Jul 1, 2001 - 19:57 - From: Mark
Title: cam oil seal replacement
Message: Bryn, my engine shows oil just where your write-up describes it, at the facing of the block and head at the engine's right corner. short of pulling off the CAS and replacing the seals (and resetting the timing!), any way to test that the source of the leaks is the seals?

Jul 1, 2001 - 22:55 - From: Dave M.
Title: rear brakes, S2000
Message: Roger, for rear brake help, you may want to start with the Lotus Service Notes in the Repairs/Problems/Maintenance section of the site. It's in Section JE (je005 is where is starts). As for the S2000, that redline would be fun, but as I may have mentioned before, I almost beat one in a pseudo-autocross (cones on an oval track) at a car show recently. Missed by .1 sec. I'd also never run cones before. People were pretty impressed the little Elan almost 10 years its younger (and almost 80HP! - well...stock :) ) could hang with the Honda.

Jul 1, 2001 - 23:08 - From: Doug
Title: Real Cars
Message: Enough of the S2000 already--I'd rather hear about real cars, like why Charlie is looking for a 360 Modena?

Jul 2, 2001 - 00:48 - From: Brian MDB
Title: Rear Brakes / Bearings
Message: Roger, I recently had the displeasure of changing my Rear Brake Pads. Following a rather prompt Rear Wheel Bearing failure, I had to pull put the old Bearings and Seals and find some new ones, so seeing that I was in that area I decided to renew the Pads too. The Pads are from the Pontiac Grand Prix apparently fitting 88-93 models, their part is # SLT 24-377-02 and they should cost around $30. The only special tool you need is a 'Disc Brake Piston Tool' costing about $12 and looking like a 1" cube with a square hole and pairs of short pins on each face, you'll need this when it comes to getting the Piston to go back in its housing (this is done by pushing and turning CLW for the LHS) which has the integral Parking Brake mechanism. You will have to remove the Caliper to access the inboard piston and get the Pads out, for this you will need an 18mm A/F socket, this one had me scratching my head for a while as in Europe, where I's brung up, there is no such thing as 18mm A/F, this is apparently the good ol' US of A Metric Standard for that particular bolt size (Brit Std is 19mm). While you're down there darling..... you might as well check / adjust your wheel bearings ! Use no more than 8lbs/ft preload on the bearings and if you feel any tight spots as you rotate the Disc then change the Bearings too. The Elans Rear Wheel Bearings seem to be quick to fail, most cars seem to be able to run for a while with a 'bit of bearing noise', the Elan's seem to deteriorate rapidly, if you regularly have your gramaphone up loud then you'll probably miss the warning signs, and could be surprised by a passing Lotus Wheel....ker-ching!!!$$$. When I do the other side I will have the Digital camera on stand-by for a future write-up. Hope this helps.

Jul 2, 2001 - 02:07 - From: Doug
Title: Whoops
Message: Just found a picture of the S2000 that followed me through the hills yesterday! ;-) http://www.rapidcars.com/images/s2kcrash.jpg

Jul 2, 2001 - 03:57 - From: Bryn
Title: Cam Oil Seals
Message: Mark, almost certain to be the oil seal. If you are not enthusiastic about taking out the CAS, suggest you replace the other oil seal behind the black plastic D shaped bung first. Think this seal is more likely to be the culprit and it is very easy to replace without taking much apart. Once you start prodding around there to get access to the bung, you should see the oil around it.

Jul 2, 2001 - 05:05 - From: Russ
Title: Starting issues and engine tuning
Message: My Elan starts first time every time from cold (as in within two or three turns of the engine) but with a smoke cloud and the smell of unburnt petrol. When it's warm however it needs a lot of turns of the engine and often full throttle, again accompanied by smoke and unburnt fuel smell. The handbook says don't touch the throttle but when it's warm it just won't fire like this (works when it's cold though). Is this likely to be a problem (it's been the same since I bought it) and is an engine tune going to make the slightest bit of difference (I was under the impression that the engine management took care of all this and there wasn't actually anything to tune as such but of course this might be complete rubbish). I have this strange feeling that the car is running rich (whiff of petrol smell sometimes) but no real other reason to suspect this. Only other thing I can think of is some sort of cold start temp sensor that is always telling the engine that it's cold and therefore causing the engine to run to rich, is there such a thing on the elan? Car seem to run fine once it's going (apart from strange feeling it's running a bit rich).

Jul 2, 2001 - 07:06 - From: KARL SHERRATT
Title: WHEELS 4 SALE
Message: I HAVE A SET OF OZ 15" WHEELS (4 OF) NO TYRES FOR A LOTUS ELAN OFFERS!!!!! EMAIL ME ON KARLUK29@AOL.COM

Jul 2, 2001 - 08:55 - From: Ash
Title: Other
Message: Hi Guys, This is another one of those strange requests, but I shall try it anyway, along with the M100 N/A, the latest member of the house hold is a 1989 Esprit N/A, does anyone know of a source for an electronic copy of the workshop manuals in the same way as the M100 ones kindly posted on the web? I am located in the UK, so would also be interested in purchasing a copy off someone no longer requiring theirs as long as it is the right one (at the right price of course)! Thanks in advance for the mass influx of answers!! Ash

Jul 2, 2001 - 10:21 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Show write-up
Message: OK, so it is a year late, but I scanned in pictures from the Carlisle 2000 show and put together a write-up. To refresh everyone's memory, this is the show that Scott Aguilar attended with the IsuzuWeb car club and Scott's Elan M100 was awarded first place for Exotic European Other. The page is online at: http://www.isuzuperformance.com/isupage/events/carl00.html . You might recognize Scott in one of the go-cart pictures, he's leading the pack around the track (I'm seeing a pattern here, Scott seems to be winning everything)._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 3, 2001 - 00:20 - From: Adrian
Title: CA Smog tests
Message: First want to thank those who replied to my other posting, the information was great. But another question for you CA Smog Experts. I'm a British man here and go no idea about CA Smog but I saw one Elan today I was hoping to buy and the gentleman who was selling it said it needed to be Smogged at a Lotus Dealer. Now I only thought Smog was emissions and as such the most advanced test I can think of is some electronics taking the RPM while a sensor is put in the exhaust to monitor emissions. So why go to a Lotus Dealer and not a normal Smog station? Am i missing something here

Jul 3, 2001 - 00:47 - From: Doug
Title: CA smog test
Message: Adrian, the test is just as you imagine: now done on a rolling road with RPM monitored and a sensor probe up the car's arse! I have done my last 2 of these at the local smog place without any problems--even given the shady nature of all the shiny parts I have added under the hood/bonnet. If the Elan is running well it will pass. The advantage of going to a dealer is that they are more likely to take their time and do whatever it takes to be sure your car passes. However, given the recent addition of the rolling road (about 2 years ago) to the test I doubt any Lotus dealer would actually have this equipment in-house and they will likely just take your car to the corner place--thus no more advantage of going to the dealer. This dealer advantage is important if you have a smoggy Ferrari, but you should have no problem with the Elan.

Jul 3, 2001 - 03:03 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Starting issues and engine tuning
Message: Russ, Your car was manufactured 7/90 and has an "open loop system". This means that there is no oxygen sensor (as there would be on a "closed loop system") and so the Co adjustments are not made automatically by the ECU but are set by a variable resistor on the ECU unit. If you think it's running rich then take it to your dealer and they can set the correct level. The closed loop system was introduced into the UK cars when they were fitted with cat's on the 92 model year. All US cars were closed loop systems. Mine also is more difficult to start when hot than when cold and has been from new. I think this is a "characteristic" of the car.

Jul 3, 2001 - 04:44 - From: MARIA
Title: sealing rubbers for soft top of M100
Message: Hi, my best friend has recently bought an M100(of 1995) and he wants to buy the whole set of the sealing rubbers for the soft top. Can you give me a UK address to order a new set of those? We are located in Greece and the spare parts are very expensive locally.

