGH before Brian said that all of the big lathes were never moved.
Chris does alot (if not all) of the gearbox building there so its probably him that you'll speak to on the phone.

All the best
Dave

Thanks Dave

The actuator piston seal's ok and was secure with it's spacer to the front plate , that bolts onto the front of the gearbox. However , the front plate bolts came off with just fingers on the ratchet , no force required plus the cork gasket was crushed quite thin ---- so there's my oil leak .
There's oil leaking from the bottom of the input shaft to bearing so I guess the seal's knackered but it's not obvious to see. I expected to see the rubber/plastic seal showing in front of it's bearing ---- never put a box together myself
So apart from checking the gearbox , it looks like { new gasket set for bell H , hyd actuator and gearbox ------ new oil seals for front plate and G box } Then I need to find out exactly what torque values should be applied to all the bolts for actuator front plate plus the bell housing Previously I bolted it up VERY tight but didn't know any specific lbft values

I can only think that pulling 8000rpm rev' limit somehow causes a resonance It's never been a problem until moving up the rev range after the replacement head went on in Feb 2011.