Lost Boy Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I have a 1.8 Supersport K Series, now 19 years old. For the first time ever I have noticed low oil pressure on tickover (at the top of the red) and the gauge reading lower than normal even when under load, there also seems to be some "stickiness" about the reading which I haven't seen before. The oil is relatively new and is at the correct level, so I'm thinking it could be a faulty oil pressure sender??Has anyone experienced this before?Does anyone know where to find the oil pressure sender and is it easy to change?Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 If electrical gauge, sender is poor quality and generally short lived. Screws into oil filter housing. For the price of a new sender (CC or Redline), you can buy a mechanical oil pressure gauge and capillary tube. Very easy to fit and gives a nice 270 degree sweep of the needle on the gauge. Many of us have done this swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7_Malc Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I recently has a very similar issue on my 1.8 K (2000) … my gauge was dropping to zero and bouncing around too… very worrying. A new sender from Chris at Redline solves the issue immediately. Yes a mechanical upgrade is an option, but not to everyone's taste or budget. New sender is now 2-3000 miles in and working fine. Keeping the contacts clean with WD40 seems to help, as does a healthy wrap in insulation tape or heatshrink on the connecting cables - it all hangs off the leading edge / bottom of the sump so picks up all the muck on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I tried sealing the openings on a new sender with silicone sealant ... but it didn't help extend its life ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Thanks Guys, I've located it and it does look pretty rough but 19 years in, I guess I'm not surprised! Maybe a stupid question, but do I need to drain the oil to fit a new sender? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 No. Just put something under to catch a little dribble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 4, 2019 Member Share Posted August 4, 2019 A new sender from Chris at Redline solves the issue immediately.I think that's what I'd probably do.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative paul richards Posted August 4, 2019 Area Representative Share Posted August 4, 2019 As stated it’s most likely to be the sender. Do you still have foam in the sump? The other alternative could be the foam breaking up and blocking the pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Yes I still have foam, that had crossed my mind, hopefully will make it through a trackday on Friday!!Thanks Guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 4, 2019 Member Share Posted August 4, 2019 Please don't put off changing or discarding the foam.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair B Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 If you are going to change and stick to electrical I would recommend remotely mounting the sender so to avoid the engine vibrations that eventually destroy the sender unit. Remote mounting kits are covered here in the archives.Ibought Remote T-LMA095/2: 0.5M - LMA095/2Remote T-Piece Kit M12 from LMA automotive, think they do club discount too. Mounted on one of the straps holding a horn unit, kept one horn operational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 I'm going to order a new sender today and fit it and see if that makes a difference, if not then it must be the foam and I'll cancel the trackday until I can change it.Its interesting you all comment on the senders not lasting long, I built my car 19 years ago and thsi is the first issue I've had with it the sender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 What mileage on the car ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Agree entirely with post #11. The sender gets a bad press because it's simply not very good at resisting engine vibration. A remote mount works well, but a mech gauge is the best solution.JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 merely 19000 miles.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Redline components on holiday for a week and Caterham out of stock, any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 5, 2019 Member Share Posted August 5, 2019 Sevens and ClassicsMillwood...Where are you?...Possible part number: 1, 2.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 19k in 19 years ! Not run in yet. That's why no sender problems to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Bookham, Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Boy Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 To be fair have all been fairly hard miles!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 5, 2019 Member Share Posted August 5, 2019 James WhitingSevens and ClassicsPartridge Green MotorsportJonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadCat52 Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Just about to replace my sender unit (second in 5 years and about 20k miles). Really want to keep original Caterham dial as part of a matching set, which I understand can't be done with mechanical gauge, so interested in remote mounting. Does it last longer when mounted remotely?Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 5, 2019 Member Share Posted August 5, 2019 There are several suggestions that they do, and it seems plausible.But I don't think that I've seen any convincing data.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Does it last longer when mounted remotely?You could try asking CC themselves, as they offered the remote-mounting kit for exactly that reason. JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjw Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Perhaps vibration can cause the sender to fail, but that's certainly not always the problem.Recently my (2016) sender started to behave erratically in the traditional manner. Testing off the car with a compressor and a multimeter showed a pattern of resistance variations which suggested that the mechanics were moving correctly but the wiper of the variable resistor was making poor contact. Either the contact pressure was low, or there was contamination on the working surface of the resistance wire.In the hope it was just contamination I drilled a couple of 2.5mm holes on opposite sides of the case and liberally blasted contact cleaner through each one. Cycling the pressure up and down quickly between 0 and 7Bar* a few times (sweeping the wiper from one end to the other) sorted out the resistance issues completely. Covered the holes with some aluminium tape and refitted. Normal operation was restored.Since the chamber is sealed at manufacture it's not clear how the contact surfaces become contaminated. I don't know if there's a rubber seal at the rolled over seam, but there seems to be one at the terminal. Speculation: Perhaps the seal isn't good enough, or there's moisture present when the unit is closed which leads to corrosion in the long term, or maybe the rubber or some other sealing compound is outgassing. (If it is some sort of outgassing then the lower operating temperature of a remotely mounted sensor may reduce it..?)I wouldn't like to predict how long the treatment will last, but to repeat it won't take long and contact cleaner is cheap...As a matter of interest has anyone ever actually cut open a bad unit and found evidence of mechanical damage?Cheers,Barry * (Note the sender is only rated for 7bar even though the gauge goes to 8...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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