Jul 3, 2001 - 04:51 - From: Russ
Title: Engine Tuning
Message: Thanks for that Richard, I'm tempted to get a rolling road dyno tune done and this is another thing to suggest that it'd be a good idea. I'm also interested to find out if an octane enhancer (Millers has been recommended) will make much difference on top of super unleaded and and a dyno test is pretty much the only way of really finding out. I'll report back when (if?) I get it done. I've decided not to go MBC and blow off valve after all the talk of boost spikes, turbo lag etc and the wish to keep the car original.

Jul 3, 2001 - 06:24 - From: KARL SHERRATT
Title: MARIA
Message: HI MARIA TRY A PLACE ON THE NET CALLED SJSPORTSCARS.CO.UK THEY ARE CHEAP AND FANTASTIC THEY HOLD JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING FOR THE ELAN IN STOCK, FROM A WHOLE NEW BODY SHELL TO A HEADLIGHT NUT

Jul 3, 2001 - 07:44 - From: Rod
Title: Engine Tuning
Message: Russ, I believe many people use Octane Enhancing additives for Track Days.

Jul 3, 2001 - 07:48 - From: Rod
Title: Engine Tuning #2
Message: MBC / Blow Off, will reduce turbo lag. IMHO once you have experienced the extra boost the MBC gives, you would not want to go back. You just have to be sensible and sort out brakes etc first. Its not compulsory to use the extra boost available all the while, but its nice to have it in reserve :-)

Jul 3, 2001 - 07:55 - From: MARIA
Title: LOTUS SPARE PARTS
Message: Hi, Karl thanks for your prompt answer!

Jul 3, 2001 - 08:12 - From: Dennis Cahill
Title: Water Pump
Message: Does anyone know of a replacement water pump source for the '91 M100 Elan ?

Jul 3, 2001 - 10:09 - From: Rod
Title: Water Pump
Message: You can see some parts cross referenced here : http://www.best.com/~gglotus/ggpart/m100xref.htm although it does not list the water pump, I believe George found that a Mercedes model that fits - George you out there !!!??

Jul 3, 2001 - 10:10 - From: George Swetland
Title: Growling noise solved!
Message: Ade was right! After a quick look over at the dealer, who thought it could be rear bearings, it turns out it was the front left side bearings! Parts will be here from Lotus today, only about $60US. I plan to try this repair myself, and will take digital pics for the site. This car doesn't look good parked!!! Geo

Jul 3, 2001 - 10:40 - From: Russ
Title: Track Day
Message: As previously advertised I'm off on a track day on 11th July at Castle Coombe. Just Booked and I was car Nr 22 so unless there's a last minute rush (unlikely) then there's going to be a lot of track time available :-) Sure there's no-one wants to join me? (Jason is the car ready ? Rod ?)

Jul 3, 2001 - 13:27 - From: Rod
Title: 11th
Message: Russ, stop it, I am not listening :-)))))) I am on two track days in the next two weeks, not sure my budget or tyres will stretch to another. Last I heard Jason had his car in bits and was waiting for parts to arrive. However my work meetings are not cancelled for the 11th, could you remind me if there is a web site to book on and how much it is for the day :-)

Jul 3, 2001 - 13:41 - From: Doug
Title: stuff
Message: Russ, I agree with Rod that the MBC, etc can only help the lag--technically it can not make it any worse. Another item to check it the Coolant Temp Sensor as I have had this go bad twice. You can find it on the Component chart--when the sensor electrical connection gets a bit of corrosion on it the added resistance changes the engine's reading of the coolant temp and it will run rich. It is possible for this to be intermittent and to get a check engine light. I have an incomplete write-up on this CTS just for this reason. I have found if you go to the sensor and unplug the electrical connection, you can see the corrosion and clean it up carefully then all is well. This may or may not be the cause. Dennis, it is George who did the water pump replacement and he will chime in here eventually.

Jul 3, 2001 - 14:01 - From: George
Title: Water Pump part # :-)
Message: Guys, I should've guessed... Scorching sunlight and heat, somehow would connect to premature wear of those little water pumps we have. Anyway, here are the part numbers I believe that are correct: Bosch-0392-020-002, or Mercedes-001-835-11-64 Be sure to keep your receipt, because if they are not the right ones, I'll have to go to my mechanic and tell him to track it down for me!!!

Jul 3, 2001 - 14:04 - From: Russ
Title: 11th
Message: Rod - the web site is www.castlecomberacingschool.co.uk but there's no on line booking, you have to use a telephone :-0 It's £135 for the day which includes lunch and (according to the web site - the girl on the phone was very vague) some instruction.

Jul 3, 2001 - 14:43 - From: Rod
Title: 11th
Message: The web site does allow online booking, however it mentions that you start out in their Proton cars in the morning. I am keen to spend the time in my own car. Looks like I will leave it as a very last minute decision, and certainly leave it until my car is safely back from this Fridays track day. ( Doug, I have my hands on a video camera for Friday - so will be trying to get you some video footage ! )

Jul 3, 2001 - 16:35 - From: charlie
Title: more fast and the furious stories
Message: http://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/movies/jun01/furious30062901.asp I only post it because theres an interesting comment made by a local cop....... On the seals, they are expensive everywhere i asked for a price here and it was around $1600, incidentally they ordered them even though i only asked for a price, and since i didn't want them they are being offered at 20% off , if they still have them ( as usual ferrari los gatos parts dept ) incidentally i get no kickbacks, i don't even live up there any more =) , on another subject anyone in vegas ought to pop into caesers palace and that art gallery that sells the dolphin pics, the artists car (its not a lotus) is in there and the paint job is astoundingly good, its a metallic blue fade with the dolphins painted on front and sides, its not the car i suggest going to see, but the paint job, I've been toying with the idea of changing colours for a while, and i think this one is awesome ( i dunno about the dolphins though). Will, you might see it around since its a hawaii registered car.

Jul 3, 2001 - 20:48 - From: mark
Title: re: more fast and the furious stories
Message: thanks for that tip about Fast and Furious - I loved the comment that 2 kids were booked "on suspicion" of revving their engines outside the movie theatre. Must have been a very quiet car.

Jul 3, 2001 - 21:08 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Movie
Message: This article has some interesting content: http://www.msnbc.com/local/rtaz/azrn9gzykoc.asp . Concerning trying to break up street races: "Often the racers don't take kindly to enforcement efforts. On a recent Saturday night in west Phoenix, racers and fans recognized an unmarked police car with two undercover officers and two journalists inside, and the scene turned ugly. "Five-O, Five-O!" shouted a tank-topped fan, a reference to the old TV show Hawaii Five-O, which has become a street moniker for police. The car was pinned between the furious crowd on one side and two turbocharged racers, engines rumbling, on the other. Then a rock smacked into the unmarked car's window as the officer at the wheel, dashboard lights glinting off his earrings and shaven head, saw an opening, hit the gas and roared away. "I just don't understand why they get so passionate about it," the officer said later. Anger against the police may be linked, at least in part, to the heavy penalties faced in Arizona by illegal racers."_ _Two police officers finding themselves faces with a good, old fashioned, biblical style stoning._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 3, 2001 - 23:20 - From: Ed
Title: Phoenix Fast and Furious
Message: Hmm, I wonder who the journalists work for. I don't remember hearing about this one. Though it doesn't surprise me. Like it says though, fines are quite high around here. Even if it is not related to street racing. Chandler recently put in a photo system to catch red light runners. If they nab you with that, it'll cost you $160. I guess I need to move the roll bar higher up the priority list so I can get on the track. Speaking of which, the Race-A-Cop program mentioned in that article has a 1988 Esprit Turbo that was donated by the local Lotus repair shop. It's painted up like the local sheriff's cars.

