Cooling System

If you are installing a Zetec engine in a Caterham kit car, then you might want to refer to this diagram. It is based on a conversation with the dealer who was looking at his car while we talked on the phone. The Assembly Guide is basically useless when it comes to plumbing the car. The engine is different, some fitting are assumed to be pre-installed, and some of the parts do not correspond to the actual parts provided.

The Caterham uses a closed cooling system. There are three basic styles of hose which I call large, medium and small. The large hose connects the radiator at the bottom to the intake on the engine block, and the theromostat at the rear of the engine back to the radiator on top. Three metal sections are used in line. First, behind the radiator, is a metal part called the submarine with fittings along the top. Second is a short metal tube that runs along the top of the steering universal joint, presumably to prevent chaffing. The last is the longer metal tube midway between thermostat and the top of the radiator.

Medium hose connects the thermostat to the heater and submarine, and the heater to the submarine, and the submarine to the expansion bottle. Small hose connects the thermostat to the expansion bottle. Although it is not shown in my diagram, the radiator bleed nipple can be connected into the expansion bottle. More on this later as the installation progresses.