01-08-2008, 07:42 PM
poste par Caterham UK sur Blatchat, peut etre digne d'interet pour nos amis CSRistes [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/coucou.gif[/img]
CSR ENGINE MAINTENANCE
With the new year here, it won’t be long before the days get longer and the weather warmer, meaning that the trackday season will soon be in full swing. With this in mind, we would like to remind owners of the additional maintenance requirements of the high-performance Cosworth engines in the CSR200 and CSR260.
The Cosworth engines are hand-built race-tuned units and as such require a little more attention than a mass produced engine. However, with this attention, the engine will continue to be a strong and reliable power plant, as proven in the CSR Masters race series, where the near-identical specification regularly runs at race speeds in extreme heat, on slick tyres and for extended periods with only routine checks and top-ups – clocking up thousands of circuit miles.
The key criteria for the Cosworth engine is the oil level. A special revised dipstick was introduced in 2006 and issued to all original owners, along with detailed instructions for checking the oil. As CSRs may now be with second owners, below is a summary of the procedure. The dipstick is identified by its single-piece metal design, looped end and machined flat section. If you do not have this item, please contact Caterham Parts.
The oil level should be at the top of the flat section. However, on the CSR260 engine which uses a race piston, and in common with other hand-built engines, each engine will vary slightly and if the engine is not breathing some oil into the catch tank (which it should), we would recommend finding your own level above this. After a track session, you should expect just a small amount in the bottom of the tank. If you’re not getting this, overfill the engine at approximately 250ml a time, until you get this.
Oil levels should be checked after every track session (assuming 20 minutes of track time), which is good practice for all cars! We would also recommend checking the oil level every 500 road miles.
Thankfully, owner vigilance means that engine failures are a rare occurrence. However, vigilance under the bonnet needs to matched behind the wheel, as the driver can dramatically reduce engine longevity or cause an immediate failure, through the process of a mechanical over-rev. As all Caterhams are fitted with a rev limiter, this condition only occurs through downshifting caused by pilot-error; usually by getting the wrong gear on the downshift (getting 3rd instead of 5th) or doing the same when going up the ‘box. CSRs, which have significantly more traction through tyres size and suspension design will be less forgiving of this than lower powered Caterhams. All current UK Caterhams have a datalogging facility within the ECU which enables us to establish the degree and duration of over-rev(s) – this information is available on request during servicing. In summary, please take care when changing gear!
Whilst these notes may read a little negatively, the positive purpose of this information is that taking care with the gearbox and conducting proper maintenance will ensure that your CSR provides you with trouble free trackdays throughout the year. Enjoy!
James Gibson
Service Manager
Caterham Cars Ltd
CSR ENGINE MAINTENANCE
With the new year here, it won’t be long before the days get longer and the weather warmer, meaning that the trackday season will soon be in full swing. With this in mind, we would like to remind owners of the additional maintenance requirements of the high-performance Cosworth engines in the CSR200 and CSR260.
The Cosworth engines are hand-built race-tuned units and as such require a little more attention than a mass produced engine. However, with this attention, the engine will continue to be a strong and reliable power plant, as proven in the CSR Masters race series, where the near-identical specification regularly runs at race speeds in extreme heat, on slick tyres and for extended periods with only routine checks and top-ups – clocking up thousands of circuit miles.
The key criteria for the Cosworth engine is the oil level. A special revised dipstick was introduced in 2006 and issued to all original owners, along with detailed instructions for checking the oil. As CSRs may now be with second owners, below is a summary of the procedure. The dipstick is identified by its single-piece metal design, looped end and machined flat section. If you do not have this item, please contact Caterham Parts.
The oil level should be at the top of the flat section. However, on the CSR260 engine which uses a race piston, and in common with other hand-built engines, each engine will vary slightly and if the engine is not breathing some oil into the catch tank (which it should), we would recommend finding your own level above this. After a track session, you should expect just a small amount in the bottom of the tank. If you’re not getting this, overfill the engine at approximately 250ml a time, until you get this.
Oil levels should be checked after every track session (assuming 20 minutes of track time), which is good practice for all cars! We would also recommend checking the oil level every 500 road miles.
Thankfully, owner vigilance means that engine failures are a rare occurrence. However, vigilance under the bonnet needs to matched behind the wheel, as the driver can dramatically reduce engine longevity or cause an immediate failure, through the process of a mechanical over-rev. As all Caterhams are fitted with a rev limiter, this condition only occurs through downshifting caused by pilot-error; usually by getting the wrong gear on the downshift (getting 3rd instead of 5th) or doing the same when going up the ‘box. CSRs, which have significantly more traction through tyres size and suspension design will be less forgiving of this than lower powered Caterhams. All current UK Caterhams have a datalogging facility within the ECU which enables us to establish the degree and duration of over-rev(s) – this information is available on request during servicing. In summary, please take care when changing gear!
Whilst these notes may read a little negatively, the positive purpose of this information is that taking care with the gearbox and conducting proper maintenance will ensure that your CSR provides you with trouble free trackdays throughout the year. Enjoy!
James Gibson
Service Manager
Caterham Cars Ltd
![[Image: 05021823485473ya3.gif]](http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4186/05021823485473ya3.gif)