Jul 3, 2001 - 23:36 - From: Doug
Title: F&F
Message: Charlie, that movie title sounds like your motto! Ed, you should get a picture of their Esprit. and George S. when are you going to arrange a SoCal Elan Gathering!!!!

Jul 4, 2001 - 08:13 - From: Samir Shah
Title: m100 elan - brakes
Message: I am getting suspicious of my master cylinder - when cold, car brakes fine, but after a run, the right front caliper starts dragging a little and 'howls', and cars pulls to right on hard braking. When my audi started to do similar things, turned out the seals inside the MC had started to wear out and the engine heat would prevent it from releasing smoothly. Anyone know what car the brake master cyl came from? Lotus wants over $400!! Alternately, does anyone know of a dealer with one in stock that will deal? I'll rebuild the calipers in the meantime to see if that solves anything too. Does anyone know of any brake caliper upgrade kits that will fit inside a 15 inch wheel? Thanks, Samir.

Jul 4, 2001 - 11:17 - From: Rod
Title: Brakes
Message: There is an AP conversion now offered by Paul Matey Sports Cars ( in the UK ), that will fit in 15" wheels. However all USA spec cars have the 16" wheels fitted as standard. Many places offer caliper upgrades to fit in 16" wheels, including Paul Matey, and I believe Bill ( in the USA ).

Jul 4, 2001 - 11:51 - From: Doug
Title: Samir
Message: Samir, check to be sure it is not a sticking caliper! This is the common cause of your problem; if there is a master problem it should affect all four calipers or whatever is the other one in the same circuit as the right front too. I'd bet that master is a G.M. or Isuzu based part.

Jul 4, 2001 - 11:57 - From: Bill Luton
Title: brakes
Message: We have two different sizes of big brake kits. Our 11 3/4 fits inside the 16 inch wheels without modification to either the wheel or the caliper. Someone will have to measure a 15 inch wheel so we can check fitment, I am reasonably sure I will not be able to get a hold of one here in St. Louis. We can do smaller rotor kits, with everything else the same, for about the same price as the two existing kits we offer._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 4, 2001 - 13:32 - From: Edward
Title: Happy 4th of July
Message: Wow! I've been busy working and shopping for another car, and this message board now has July messages galore! The movie "Fast and the Furious" IMOHO is just capitalizing on an already established explosion of import Japanese car, aftermarket upgrades...I don't know if the movie has started any "new" craze down here in Diegoland. On another subject, I'm now a proud owner of a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX. A car I bought instead of a Lotus Esprit, that I have been wanting for so long. Well, the Esprit will have to wait, since I really don't like the idea of parking an Esprit at the employee lot at LAX, for 7-days... I like this car, but it's no match to my Elan. I've read the write-ups about 0-60 times of 5.5 and how it is a Porsche Boxster in disguise...well, if that's the case, then the Elan is a Lambo in disguise... The WRX does make me want to get a short throw kit for the Elan...hint..hint...(Bill). I'm still looking for an Elan Gathering soon. I suggested this last month and had only one response. It doesn't have to be as fancy as the Lotus Gathering in Newport Beach, that Doug, Bryan and I attended. Anyone else interested...BTW Bill do you sell any upgrades for the WRX?

Jul 4, 2001 - 16:08 - From: JoAnne
Title: Die cast?
Message: I've been looking for a die cast model of the '91 Elan for years with no luck (I've found the original Elan). Have any of you come across any sort of model for the newer Elans? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Jul 4, 2001 - 16:52 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Models
Message: There is a Maisto model in something like 1:36 scale. It is a friction toy (pull back, let go, and it rolls forward). I mentioned before that Ertle indicates on their website that they make custom, promotional models (Coca-Cola delivery trucks, Valvoline tractor trailers, etc.). There is some indication that they are willing to do custom models with a large enough order. These are inexpensive in quantity, and it would be interesting if a group of Elan owners would be willing to chip in several hundred each to have the model made and each person would receive several hundred Elan models. EWA, Exotic Car Ltd., or any other scale die-cast retailer would jump at the opportunity of an exclusive, limited production Lotus Elan M100 model, and you guys could recover all your investment in no time._ _On a related topic, I have my graphics/t-shirt guy doing a car caricature graphic of a Storm for a Isuzuperformance t-shirt. I picked the Storm because I have to order them in quantities of 75 or so at a time. If there is interest in a car caricature of an Elan M100, I would be interested in doing that also._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 4, 2001 - 23:19 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Another show writeup
Message: I put the write-up for the Carlisle 2001 show together and it is at: http://www.isuzuperformance.com/isupage/events/carl01.html. Lots of pictures of Scott Aguilar's Elan, pictures of Scott himself, and a little humorous writing about the adventures of a bunch of Isuzu enthusiasts. Hope more of you Elan guys attend next year, we just love scaring the crowd with cars they can't figure out._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 5, 2001 - 01:17 - From: Matt
Title: blow off valve
Message: Hi! i have just purchased my first lotus elan and am very impressed with it, its a 1990 model and im looking to add a blow off valve, could anybody tell me anywhere in the uk i can get hold of one? Thanks!

Jul 5, 2001 - 03:51 - From: Rod
Title: Matt's new car
Message: Congratulations on the new car Matt. Do get around to putting an entry for yourself and the car in the owners section of this web site. The best BOV appears to be the one from HKS, both Bill and TopEnd can supply this, and the plumbing required, but they are in the USA. They can take your money and ship it over to you. Both have been used by people in the UK.

Jul 5, 2001 - 04:07 - From: Ash
Title: M100 Models
Message: Hi JoAnne, I was on the SJSportsCars website ( www.sjsportscars.co.uk ) yesterday, and discovered they are offering models of most of the Lotus cars, including a 1990 ELAN SE, they are in Kit form, but they are being offered ready assembled as well!, the only thing not clear from the site is the cost I'm afraid, since everything is showing as £0 which sounds reasonable enough to me!! Good luck! Cheers, Ash

Jul 5, 2001 - 07:44 - From: rudz
Title: welcome matt
Message: congratulations, matt, and welcome aboard this site. we're all very sure you'll love the car, the experiences & the many friends that you'll meet here. you'll find Doug's site to be very useful, even indispensable. take your time to learn the car and read up on the extremely informative stuff on this site & decide which mods work for you. you ain't seen what the car can do yet & the longer you own it, the more you'll marvel at the ELAN & it'll keep impressing you many months from now !!

Jul 5, 2001 - 07:51 - From: dave
Title: Lotus Elan M100
Message: Has anyone come across the Korean made Digital Dash for a Lotus Elan Se Turbo?

Jul 5, 2001 - 13:19 - From: Darren
Title: Oz Locking Wheel Nuts
Message: Hi, Does anyone know where I can source a set of locking wheel nuts for my Oz rims .. ?? I've spoken to my usual suppliers (Nick Whale/Paul Matty) who advised that the part used to be available from Lotus but isn't available now and neither of them have any old stock. I've also checked at Halfords, they have the make/model but nothing listed against it. Any ideas .. ?? Thanks Darren.

Jul 5, 2001 - 16:29 - From: Ash
Title: M100 Models
Message: Evening all! I would just like to correct my previous posting, the models I found were on http://www.bell-colvill.co.uk/ click on on-line purchasing then models. Also I found that www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk advertise having small die-cast models of the Elan M100 SE for £19.99!! Let me know if any one gets/has one! I would be interested myself! cheers Ash

Jul 5, 2001 - 23:42 - From: Doug
Title: Window seals
Message: Planning a big thorough detail soon and don't want to spend $10K on new window seals--Anyone have a favorite method or tips for "repairing" the door window seals?? And what is the best product to use in your experience? Anyone in the UK have access to wrecked Elans to scavenge parts?

