I know there are many previous threads on this subject, i have read through them but cant quite find what i am looking for.

My system has a 2.0 Zetec, MK2 Escort radiator, Raceline water rail and stat and an old expansion tank from a Toyota.

At the moment i have the top of the radiator going to the water rail, the small pipe on the water rail (immediately below the cap), going to the expansion tank, the bottom of the radiator going to the water pump.

My engine has never been run properly, just short trial runs (in the garage). But i am finding that the hose connections on the water rail/top radiator are trying to leak all the time, making me think i have the setup wrong.

If anyone could give me a quick note to say how this should be done it would be much appreciated.

It is the last remaining 'issue' before i get the car re MOTd and back on the road.

Have you got the right size hoses? they should be a tight push on fit, not loose so the hoseclip has to squash the hose. Then the hoseclip tightened just enogh to grop the pipe.

Maybe the hoses could be tighter right enough. To be honest they are just old hoses that fit 'near enough', so i will look into that and get the correct hoses.

I am still not too sure about the general plumbing though, does it sound OK?

Nothing wrong with your setup as such. I assume you are topping up the fluid from the cap on the TS housing rather than from the expansion bottle?! In this case the expansion bottle is just that, rather than a header tank - which you would T in to the rad bottom hose. Mines the same as yours - I run a small hose from the outlet under the rad cap to a drinks bottle with coolant just covering the end of the hose.

That is reassuring to know, i just wasn't sure about the set-up. My problem must be with the hoses being slightly too big.

The way mine is positioned the TS housing cap is higher than the radiator cap. Do you keep both the radiator and the TS housing topped up to the brim all the time?

I am still having real problems with my cooling, took the car out for a 'test drive' tonight. Just went a mile down the road, but came back and the car was very hot and water sizzling out the hoses. The temp gauge was reading high and the fan had cut in.

Any ideas what might be causing this?

I read somewhere about needing to fit a 1800 Zetec water pump or something. I haven't done that, could my pump be spinning the wrong way?!

To confirm the engine is a 2.0 Blacktop with a Racline water rail and thermostat. MK2 Escort radiator.