MorganMan

The hole for the heater control is behind the pedal box on the vertical face. From the driving seat you reach under the dash with your right hand to reach the pull knob. Just noticed your location, above applies to RH drive, no idea about location for LH but must be operable from driver's position so assume the same. Edited by - MorganMan on 29 Aug 2005 19:16:07

You can download free oscilloscope software at polly.phys.msu.su/~zeld/oscill.html Signal input is via the sound card microphone jack. I have never used it, but you might like to try it before shelling out.

As far as I remember the CC certificate of newness just stated that everything supplied by them is new. I bought a complete kit and obviously the certificate of newness covered the entire car. In your project the CC certificate of newness will only cover the chassis. If you diligently collect your invoices and ensure that major units are clearly described as "new" on the invoice you shouldn't have any trouble; the combination of visual inspection by the SVA inspector and documentary proof supplied by you should get you through.

On my 2005 SV: 1 Very steady 80 degrees on the gauge, hardly moves after reaching working temp, fan seems to keep it there without excessive running in recent high temps. 2 Wrapped exhaust in Coolwrap on build, but too early to tell if this will help with starter or alternator problems. Blocking the cool air flow with your side plates might be counter productive here and raise underbonnet temps. 3 Nose cone movement is rubbing the paint off as you describe, I'll look at your fix in detail

Optimate III, seems more than up to the job on a std Banner.

Check the torque stated for rear hub nut, from memory its 200ftlbs considerably more than 220Nm

I don't like to question an installation by an organisation such as Raceline, but I don't like the idea of no bypass on a road car installation, and I'm not surprised that you see the effects that you do. The thermosat will start to open, but as flow starts it will then be hit with a slug of very hot coolant and the effect will be nearer the on/off switch effect. On a race car OK, but then why bother with the thermostat at all ? Have you ever tried a small bore bypass, say 12 - 15mm from the thermostat housing to the bottom hose. This will give flow around the engine during warm up and control hot spots, it will bath the thermostat in engine temp coolant, smooth the opening and blend with the cold coolant from the rad in the bottom hose as the thermostat opens and flow from the rad begins in the bottom hose. If the Tee with the bottom hose is closer to the rad than the engine this will be all to the good as it will allow the bypass and botton hose flow to blend well before it hits the engine. With this set up I would eliminate the pilot hole in the thermostat as it will have the adverse effect of increasing the warm up period. (It would however help in bleeding the coolant system)

Colin, I fully agree, but only if the main radiator route is fully open, but if the thermostat is just cracking open?

Colin, the flow will take the line of least resistance, quick run around a full open bypass v long and tortuous route through rad followed by squeezing through a only just cracked thermostat? I'll take the bypass

They do appear sensitive to the earth. I had a similar problem with mine during the build, (K series) it shot up to 7000 on turning the ignition on and they decayed slowly to 1000 after starting, turn the wipers on and it went up to 4000. I had connected a group of engine loom earths to the battery -ve. I re-connected them to the engine block, problem gone.

Brent, Its interesting that you see this on a Duratec as its the unusual position of the K series thermostat that is often fingered. With regard to the water pump, cooling system water pumps are impeller pumps they generate flow but not much pressure and the flow will be very restricted if, as we seem to agree, the thermostat has only just cracked open. Could it be to do with the position of the temp sender, I don't know where this is on a Duratec. With regard to the original question, mine doesn't do this, it always seems to read a steady 80 - 82 degrees. I think some else got it right, the gauges on the tin tops are overdamped to give a steady reading. Edited by - MorganMan on 20 Jun 2005 20:45:43 to correct spelling! Another thought does the Duratec Thermostat blank off the by pass when open, this would reduce the blending effect. As I understand it the K series bypass remains open, therefore you have full by pass flow mixing with some cold as the thermostat cracks open. Edited by - MorganMan on 20 Jun 2005 20:49:37

So far my SV 140 is very steady the temp climbs to around 80 and then stays there Early days yet. I have read many of the posts concerning thermal shock and many of the explanations seem to assume that the thermostat operates like an on / off switch, ie either its closed or open, and on reaching its set temperature it snaps open turning on the flow from the rad big time. In reality it opens progressively as the wax expands heated by the bypass flow; cold water from the rad then blends then with the bypass until the thermostat settles to a balanced position. Where then is this dousing with cold water and thermal shock?

Does anyone know if the aluminium rear light housings are still available, if so where?

I built my SV in February and was immediately alarmed on the way to the SVA by the noise from the diff on the overun. It is quiet when underload but chatters badly when on a balanced throttle and is very noisy on the overun. Like others I complained to Caterham on post build and Damian drove it and pronounced TADTS. Well they may do and yes do get used to it but that doesn't make it acceptable in a £23,000 car. I will follow your progress with interest and in particular the report of the "transmission expert"

That's pretty well it. The lightened flywheel stores less energy therefore needs less torque to accelerate it, leaving a LITTLE more to accelerate the car. Similarly it has to give up less energy when slowing down, making for quicker gear changes. The smaller amount of stred energy makes the engine more responsive to throttle inputs. The downsides are potentially, difficult starting, lumpy idling and a tendency to stall.