Jul 6, 2001 - 02:02 - From: Nick
Title: Lotus Elan compatible with Isuzu I-mark?
Message: I own an Isuzu I-mark, the Isuzu version of the Elan. It has the same engine, same suspension , but distinctly different body styling and maybe a different chassis. I can't seem to find any after-market parts for it. I want to get an intercooler pipe with blow off valve for the turbo and I was wondering if I can simply order an Elan part and get away with it. Any help would be great -nick

Jul 6, 2001 - 03:05 - From: Doug
Title: Nick
Message: Nick, go to www.Isuzuperformance.com --- Bill is your man!!

Jul 6, 2001 - 04:49 - From: steven
Title: wheel locks
Message: Darren, I bought a set in Holland. Make is Kleeblatt (German), type nr. 902 No idea if those are available in the UK Steven Matthijssen

Jul 6, 2001 - 06:56 - From: Bill Luton
Title: I-Mark
Message: Nick, the Elan engine is a descendant of the 1989 Isuzu I-Mark RS DOHC 16 valve engine. It is not identical, but similar to that engine, and closely related, but not identical to the 90-91 Isuzu 1.6 liter DOHC engine in the Impulse and Stylus. The transmission is also closely related, but not identical, because Lotus selected a rather unique set of ratios. The suspension of the Isuzu cars is "Lotus Tuned", meaning that Lotus selected spring and dampening rates and sway bar diameters (and redesigned a few pieces like sway bars and attachments), but these parts are not related to the Elan. The I-Mark Turbo you mention has a 1.5 liter SOHC engine, and is not related to the DOHC engine used in the Elan. Also, parts such as intercooler pipes and blow off valves for the Elan will not fit that engine. One of the bigger problems looking for an intercooler pipe for an I-Mark is that it does not have an intercooler, but a rigid pipe between the turbo and throttle body. We have looked at this pipe, but there is not a lot of interest in it, and we hadn't considered it in that great of demand. I could look into it._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 6, 2001 - 09:58 - From: Steve
Title: Window Seals
Message: Doug, good luck on the window seals write up. My M100 lives outside all year round, (pictures covered in snow from last winter available) and the seals are reasonably water tight (ish). I use a clear silicone grease to 'lubricate' them every couple of months, and a good quality black silicone sealer (the sort you use for sealing around baths etc.) very sparingly on any nicks/tears. I understand that Sikaflex is better, but have not used it myself. However, even I eventually gave up with the A pillar seals, and bought new, and was not impressed with the quality for 90+UKP each. Even new, they still absorb water. The B pillar falling seal is my area of frustration. Whilst I know how to adjust it, whatever I do won't move it so that it slightly wraps over the window, or presses against it. I really need to pull the hood forward a little. The most useful tip, whilst not exactly to do with the window, is to cut a V out of the bottom of the door seal where it begins to leave the door sill and move up the sides. Hope this helps.

Jul 6, 2001 - 11:38 - From: Doug
Title: Top
Message: Steve, you can adjust the top forward. There is an adjustment screw on each side just below where the frame goes below the rear deck tray. If you adjust these screws it will move the main crossbar. I moved mine back to adjust the workings of the top and it got rid of the top-shake I had, so beware if you take tension off the top it could shake a bit.

Jul 6, 2001 - 12:10 - From: Neil
Title: Insurance Aaaahhh!!
Message: Hi! I'm new to this site but I have owned my 1990 Elan SE for two years now. This year I turned 23 yrs old and the cost of insurance is just stupid. I have been getting quotes ranging from £1000 - £3000, one insurance company told me that they would not cover me until I was 30! The best quote I have had has been from Admiral, fully comp for £1040. Anyone got any other companies I can try who are a similar age to me. I have full no claims bonus so surely the price must have to drop sometime. Help!!!

Jul 6, 2001 - 19:14 - From: Allan Moreton
Title: parts for M100 turbo elan
Message: Hello everyone I have a damaged 1992 Turbo Elan front end I am looking for any front end chassis parts. Hope someone can help Best Regard Allan Moreton

Jul 6, 2001 - 20:14 - From: Doug
Title: Front Bumper Removal
Message: Anyone removed the Elan front bumper themselves? I am contemplating doing so to fix my driveway scraper and replace/refinish the 3 grille units behind the bumper. I have the manual which explains where the screws are, but with my Elan experience it looks like a LOT more difficult job than the manual makes it out to be. Any comments?

Jul 7, 2001 - 00:59 - From: Dave M.
Title: golf break, starting issues
Message: "The car was pinned between the furious crowd on one side and two turbocharged racers, engines rumbling, on the other." LMAO. Engines rumbling? Give me a break. I've been off volunteering at a Senior PGA event this week and just caught up on the messages. The F&F stuff cracks me up. If I end up rolling a golf cart flying down some of the hills on the course when I'm making my rounds, I'll be sure to blame the movie! Wish me luck, I'm off to a British car show this Sunday. Same place as the show in May - hopefully they'll have the autocross course up again. I'm thinking of Esprit for lunch! FYI - as I was cleaning the car the other night for the show, I found Zymol Leather Cleaner, then the Conditioner does a great job on the seats. They look much newer now and are a bit softer. That, and Castrol Super Clean wheel cleaner (in the purple bottle) does a wicked job on any grease. I usually use it to take chain lube "throw" off my motorcycle's rear wheel. This is stuff WD40 and scrubbing had some problem with. With the Castrol, piece of cake. Russ, are you letting the fuel pump prime before starting? Turn the key to the accessory position until the slight whirring noise stops (about 3 seconds), then try to start. I've rarely had a starting problem doing this, even if the car has sat for weeks. I, too get some unburned fuel spitting out the exhaust at first, but I think this is normal. I usually get the same with my Subaru, especially when cold.

Jul 7, 2001 - 04:24 - From: Simon Humphrey
Title: Air conditioning
Message: Hi I have a a S2 `95 uk model and wanted to know if its possible to fit an air conditioning unit in?? any ideas. Thanks

Jul 7, 2001 - 11:55 - From: Mark
Title: paint and stone chips
Message: I stopped a large stone with my front bumper on the freeway yesterday, leaving a good sized chip in the bumper. Is there a special way to fill in chips and scratches on these composite panels? any particular paint that's effective?

Jul 7, 2001 - 17:05 - From: charlie
Title: umm, master cylinder,
Message: yeah maisto makes the die-cast, i have one a pacific blue one, its pull back and go, but at the moment its offline because of a CAS problem, and the driver window is sticking. Its also right hand drive!! it has a top speed of around 60 inches per minute and an acceleration of about 0-60 in under a second, pretty fast, so far i've had two speeding tickets and a write up for sitting outside a cinema winding my windows up and down too fast, causing reckless endangerment to passersby who may, after watching the mesmerizing effect of the up/down motion, walk into a streetlight. I had exactly the same problem with my car, i changed almost everything and it was the master cylinder causing the problem, i changed the calipers and discs first which was a mistake since it happened again and it warped and damaged the disks as well as seriously burned up the calipers ( we're talking practically on fire, smoke pouring out of them, still at least the dealer actually believed there was a problem that time, nothing like smoke and red hot metal to prove a point) .. as for the movie title, I'm more the fast and easy going, not quite as catchy, granted. Now where's my scale car lift gotten too..

Jul 7, 2001 - 17:27 - From: charlie
Title: lotus as cop cars
Message: there are quite a few esprits as daily high speed pursuits around the world, england has a few of them for motorway/freeway chases, my brother drives one from time to time, can you imagine seeing that thing in the mirror, lights going ? Haven't seen or heard of any elans, but there maybe some, after all there are miata's as cop cars, so why not elans.

