As mentioned in the in the Engine Start post, my engine start wasn’t 100% uneventful. The main problem was the lack of oil pressure on the gauge, but there was the usual selection of leaks to deal with as well.

Oil pressure first: out came the multimeter and the out-of-date wiring diagram from the old manual (2015c). No wiring diagram is provided at all in the new manual (v1.2 and v2.0).

With a basic multimeter, I was able to prove that the oil pressure sensor had power and earth, but there was no connection between the sensor and the gauge. By disconnecting the engine loom, I could prove good connection between the gauge and the chassis loom connector.

Pin caused lack of oil pressure (on the gauge)

With the help of Caterham Cars and an up-to-date wiring diagram, the connection problem was discovered to be the connector between the engine loom and the oil pressure sub loom.

You can just see that the top right-hand side pin isn’t in the correct position. Once this was sorted, the oil pressure gauge sprang into life.

  • Top hose clamp too large
  • Replacement hose clamp

I had a few coolant leaks as the pressure increased with the engine tempratue. The coolant system must hold that pressure or the coolant will boil before the thermostat opens, because the thermostat opens above 100C. The only real problem with these leaks was the hose clamp for the top hose. The replacement top hose had a smaller diameter so the original clamp was too large to create the seal needed. I ordered a replacement hose clamp to solve the problem.

The rest of the leaks just needed the clamp tightening, and one of the dry sump oil hose connections needed to be tightened.