Hi all,
So after a 1200 mile round trip we now finally have our SR3, its absolutely flawless. Its a two owner car that only done 10hrs from new. It actually looks like it just come out of the factory! Its been sat for a good 7 years in a covered trailer, in a warehouse, so not really degraded or faded. Only problems we have come across is;
-the clutch pedal is a little loose and didn't move when we first got in the car, after a good press and few times its seam to move much better, and it works well as we drove the car before buying. a good bleed we are hoping will sort this out.
-we cant get it idling. it seams to flood its self when trying to start as the plugs are soaking. Once plugs are cleaned and dried, its starts and runs very well, just wont idle great. We did chuck a gallon of fresh fuel in before starting, but there could be some old stuff hanging around in there. I think we are going to drain the tank and start with fresh fuel and see if this helps. It seams like its just dumping to much fuel in or maybe the fuel is rubbish and it cant ignite properly??!! (any suggestions on this are very welcome!)
-nearly all bushes have died, fallen apart. So we've order a new set and hoping to fit this week.
So my questions are;
-what brake fluid do radical use? As i don't want to mix the DOTS. I want to drain the existing fluid and replace with the same spec.
-what clutch fluid to radical use?
-Oil, which oil?
-oil and fuel Filter, anyone got some part numbers i can use to get the new parts?
Any tips for us on the above questions would be great! We know how to do most of the work, just not sure if things are different on a radical to a standard car.
Thanks all!!!!
Congrats,
When you get a chance, post more photos of the car & engine
Lots to answer,
As for brake fluid, Motul 600 It's a DOT4. use the same in the clutch. you can mix dot 3 & dot 4, but you should flush both the brakes and the clutch thoroughly before using the car.
Congratulations Sam! It sounds like you got a great car. I recently had a car that sat in a Museum for 7 years that I put back into track worthy condition so I have recently gone down the path you are starting on.
You are correct that changing all of the fluids is an excellent place to start. Here is a post on the proper engine and Gear drive unit (GDU) oils that should be helpful. https://radicalsportscarregistry.com/radicalforum/getting-started/recommended-engine-and-gdu-oil/#post-2162
As Graeme mentioned many of the newer cars use the Motul brake fluid and is now what Radical is recommending. However, prior to Motul signing on as a sponsor / partner a couple of years ago Radical recommended AP Racing Super 600 brake fluid, and that is likely what is in your car. I always had great luck with the Super 600. Regarding the oil filter part number, For my SR3 RS (Gen 2) with a K81500 engine it used a stock Suzuki filter Part number 16510-07J00. I don't know if your K7 engine will use the same part number or not.
Since your clutch pedal is feeling odd you may want to dig a little deeper into the clutch and brake systems to make sure everything is alright. When I started bleeding the brakes and clutch fluid on my project car I was shocked to find that the brake fluid had turned to gel. I had never seen this before. I ended up changing the seals in the master cylinders and the brakes. When I got them apart the seals were is good shape, but the gel had formed around the seals so I felt it would be safer to change all of them. Brakes are a pretty simple system, but you sure do want them to work when you need them.
This is what my brake fluid looked like... Hopefully yours isn't this bad.
Regarding your idle issues... If your car has carburetors, It sounds like they are gummed up and should be rebuilt. I could be as simple as a sticking float or jet, that will clear out in time but you run the risk of it getting stuck open which can cause a fire, so it is likely worth getting them rebuild. If you have fuel injection you may have a gummed up injector.
Looking forward to seeing more pictures of your car, and following your progress 🙂
Charley
Thanks guys, some great information here! I’ll post more pics in a while, just stripping it down.
I think the running problem is the shitty fuel, if the fuel doesn’t burn properly then the ecu chucks more fuel in to compensate, to the point it’s just chucking in more shit fuel and just not burning???
Sam, you should also check to see if you have a fuel cell in the car or a metal fuel tank. If it has a fuel cell it is likely expired and could be a safety issue. It looks like you have a fuel vent line on the right hands side of the car which leads me to believe that you have a metal tank. But it is worth checking.
Charley
@charleyhradicalsportscarregistry-com ok cool, how would I check this? Is there a easy way to see
@m22ble, unfortunately it is a bit tricky to get to the tank. The tank is under a metal cover that is under / behind the seat. Usually you can find some areas to get a small look at the tank but it is tricky. One place you can usually see in is around the fuel filler line or sometimes the fuel lines that come through the firewall.
Here are a few drawings that give you an idea of how the fuel and vent lines run. In most (but, unfortunately not all) cases if the vent line is coming through the firewall on the right side of the car (when looking from the rear) the car has an aluminum tank. And if the vent line is coming through the firewall on the left side it is usually a fuel cell. But there are exceptions, so this is a good place to start, but you won't know for sure until you can get a look at the tank. If you have a strong fuel smell when the car is not running it is a sign that you have a fuel cell that is starting to leak. Also, if you look under the car in the area of the fuel tank and there is signs of liquid coming through the rivets, or you have fuel residue in the cockpit between the seats, it is likely that you have a leaking fuel cell and should take the seat out to investigate.
Charley
Charley, I just brought my Radical home from the track for the summer and have noticed a strong fuel smell. Is the first step checking the fuel cell or are there other areas to check?
Hi @azwcat, yes the fuel cell is the likely culprit. But with all of the work that has been done to your car lately it could potentially be one of the fuel or vent lines also. I would check those first. One way to check if you have a bad fuel cell leak is to look under the car and see if any fuel is seeping through the rivets. Sometimes leaking fuel can also be seen by looking at the gap between the two seats. Unfortunately, fuel cells can have small leaks that are dangerous but are hard to find without removing the seat and tank skin. If you have a fuel cell and it is more then 5 years old it should really be replaced. Let me know ifit ends up being a bad fuel cell because I can help you get a new one for a very reasonable price.
Charley