Jul 8, 2001 - 04:44 - From: nebor
Title: turbo gauge wiring
Message: Hello all, I hope someone can help me. I managed to disconnect the 3 wires on the turbo gauge on the dash (except the illumination red & black wires). Now I don't remember which one goes to which. I guessed a couple and the needle doesn't move.

Jul 8, 2001 - 13:04 - From: Mark
Title: MBC setup
Message: Last week, a couple of the NoCal owners were comparing MBC set-ups. Mine is different than the others. The MBC is cut into the hose that runs from the turbo exhaust across the engine to what I think is the boost control value (cylindrical valve with a clear plastic top). The MBC is spliced into the line close to the BCV. On closer inspection of the short hose running from the turbo exhaust to the wastegate diaphragm, the hose has been cut in half, with a very short metal tube connecting the two halves. there is a 1/8" hole drilled into the metal tube, with no closing or actuating mechanism. Looks like a permanently open pressure bleed-off. Anyone seen another set-up like this?

Jul 9, 2001 - 09:22 - From: Ade
Title: MBC
Message: Mark, I was talking to a friend, who works at the U.K. importers of subarus. he told me that is how they vary the boost on there turbo cars. They try different size tube until they get the right amount of boost.

Jul 9, 2001 - 12:34 - From: Dom
Title: Insurance
Message: Neil, try Bell Direct. I managed to get fully comp insurance with 2-3 yrs no claims for £700, when paid in one lump sum. Paying in one go makes a big difference to the premium paid - mine would have been over £900 if I had paid in installments.

Jul 9, 2001 - 12:45 - From: Bryn
Title: DIY MBC's
Message: Mark, I have recently made MBC's like this whilst experimenting. Work ok, but you obviously have no level of adjustment other than the size of the hole you drill. From memory I think a 2mm hole was the largest I got away with without overboosting. I used 6mm internal diameter aluminum tubing from a hardware store, cost £2UKP. Point of what I was doing was to see if reducing the length of the hose into which the MBC is plumbed, reduced boost spiking, sad to say that even with my metal tube MBC connected with only a few mm of hosing, spiking was just the same - ho hum!.

Jul 9, 2001 - 12:56 - From: Darren
Title: WTD: - M100 soft top frame.
Message: Hi, I'm looking for a replacement M100 frame, well that's not actually true, apparently my hood is missing a 'tensioning spring(s) (on the drivers side) that you can't purchase separately (unless you know better). My understanding is that the spring helps pull the fame together, which in turn helps secure the seals (the original problem was that there was a gap between the vertical seal of the hood and the vertical edge of the window), it kinda gives the hood a bowed shape to it when it's up .. So I guess my question is, I don't suppose anyone has an old M100 frame knocking around and if so would this fame happen to have the parts I require still fitted to it .. ?? It's a long shot but defiantly worth a go, because there's no way I'm gonna be able to afford a new hood and frame. Anyways .. hope you can help .. ?? Kindest Regards Darren

Jul 9, 2001 - 13:19 - From: Doug
Title: Boost spikes
Message: Bryn, try this since you have been knocking around all the boost control: Disconnect the electrical connector that runs to the Boost solenoid valve as this part is useless with increased boost anyway--your spiking may be a result of this valve still operating!

Jul 10, 2001 - 00:44 - From: Mark
Title: re: MBCs
Message: Thanks for the info. we'll see if the car runs differently when the hole is plugged. what does the boost solenoid valve do anyways?

Jul 10, 2001 - 01:24 - From: Doug
Title: Boost solenoid valve
Message: The BSV is controlled by the engine and actually acts like an electronic boost controller--the engine energizes the solenoid in pulses that open and close it to bleed off boost. This is adjusted by the computer for atmospheric pressure via the MAP sensor to keep the max boost to 0.65Bar normally. With a MBC in place you then have a way to create a leak but it is not instantly adjustable. If the BSV is still operating while a MBC is in place it can bleed off extra boost and cause the boost to rise even higher, which can cause spikes. If you disconnect the BSV it will remain closed and can't cause a problem--so it is worth disconnecting it if you are having spike problems. With it disconnected, then the MBC is the only source of boost bleed and can be adjusted more carefully. Mark, your set-up has (1) a hole, which functions like a MBC that is not adjustable in one spot, and (2) then you have another bleed source on the BSV line. This is kinda overkill but it will work the same. Again if your BSV is active it can cause spiking depending on how the adjustable MBC-type valves are set. Remember that with the MBC it will not adjust for atmospheric pressure so that you will get higher boost in cooler, denser air so this can cause overboost if not understood by the driver and adjusted for if needed.

Jul 10, 2001 - 06:07 - From: Kirsty McHattie
Title: Insurance
Message: My brokers seem reasonable. I'm a female, aged 27 with just one years NCB. I got 12-months fully comp cover with an excess of £350 for £864. This was on an "H" plate Elan SE turbo with a value of £8k. The broker is Just Insurance and their number is 01442 231722.

Jul 10, 2001 - 07:20 - From: Bryn
Title: BSV
Message: Doug, thanks for that, I'll certainly give it a go. Is the BSV the small cylinder which lives just behind the air box? (from memory think it has some green wires going into the top) can't quiet make it out in the online manual.

Jul 10, 2001 - 11:33 - From: dave
Title: soft top
Message: any body had a new back pvc window put in ?

Jul 10, 2001 - 11:48 - From: Thomas
Title: Damaged alloy wheel
Message: Hi all, hope someone could help me. Recently I damaged one of my alloy wheels and now I get a bad vibration when driving faster than 70 mph. I have thought about repairing the alloy and found a few sites in the internet: http://www.alloywheelrepair.co.uk/ , http://www.alloywheelrepairs.com/, http://www.wicked-wheels.co.uk/ . Can they really repair the wheel and would it be worth? Don't want to spend money for 4 new alloys. Does anybody know about another place (I live near London). Or does anybody sell one alloy, its the 91' elan original oz. Thanks, Thomas

Jul 10, 2001 - 12:24 - From: Dave M.
Title: wheel repair
Message: Thomas, it is definitely worth getting a quote for the wheel repair. The only issue is having the wheel off the car until the shop can A) see if it can be fixed, and B) if so, fix it. The previous owner of my car had taken some serious chunks out of the outer rim on a curb and Precision Wheel Service ( www.precisionwheels.com ) did a great job. In a case like mine, they fill in what is missing (and they can fill a LOT, I believe the site had some pictures), re-machine, and then refinish. They can also re-bend wheels apparently, which sounds like what your problem is. The only thing I think that is a problem is a crack. Then the wheel is toast. Precision is in the states, but I'm sure the sites you listed could help you just fine. My repair took about a week and including refinishing and shipping, cost $125 per wheel plus my shipping to get it to them ($40). A bargain when comparing to new or even used alloys.

Jul 10, 2001 - 12:49 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Alloy Wheels
Message: Thomas. I have experience of the people at www.alloywheelrepairs.com. They are Ian Jemison Engineering near York and do a really good job for a fair price. Not too convenient for you perhaps, but worth checking out. They repair wheels for a lot of works rally teams as well as BTCC.

Jul 10, 2001 - 17:43 - From: Rod
Title: Seat Fix
Message: Richard, was it you that had to fix the drivers seat ?

Jul 11, 2001 - 01:39 - From: Brian MDB
Title: Boost spiking
Message: After reading the online service manual 'Wastegate Checking Procedure', it occurred to me that perhaps if your wastegate operation is marginal, the increased boost allowed by a MBC device could cause spiking in some cases as excess pressure is hardly being bled off at all, leaving the software to control the overboost. On early models the Actuator Rod can be adjusted, later models have no adjustment. See section EC page 61 for details.

