Vehicle Maintenance; Gearbox; Selecting Reverse Gear; Precautions While Driving - Caterham Seven Owner's Handbook Manual

Vehicle maintenance:

Any engine misfire, loss of engine performance or
engine run-on, could seriously damage the catalytic
converter. For this reason, it is vital that unqualified
persons do not tamper with the engine and that
regular maintenance is carried out by Caterham, in
accordance with the service interval plan included
in this book.
WARNING!
DO NOT run the engine with a spark plug or lead
removed, or use any device that requires an insert
into a spark plug.
Exhaust temperatures can be extremely high; DO
NOT park on ground where combustible materials,
such as dry grass or leaves, could come in contact
with the exhaust system – in dry weather a fire
could result.
Cooling fans may operate after the engine is
switched off. Keep clear of all fans while working in
the engine compartment.
Before carrying out maintenance checks or working
in the engine compartment, ALWAYS observe the
safety precautions listed under 'Safety in the
garage'.

Gearbox

The gear positions are indicated on the gear lever
knob. Synchromesh engagement is provided on all
forward gears and in the neutral position the gear
lever is spring loaded to rest naturally between 3rd
and 4th gears.

Selecting reverse gear

Before selecting reverse gear, ENSURE THE CAR
IS STATIONARY; then, fully depress the clutch
pedal and pause briefly before moving the gear
lever into position by pushing the knob downwards
prior to moving the lever fully to left and
forwards/right and backwards (according to the
gearbox in your Caterham model). This is different
for models with a sequential gearbox where you will
be required to lift the collar and move the stick
forwards, release and then repeat which will put the
car into reverse gear.

Precautions while driving

WARNING!
DO NOT rest your hand on the gear lever while
driving; pressure transmitted from your hand, may
cause premature wear to the gear selector
mechanism.
DO NOT rest your foot on the clutch pedal while
driving; excessive wear to the clutch will result!
5/6 speed and sequential gearbox
Standard 5 Speed.
6 speed sequential:

Sequential Gearbox Operation.

Arrows are for illustration only:
To shift up, pull away from dashboard (downwards
arrow indicated)
To shift down, push towards dashboard (upwards
arrow indicated)
To select neutral and reverse gears, it requires the
gearbox to be in first gear. Lift the 'detent' collar at
the base of the gearstick as shown by the diagonal
arrow and push away to select either neutral or
reverse. A 'half movement' downshift will select
neutral, as shown by 'N' on the display.
A full movement downshift will go through neutral
and select reverse and be shown as 'R' on the
display.
Note: If car is in neutral, wait for 5-10 seconds with
clutch up to ensure gearbox is spinning before
selecting reverse/first or the gearbox will fail to
engage a gear.
18
Standard 6 Speed.