IanW

Mark and I were applauding as you went past 😬

Spotted at around 13:15 at the Nokia roundabout on Summit Avenue, Farnborough. Hi Andy, I will admit that most of the noise was coming from the horns as your progress was impeded by the taxi .

Clousta, I have the same problem with Firefox. Chrome works OK.

Alan, When my 175 SV came back from CC I noticed that it had a few degrees of toe-out. As I understand it this is normal for track use, as it helps with turning into a corner. However, I thought that for road use, some toe-in should be applied. This, I believe, aids with the self-centering. I have adjusted my car for a little toe-in (I don't have any way of measuring it).

Hi Duncan, You've had a PM from me. Regards, Ian

Good luck in finding one. I use the R400 one from the build manual. It is probably the closest you'll get.

Hi Mike, I installed a strip of LEDs from Maplin (white) under the lip of the dash. Fitted a switch on the dash from a 12V feed behind the dash to control them. Looks like this. Regards, Ian.

Somebody Lives at the Apollo 😳

Cagey, yes the regalia has gone live but it doesn't include the buffs. Regards, Ian.

Hi Terry, I'm not sure who is running the vehicle now. It has, or is about to, change hands. A call to the Club office should get you the details of who is in charge. Regards, Ian.

Hi Terry, I was after one as well and was told the only place to get it was from the ESV. Not sure where or when it's next outing is though. Regards, Ian.

THX-1138

You can add me to the list of people experiencing a small leak from the gearbox ☹️. Mine is dripping from the front of the box where it joins the bell-housing. I'm told there is a small plate held on with three bolts that weeps fluid but it is only accessible with the bell-housing removed. As it is only a very slow leak it will have to wait until the engine is removed. Regards, Ian.

Martin, I don't remember seeing any other black with gold stripes, so it must be mine that you saw leaving. Thanks for the mention. Regards, Ian.

After much searching on the www I found this description on a MGF web-site here. Other descriptions of bypass thermostats are related to head gasket failures and how to avoid them - again MGF here and Elise here. They do talk about K-Series engines though. In both cases the distance between radiator and engine is longer as they are both mid-engined cars is the main cause for concern. As a solution to my problem, Caterham have offered to update the ECU to match the temperature sensor I have fitted (they think there is a mismatch). Regards, Ian.

OK, I accept that the plumbing is correct and the system is currently working without causing any overheating (or underheating). BUT Can someone please explain the physics involved when the thermostat is connected to the cold side of the radiator. Having the fan running during normal driving is, surely pointless, as the airflow through the radiator should be sufficient to keep the water cool. The only time the fan should switch on is when the car is stationary. Is there somewhere I can look that shows how the thermostat works with the two input ports that we have on the Duratec engines? Regards, Ian.

Johnty, thank you for insight. Are you implying that the flow of water through the system is not optimal Andy, you may be right about the thermostat. I was trying to avoid removing it due to it's snug location below the plenum. Currently, I'm trying to understand the water flow through the system. From my exploring of the inter-web, it seems that in a 'normal' system. the thermostat controls the flow to the radiator Which makes sense, as when the water gets hot enough to open the 'stat, water is then cooled by the rad. On my Duratec, the top of the radiator is fed from the block and it's the cooled water that gets sent to the thermostat . The temperature sensor doesn't appear to get any cooled water and I can't see how the ECU can control the fan from this arrangement. Is my plumbing correct? Regards, Ian.

I must have a problem, as two people have now commented that the radiator fan is running when I arrive. Roadsport 175 SV Duratec 2L. I started to investigate the problem today but I'm confused at the temperature readings I'm getting. After a blat of mixed road use, I got back home with the fan running. I measured these temperatures (all Centigrade): Sensor on block - 98 Top of Radiator - 75 Bottom of Radiator - 41 Obviously the fan is doing it's job, but why is it still running? I disconnected the fan and waited for the bottom hose to get hot. When I reconnected the fan, it started to run, but soon stopped. The normal cycle of fan on and off continued so I took some more temperature readings. Fan started Sensor - 91 Top hose - 96 Bottom hose - 92 Fan stopped Sensor 90 Top hose - 93 Bottom hose 82 To me this looks normal. (OK, maybe the sensor ones are a little off, but that's probably down to me). My question is why does the fan come on whilst I'm driving and why does it stay on when the temperature at the bottom of the radiator is cold enough (too cold, even)? Regards, Ian.

My son's Punto also had a failed power steering. It is indeed electric. It was replaced, but I can't remember the cost. Symptoms where that at very slow speeds (while parking) the power steering would cut out. Restarting the engine reset it. It finally failed an MOT. Regards, Ian.

No oil cooler - I have a 'modine' Just checked the dipstick and it is now registering oil, albeit a little low. I#ll pick up another litre of oil during the week. Regards, Ian.

Thanks Mick. I'll check the level today to see if there's anything on the dipstick. One curious thing I noticed was that prior to draining, the oil the on the dipstick appeared clean, but the oil that came out of the sump was black . Regards, Ian.

Just completed an oil change on my 2.0L Duratec. I put 5L of oil in and the dipstick still isn't getting wet. The manual implies that the initial fill capacity is 4.5L but I'm not sure it's been updated for the Duratec. Anyone know how much extra oil I need to complete the fill? Regards, Ian.

Hi Martin, On my Duratech 175 (which I'm assuming is similar to the R300) and using the R400 circuit diagram from the build manual as a guide, I deduced the following connections with aid of an oscilloscope: RW (Red/White) - Instrument Lights (same colours on other switches / gauges) GW (Green/White) - Right-Indicator (colours match with indicator switch) GR (Green/Red) - Left- indicator (ditto) UW (Blue/White) - Main Beam (same colour on headlight dip switch) B (Black) - Ground WU (White/Black) - Tacho Signal Perhaps someone else could confirm these details. Regards, Ian. Edited by - IanW on 22 Jun 2010 12:00:39

I have my colours mixed up. I assumed P was for Pink . I didn't consider Purple. I'll amend my notes when I get home. Regards, Ian.

Martyn, I have looked at the R400 circuit diagram (does an R300 one exist yet?) and, along with some wiring investigation I've been doing, I think the Power Socket Fuse is on one end. It should be 10A, the other end is 15A for the Brake/Reverse Light. Wire colours for the Power Socket are Black (B) and Pink with Green stripe (PG). The fuse end should have a Pink / Green wire. Hope this helps. Regards, Ian.