Jul 11, 2001 - 01:53 - From: Brian MDB
Title: Rear Window
Message: Dave, I've had a couple of quotes for Rear Window replacement, $275 and $350. In the meantime I've bought some Heavy Duty Clear PVC and Black Polyurethane Adhesive. The cunning plan is to cut out the old window leaving a 3/4" border all around the opening to bond the replacement to. I figured for $25 of materials it was worth a shot considering how often I need to put the hood up. I plan to mask the window where I don't want adhesive, to ensure a neat finish. I've already made a cardboard template that replicates the Hood fabric's opening. The difficulty I envisage is achieving a good flexible bond to the UV degraded surface.......wish me luck!

Jul 11, 2001 - 01:59 - From: Mark
Title: boost spikes
Message: I continue to have boost spikes, but only in 1st gear, that are setting off the engine protection routine. these are occurring even after turning down the MBC to .5 bar. so I'll start at square 1, plug the hole in my wastegate pipe and shut off the MBC completely. if boost spikes disappear, then we'll try increasing the boost and shutting off the BSV.

Jul 11, 2001 - 02:41 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Seat Fix
Message: Rod, not this Richard. There're plenty of others to choose from though!

Jul 11, 2001 - 03:01 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Locking Wheel Nuts & Seats
Message: Darren, The locking wheel nuts that I bought in 91 were Trilock from CARFLOW Products Ltd, Leighton Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 7LA. Tel - 01525 383543, Fax 01525 383503 They then cost 15.95 + 3 P & P. I'm pretty sure that these are the same as the Lotus ones sold at the time but direct from the manufacturer. For some reason I can't find the receipt for what the number was but they will know, make sure that you ask for chromed covers or they will send you dark grey painted covers. They probably have a web site now but I haven't checked. Rod, I have repaired my seat if you mean replacing the metal clips that hold the base in.

Jul 11, 2001 - 05:22 - From: Ian H
Title: Wheels
Message: Thomas, When I bought my car a couple of years ago, one of the wheels was egg shape, which I thought during test drive was just a wheel balancing issue. I considered getting mine fixed but I could not see how they could straighten out the wheel and still retain the strength. So I ended up buying a new wheel for £145 from Peter Smiths in Derby, problem was it made all my other wheels look dull, when I get round to it and can bear to be without my car for a while I will get the other wheels reconditioned. Ian

Jul 11, 2001 - 05:48 - From: MARIA
Title: OIL TEMPERATURE INDICATOR
Message: My best friend who recently bought an Elan is worried that the oil temperature seems to increase rather high when he drives at a speed of 70-90 miles/h. The temperature indicator reaches the second or third point while a few days ago it was only at the first point. Of course it should be mentioned that the outside temperature is 90-95 deg. F at this time of the year. So, would you say that is normal or would you suggest that the engine should be checked.

Jul 11, 2001 - 11:36 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: MBC's
Message: I've just fitted a manual boost controller to my 91 Elan SE, and set the boost to around 0.85 bar (well below fuel cut-off point). When under full throttle conditions at full boost, the engine seems to be hesitant (as if it was suffering fuel starvation?). Is this normal? When reducing throttle to get around 0.6/0.7 bar boost, the engine seems 'happier' and accelerates smoothly. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm not getting any boost spikes. The car has just had its 60K B+C+ drive belts service, and the fixing of the inoperative o/s window (££££ ouch!). I held off fitting the boost controller till after this service so that there was a new cambelt on (the old one looked like the original) and the timing/ fuel mixture had been checked. The only other mod is a K & N.

Jul 11, 2001 - 11:44 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: MBC's
Message: I've just fitted an MBC and set the max boost to 0.85bar. When at full boost at full throttle, the engine seems hesitant (like fuel starvation?). If I ease off and let the boost go down to around 0.65/0.7 bar, the performance 'returns' and the engine comes back into life. The hesitancy is not the fuel cutoff at 0.95bar. Any one any ideas? The car is a UK 91 SE and has just had its 60K mile B+C+drive belts service at a Lotus Dealer (they fixed the inoperative n/s window as well - ££££ ouch!). The only other mod is a K&N replacement filter. Timing and mixture were checked in the service and were OK.

Jul 11, 2001 - 12:53 - From: Rod
Title: Seat Fix
Message: Richard, is the seat fix an easy job ( do I need to take the seat out etc ), as I have limited time to do the fix, and need the car available as daily driver at the minute.

Jul 11, 2001 - 13:24 - From: Rod
Title: MBC Spike
Message: My boost tends to spike more when you are in 4th / 5th and turbo is spinning up from low engine revs. I believe there is a device with a ball bearing in it ( Grainger ??? ) that might work better - anyone got information or tried one. This is one of the better descriptions of an MBC I have found : " A manual boost controller either bleeds off or restricts the air pressure signal going to the wastegate. In effect, the wastegate is fooled into staying shut longer (thus allowing more exhaust to spin the turbo, thus making more boost). MBCs aren't very precise but they're really cheap and do work. They are prone to boost spiking because they aren't very complicated devices. Normally as boost builds, the wastegate creeps open. However w/ a MBC in the middle, when the pressure signal does indeed become strong enough to open the wastegate, the MBC doesn't allow the wastegate to open completely. Call it wastegate delay if you will. A resulting boost spike happens (as the turbo happily spins unregulated). It doesn't last long (by human standards), but hey funny things can happen when you don't have enough fuel for the boost. "

Jul 11, 2001 - 13:43 - From: Rod
Title: Bryn where are you :-)
Message: http://pages.cthome.net/gus/mike.html. Someone really ought to make one of these and try it :-)

Jul 11, 2001 - 13:57 - From: Bryn
Title: Here
Message: Rod, I'm here just reading the board!. I will be on my way home soon to try disconnecting the BSV and see if it helps control the spiking (assuming the the sleet/hail/rain has stopped), will give you an update in the morning, or have you already tried this on your track day today in order to squeeze a few more horses??

Jul 11, 2001 - 14:21 - From: Bryn
Title: Grainger MBC
Message: Hmmm, that does look interesting, maybe I should switch my metal pipe MBC production line to making these instead!. I remember discussion on this product a while ago, anyone tried one?

Jul 11, 2001 - 15:20 - From: Dan
Title: MBC - Boost spikes
Message: I have a "Grainger" style valve being used as MBC....cuts all pressure to wastegate until it hits the manually set limit then opens; brass/stainless construction. I sometimes get spikes that hit the limit -- variable conditions....I keep lowering the boost to avoid them; it seems that smooth throttle application helps, but still hits the .91 computer cutoff occasionally. Based on the discussions above, I've just disconnected the BSV (or "Boost control frequency valve" - #10 on p6 of on-line Engine Management manual [thanks, Charlie!])...I'm hoping this will help the situation. Based on Doug's description, perhaps this disconnection should be part on the MBC install procedure.

Jul 11, 2001 - 15:44 - From: Scott
Title: Grainger compressor control valve (MBC)
Message: Hey guys, I'm the one that has his Grainger pics on Doug's MBC page. I have never had a spike that has cut the engine since making/installing it. I know its set at just below the limit. I have driven the Elan in sub-freezing weather as well as 100+ degrees and the limit has never spiked. I can only assume that since I used a valve that has fine threaded adjustments (versus the knob style valves that can only adjust in wide increments) that the amount of escaping air is held consistent. I will go through my records and pull the manufacturer's name and part number for those that want to save about $100...as compared to the MBC's you find on the Honda/RiceBoy webpages. Later -Scott

Jul 11, 2001 - 18:09 - From: Rod
Title: Grainger
Message: Bryn, I saw one fitted to an MR2 turbo at the track day, the chap said he had an MBC prior to fitting the grainger and said it was better. He mentioned a cost of about $40 to buy it from somewhere in the USA. Scott where did you get yours from, or did you make it ?

