Sump Guard 2.3 Duratec

[Keep it stiff]

The ground clearance is about 80 mm, I have not seen a guard fitted but it strikes me, excuse pun, that it would further reduce the clearance. Also, is metal on metal such a good idea if you bottom out? I was thinking that a small square of marine ply might be a better solution, both to take the scrape and also as it could be fitted to allow it to come away if it took a big hit without damage to the casting. Any thoughts on this?

http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/search.php?orderby=...

[viper blue]

I think that component will only fit the duratec 2 litre rather than the CSR 2.3.

One of the guys on blatchat fitted a guard onto his csr, link below.

www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=186028

I am running mine with 70mm clearance on my csr and stay focused upon all possible obstacles.

[mickrick]

It's a pretty sickening sound when you don't....
This one curled the sideskin where the exhaust exits.

[viper blue]

That looks expensive. I guess that sump can be removed without taking the engine out?

On the csr, the engine has to come out to replace the sump. A very expensive part, and lots of labour time.

[mickrick]

It was a straight swap.
It was actually O.K. once I got it off, no cracks. But I swapped it anyway as a precuation, plus the engine mounts.
The sideskin had to be repaired by a bodyshop. Fortunately it could be just rolled back, And only required a minor skim and a bit of paint.
Spanish roads.

[jimhcat]

I thought about fitting a sump guard to my CSR shortly after I first purchased it because it was grounding occasional.
I started off getting my ride height checked and found it was quite low (58mm under sump) so I had it raised to 80mm.
Since then I have not grounded to sump at all but I try to be careful with it. I have several damaged fins on my sump casing and will eventually need to fit a new sump.

I decided against a guard because I thought it would just further reduce the clearance and it would need to be attached to something on the chassis which could then get damaged by any major impact.

I think the Caterham part shown is for the 2L Duratec as stated. When I asked about this I was told it fits behind the sump between the bellhousing to protect the step.

[Keep it stiff]

I really don't want to end up with a sump looking like the one pictured above, no offence!

I can mostly avoid those roads which I know are polluted with the dreaded speed humps, it's the unexpected that I'm most fearful of.

I'm still leaning towards the idea of a small piece of ply on the underside of the casting with a small upward lip on the front edge. If I attach this with plastic fittings it should give it enough of a fixing to take a gentle scrape and absorb the impact by coming away for anything worse.

It would just play mind-games with me to know I have damage even if I can't easily see it!

[martvr]

The pathetic so-called sump guard (round tube) does indeed fit the 2.0 L Duratec. I had a porous sump on my car from new and when the source of the leak was finally traced CC replaced the leaky one with a new sump. When I got the car back it was to find that the change had involved the removal of the original sump guard and its replacement was the round tube. The original was a nicely sloped guard mounted under the rear half of the sump so as to gently lift the car up and over any obstacle in order to protect the vertical face of the bellhousing (I think from memory), the lowest part of the car by some degree. I take it the geometry of the new sump was different so that it was no longer possible to fit the original proper guard and this pathetic (did I mention that before tube was their answer.

Not happy with that and also noting that the front of the sump presents another vertical face in the direction of travel, which is the next lowest obstacle to lumps in the road, it was time for a mod. I now have a handbuilt sheet of ally which mounts on rubberised P clips off the chassis cruciform at the front and extends in a nice gentle slope right back to beyond the pathetic CC round tube 'sump guard'. It has been 'used' once that I recall when the car bottomed out in a bit of a severe dip and worked well. It now has a slight deflection in the smooth slope but still works.

[mickrick]

Keep it stiff said:

I really don't want to end up with a sump looking like the one pictured above, no offence!

I can mostly avoid those roads which I know are polluted with the dreaded speed humps, it's the unexpected that I'm most fearful of.

I'm still leaning towards the idea of a small piece of ply on the underside of the casting with a small upward lip on the front edge. If I attach this with plastic fittings it should give it enough of a fixing to take a gentle scrape and absorb the impact by coming away for anything worse.

It would just play mind-games with me to know I have damage even if I can't easily see it!

The problem is, if you put a piece of plywood under the sump, you'll be reducing your ground clearance even more.
The sump in the picture above didn't leak after that knock, so quite tuff in fact.
I changed it and the engine mounts afterwards, for cosmetics and piece of mind.
The problem is, when you get a good wack to the sump, the engine lifts on its mounts, and the exhaust contacts the upper edge of the cutout in the sideskin, and in my case the top of the engine also hit one of the louvers.
How that knock in the picture came about, was me seeing a raised cast iron manhole cover at the last minute, and my natural reaction was to miss it with the wheel. Whoops! A bump just before it compressed the suspension, and wallop. I should've swerved the other way