FERRET COOLING SYSTEM
PHOTOS AND TIPS

The Ferret cooling system is really quite straightforward. It consists of a radiator, water pump, thermostat and six assorted hoses.


1 - FAN

 5 - RADIATOR FILLER CAP 9 - COOLANT DRAIN
2 - FAN COWL 6 - THERMOSTAT HOUSING 10 - FAN DRIVING TRAIN
3 - PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE 7 - INDUCTION MANIFOLD JACKET CONNECTING PIPE 11 - RADIATOR
4 - RELIEFE VALVE OUTLET PIPE 8 - CYLINDER BLOCK DRAIN VALVE 12 - COOLANT IMPELLER

If your Ferret has not had the coolant hoses changed in some time you may want to take a very careful look at them. Having a hose split while on an outing is very inconvenient! Changing the six hoses does take some time, but is well worth it for the peace of mind that you won't have to do roadside repair, or call a recovery vehicle to get your Ferret home.

DRAINING COOLANT
NOTE - THE COOLING SYSTEM HOLDS 5.5 US GALLONS! HAVE A LARGE ENOUGH CONTAINER WHEN YOU DRAIN IT! Also remember that you should never dispose of old coolant improperly. The anti-freeze is harmful to the environment, so dispose of it the right way. This is probably a good time to replace the coolant anyway with a good grade of anti-freeze mixed at no more than a 50-50 ratio of anti-freeze to water.

ENGINE DECK AND REAR HULL (SKID) PLATE REMOVAL
Replacing the hoses in a Ferret is relatively easy. You will have to remove the engine deck plate (complete with the two engine access "doors") as well as the rear hull plate. The engine deck plate is easily handled by two persons. The engine access doors should be locked down using the latches. Then either unlatch or unbolt the deck. While lifting the rear a couple of inches slide the deck rearwards from under the lip of the armour at the front.

With the deck plate off the next step is the removal of the rear hull plate. This angled plate is secured by the line of bolts around its edge. The nuts are held in place by little caged (captive nuts) however they can turn so you may have to use a screwdriver to wedge the nut in place. NOTE - THE REAR HULL PLATE IS HEAVY! have someone to help you as it is easy to hurt yourself (broken foot) if it's dropped! NOTE - DO NOT REMOVE THE TWO LAMPS MOUNTED ON THE REAR PLATE! If you leave two bolts loose at the bottom and remove the others you should be able to gently tilt the plate away from the "grill" that directs the air from the rear of the Ferret. This is to allow you to reach in with a wrench and remove the nuts which retain the two wiring clamps for the convoy and registration lamps. By removing the clamps you will find that you have enough slack to place the plate to the side and have plenty of room to work replacing hoses.

RADIATOR REMOVAL
After removing the top and bottom clamps from the radiator end of the upper and lower hoses, you should then be able to take out the radiator. You will note that there are only two nuts on the captive bolts that hold the radiator in place. Take a careful look at the order of disassembly of these retaining nuts, washers and springs so you get things back in the correct order. The bolts will swing away tot he side allowing you to lift the radiator out. NOTE - THE RADIATOR RESTS IN A WEDGE SHAPED TROUGH WHICH IS PADDED IN FELT. BE CAREFUL AND TRY TO NOT DAMAGE THE FELT DURING REMOVAL UNLESS YOU INTEND TO REPLACE THE FELT AND HAVE SOME ON HAND. 

THERMOSTAT
If you decide to change your hoses is is well worth your time to perform two other preventative measures: check your thermostat, and have your radiator serviced.

To remove the thermostat you will have to remove the three bolts retaining the oil cooler. NOTE - DO NOT REMOVE THE OIL LINES FROM THE COOLER; IT IS NOT NECESSARY! You can now remove the hose and take the top off the thermostat housing. You may have to tap on the side of the housing to loosen the thermostat. NOTE - YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THE LITTLE TUBE WHICH MAY CONTAIN THE RECORD CARD OF YOUR ENGINE'S MAINTENANCE! I suggest making a copy of the record card and putting it back in the tube.

THERMOSTAT HOUSING ASSY


A - THERMOSTAT
B - ALIGNMENT PIN

The thermostat is a wax plug type which, when heated, expands. the expanding wax causes an internal "barrel" to slide into position blocking the bypass ports and thereby directing the coolant through the radiator. It is easy to check the thermostat - just remove it and after a little cleaning, put it in a pan of water on the stove. Using a reasonably accurate thermometer follow the temperature as you bring the water to a boil. Place the thermostat in the pan so you can observe the bypass ports. The B60 thermostat should begin to open at 79 degrees Centigrade (174 F) and be fully opened at 95 degrees Centigrade (203 F).

 

If the thermostat passes your test then put it back in. Make sure the groove in the thermostat lines up with the pin in the thermostat housing.

GASKETS
You may find it difficult to find gaskets to fit the thermostat housing. If you are careful when removing the thermostat the gasket(s) may be retained and with some good sealing compound, reused during assembly. If the gaskets are damaged during removal, try to keep them in the correct shape as intact as possible so you can make another one.

HOSE CLAMPS
It is up to you whether you want to keep and reuse the hose clamps you remove. I would suggest replacement with new good quality clamps. If you are a "purist" you might want to obtain some clamps from the UK, but don't order any until you have all the old ones off so you can get the proper sizes as they are not all the same.