Jul 12, 2001 - 04:23 - From: Bryn
Title: Eureka!!!
Message: Disconnected the BSV last night and hey presto - no spikes!! (well very little anyway). I was able to crank up the MBC and are now running around a steady .85 on the gauge, no problem. Other effect of doing this is that the car is more tractable, as you do not now get the great rush of boost which then fades away, it is now a much more steady spool up. Suggest anyone else who is suffering spikes disconnects the electrical connector to the BSV, it lives just behind the air box, bolted onto the air box mount. Cheers for the tip Doug - where do I send the cheque?!?

Jul 12, 2001 - 07:15 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Seat Collapse
Message: Rod, You need to take out the seat by releasing the 4 bolts that hold the slider mechanism to the floor. The underside of the seat is like a very cheap sunlounger where a piece of canvasey material is stretched between the 2 side rails of the seat chassis and held in place by some bent metal rod clips. The clips break at the sharp bends and the canvas drops down. I've used metal coat hanger rod to make new clips and these seem to last O.K. I don't know what the supply situation is with new clips from Lotus. The S2 seats are better as they use a metal plate that is bolted to the seat chassis. I've tried to find out whether the plate would fit the S1 seats but can't get a definate answer without getting an S1 and S2 seat and trying to swop them over - does anyone else know?

Jul 12, 2001 - 08:11 - From: Rod
Title: The Doug & Rod Show
Message: Hi Guillermo, I wondered where you had got to. NO I do not have email from you and do need to get in touch ! Try me at : rod AT mardibloke DOT co DOT uk and don't mention the top secret cartridge tech 1 project ! Although its perhaps more important you do not mention to Dougs wife "Suzi in France" :-)

Jul 12, 2001 - 08:20 - From: Rod
Title: Seat Fix
Message: Thanks Richard, will take a look under my seat tonight to see how easy the bolts are to get at.

Jul 12, 2001 - 09:41 - From: Dave M.
Title: minivan from hell
Message: Thanks, Rod for the link. Did anyone poke around that site to eventually find the minivan running a 12.6?!? Zoinks! It has inspired me to get off my butt and get some G-Tech numbers tonight. I won't be seeing 12.6 for a 1/4 (I wish), but hope to contrast stock vs. K&N vs. MBC, and also do some braking tests. I need to get some baseline numbers before fitting the underdrive pulley and the Wilwood/SMC brake upgrade (yes, I finally decided - thanks to GW's tax refund helping pay for it!). Don't expect anything too fantastic for numbers as I'm going to be easy on the clutch. It'll be the change in HP between the mods I'm curious about. We'll also see if my current brake upgrade beats the 110' the original magazine tests showed. Unless I'm pre-empted by the dear wife, I'll have numbers tomorrow.

Jul 12, 2001 - 12:26 - From: Guillermo
Title: Doug & Rod
Message: Rod I swear you I won't mention nothing on the top secret TECH1 cartridge, you remember: it is TOP SECRET !!!!!! Doug, you are on a Show with Rod ? Does you wife know that ? Does she know Suzi ? How many times a year do you travel to France ? ... how easy it is to bring rumors into the world, isn't it ?

Jul 12, 2001 - 14:56 - From: Adrian
Title: Finally a new Elan owner - need a servicing place now!!!
Message: Hi all again - just to let you know Yesterday I became the proud owner of a Red 91 Lotus Elan (Full service history with all receipts, 37K on the clock) here in California. It was a thrill to drive on the 80 mile trip home. I'll put the information up in the owners section later on but does anybody know of any Lotus servicing people in the East Bay (San Francisco)? I know of Broadwalk and Ferrari of Los Gatos but its a nice 70 miles drive to them. I want to pamper my new car well so want to see if anybody knows of anybody up the 680 corridor before I embark over a bridge to the other side of the bay!!!

Jul 12, 2001 - 15:07 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Short-throw shift kit
Message: I've had Bill's short-throw shift kit on my car for about a month (not so good with time) or so. I slightly prefer it over stock, but my girlfriend who sometimes drives the car doesn't. Anyway, I am willing to let it go if someone is dying to have it. It was balky at first, but once it had been used for awhile I guess the "high spots" got worn off, because it has much better feel than when I first installed it. You should know that the throws are VERY short, except for fifth & reverse... those 2 gears have maybe a 40% reduced throw over stock, while gears 1,2,3,4 have a throw that could be measured in millimeters, I'd say reduced by 80% over stock... it is like a gearshift on a video game, too shocking when some first shift it for them to believe, but it works. Anyway, if no one wants it badly enough I'll leave it. Keep in mind, you are paying not just for the part but for the labor of a 38-year old man bending over his car. Now if Doug will give me a nice cortisone shot in my lower back I'll come down on the price!

Jul 12, 2001 - 15:12 - From: Rod
Title: Newbie and Shift Kit
Message: Congratulations on the purchase Adrian, I hope it brings you as many smiles as the rest of us experience. Matt !!! Have you forgotten how bad the standard shift is ? I would not go back, and everyone that has sat in my car and experienced Bills shift kit, love it. Perhaps you should change the girlfriend ?

Jul 12, 2001 - 16:05 - From: DAVE
Title: WHEELS
Message: CAN SOME ONE TELL ME BEST PLACE TO GET WHEELS STRAIGHTENED .WHEELS TO BAD TO BALANCE SOME PLACE AROUND ESSEX UK WOULD BE GOOD

Jul 12, 2001 - 17:44 - From: George
Title: Elan lunch meet and N. CA meet
Message: Guys, I am thinking about having another Bay Area's owner's get together on the 21st of July. Which is the next Sat. Also, I am planning a bigger N. CA Drive and Work Shop meet on the 4th of Aug. Come on people, everyone in CA or neighboring states, let's all meet up, do a work shop and party like it's 1991!!! Contact me if you are interested in meeting up for lunch and if you are interested in getting together in Aug.!!! By the way Doug, recruit some of the blokes in S. CA would you... :-)

Jul 12, 2001 - 18:43 - From: Russ
Title: Russ - where is the report - HERE
Message: Here - been busy:-) Anyway went to a Castle Combe track day Yesterday. First surprise was arriving for scruitineering to park in the queue 2 cars back from a Ferrari F50 - bloody gorgeous, all £300k's of it (that's half a million dollars!). Sadly it didn't make it through the noise test and wasn't allowed out on the track so the driver had to share his mates Maranello. There were 30 cars (max for day is 70) there so we ran in 3 groups of 10ish once we'd been out in the back of the race school cars for the instructors to point out lines etc. Took about 1/2 hour but lunch is only 1/2 hour so you get the track time back. There's free instruction available all day, some people had 4 or 5 sessions with an instructor. I did one, the instructor was very impressed with the Elans handling. Went with a half worn set of pads which were completely shot by lunch time. I can now absolutely confirm that Astra pads fit after I had the local tyre/exhaust/brake centre chuck some in. (I'll post the Lucas part Nr sometime). I can also confirm that a cheapo road pad doesn't brake nearly as well as an EBC greenstuff and first couple of times out before bedding in it was quite alarming - however concentrates the mind. Otherwise car ran faultlessly, got away from a Elise sport 160 which was satisfying but the driver wasn't really trying, there were a few quick Scooby imports (280bhp upwards) who were taking 100yds or so a lap or so out of me (although one of them on intermediate tyres was much more impressively quick) as was the Maranello, a Caterham Supersport who managed to lap me in 6 laps (he was very very quick, he was lapping in 1'17" same as the saloon race cars do). A girly in a supercharged MR2 who reckoned she had 190bhp but the performance was near identical to my Elan although judging by the number of moments she had and the twice she went off she was a lot closer to the limit on the bends. Lotus Carlton spitting flames was impressive, some normal road cars and a MX5 that weren't really in the picture but the standard Audi A6 2.8 quattro was a revelation - I couldn't get past him to start with and later he was pulling away from me. Disappointment of the day was a Renault Clio Williams which I thought would be a lot quicker than it was. Q car of the day went to a very very tidy VW golf that looked absolutely normal from the outside, inside he had a 2.0litre V5 from the S3 that was very very heavily breathed on to the extent that he could outdrag the Maranello and a Porsche GT4 down the main straight. Got a new (to me) set of wheels organised in the next few weeks and I'm going to put those Yoko A032R's on for track days, that'll get me round the bends significantly faster than my current V rated Goodyear 'neverwears'. Listening with extreme interest to the MBC threads, keep the info flowing. Great Day, Great track, Great Value - recommended. Wish I'd taken a camera but I'll get some photo's through from the track photographer in a week or so.

Jul 12, 2001 - 18:45 - From: Russ
Title: Grainger MBC Valve
Message: Just want to keep this one hot - anyone know where they're obtained from.

Jul 12, 2001 - 18:49 - From: Scott
Title: MBC part #, from Grainger
Message: Rod - I bought the valve from Grainger, a wholesaler of parts to businesses only (I used to work for a manufacturing company and had easy access). The part is made by ARO, a subsidiary of Ingersoll-Rand. The part number on the bag is (1) 4ZJ85. Another number on it is 20313-2-G. But I think the 4ZJ85 is what is needed. There's a telephone number on the package of 419-633-1212. If there is a Grainger around you, their part number is D23B904. Hope that helps. -Scott

Jul 12, 2001 - 19:15 - From: Russ
Title: More Boost Controllers
Message: Someone asked about the Redline Boost Controller http://www.cnw.com/~redline/RBC.htm a while ago. Did anyone try one? It seems to have the ball bearing thingy :-)

Jul 12, 2001 - 19:45 - From: Rod
Title: Redline boost controller
Message: Hmm, that looks something worth considering, however USA supplier ( hence we get stung for postage ) and its quite expensive too.

Jul 12, 2001 - 19:48 - From: Rod
Title: Castle Combe Track Report
Message: Thanks Russ. I was out last week with a Mk1 MR2 Supercharger, he was just a tad quicker than me, but had local knowledge of the track, I got closer to him as the day went on. Also out was an imported Mk2 MR2 Turbo, I appeared to be easily keeping up with it, which I thought was odd. The Caterhams walked all over me, many of them only have 130bhp, but they are very light. They do get affected by carrying a passenger though.

Jul 12, 2001 - 21:14 - From: Joel
Title: Adrian & George in the Bay area
Message: Gongrats on your new Elan, Adrian. Enjoy! But when you need service you do not have to cross a bridge (and you probably should avoid Boardwalk Motors, anyway). Try Barry Spencer in Hayward (near the east end of the SM bridge)--I have mentioned him before on this board, and I don't think you can do better in the East Bay. His shop is Spencer's European and he is a transplanted Brit (with Lotus factory experience). The only down side is that he is often quite busy so you may have to book well ahead and be prepared to leave the car for a day or two. As for George and all the others in the Bay area, don't forget that the All British Car Meet in Palo Alto, September 9th is another opportunity to get a group together. It's a great place to meet and talk cars plus there are all kinds of lunch places available across the street in the Stanford Shopping center. The GGLC usually gets about 50 Lotus cars to come out for the event and there are 100's of other interesting examples of British hardware to be seen, as well. Right now I am planning to be back in Livermore for that weekend, and will definitely drive my M100 there if these plans work out. Contact me for more details and maybe to help arrange an East Bay caravan to the show in the AM. Happy Lotusing, Joel

Jul 13, 2001 - 03:45 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: Redline Boost Controller
Message: It was me who was looking into this boost controller, but found a complete lack of interest from the company to ship it outside the US. I could not find anyone in this country (UK) who carried any ball & spring type boost controllers. I opted in the end for a 'high performance boost controller' from TurboXS (http://www.turboxs.com) which combines a variable ball and spring valve with a variable bleed valve. The bleed adjustment is to allow the wastegate to empty between shifts, but does also contribute somewhat to increased boost. A bit pricey but at least they would ship to the UK ($15 for 5-7 day shipping). The Grainger one works exactly the same way except the bleed is fixed, but is cheaper. Having driven the car since fitting it, and sorting out my previous problem (sorry for the 4 copies appearing on the list) the car is a lot more responsive and even more fun to drive :-)

Jul 13, 2001 - 07:53 - From: Ian
Title: So many questions....
Message: First up, it's back to an old favourite... leaks. Although I now get very few leaks from the A post seals where I used to have a horrible permanent dribble, especially on the passenger side, it has started to piss on both the driver and passenger from the top of the windscreen. Specifically, water dribbles onto the outer edge of the sun visors before running perfectly onto the outer legs of both driver and passenger. Any suggestions for sorting this out? Would it help if I got some digi photos of the seals on the top of the windscreen perhaps? Second question... I'm still (along with most owners on here it seems) toying with the idea of MBC/Bypass Valve. My two main reservations remain though... 1 - Is it likely that either/both of these mods will instantly invalidate my insurance? 2 - I really dislike the sound of a bypass valve and the attention it brings, however the product on the page mentioned a couple of posts ago http://www.turboxs.com/racing_bypass_valve.htm - seems to not vent into the atmosphere and hence avoid the unpleasant sound effects. Is this the case, or have I misunderstood. If so, is it suitable for the Elan? Thanks as ever for any help -Ian

Jul 13, 2001 - 08:13 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Factory Service
Message: I'm taking my car to be serviced by the factory's own service department, now located in the old F1 workshops at Ketteringham Hall, on Monday. I'll let you know how they perform.

Jul 13, 2001 - 08:19 - From: Dave M.
Title: best laid plans...
Message: Welcome Adrian. Glad to hear you've got the bug. Ian, the HKS blow off seems relatively easy to plumb back into the intake. I just haven't had time yet. I'll get pictures to Doug when I do. Speaking of haven't had time: the wife was great, but got pre-empted by the KIDS last night so no G-Tech. We're out for the weekend, but I will get something to the board first thing next week.

Jul 13, 2001 - 08:40 - From: Bryn
Title: a few answers...
Message: Ian, don't know much about the alternatives to the bypass valves you will find links to on this site, but guess the challenge with any alternative to these will be getting it mounted. This will require fabrication of a rigid upper intercooler pipe unless you keep the existing hose which is prob not suitable for either mounting the valve to, or for coping with any additional pressure (although some owners have used it?). My HKS valve was too noisy for my taste, to quiet this you can either run a tube from the valve into the bottom of the air box as someone suggested on the board last month, or as I did make a small silencer. The silencer I made is about the size of a small spray can (as coincidently that was the raw material!) and sits out of site down by the gearbox, I ran a 2 ft length of hose from the silencer to the vent on the bypass valve. The valve is now only just audible (just enough to let you know it is doing its job). As this was my first attempt at making a silencer I was prepared to make some mods to quiet it further, but it worked just fine so I left it as it is. I can recommend the MBC mod after you have fitted the bypass valve, it really is worthwhile. With regard to insurance, that is a tricky one, don't declare the mods and you run the risk of no pay out by your insurers in the event of an incident, tell them and they may not cover you for the mods, or charge you a crazy rate. Before I did my mods I spoke to the insurer and surprisingly they covered the bypass valve & MBC at no extra cost, I just had to be a little creative about what these mods actually did (i.e. a bypass valve actually reduces wear on the engine, it's real common mod on the Elan blah, blah). If you do this also make certain you give them something in writing so your covered in the event it all goes horribly wrong. Anyone interested in making a silencer, just drop me an email and I will explain what I did in more detail.

Jul 13, 2001 - 08:42 - From: Ade
Title: Hood leaks
Message: Ian, I have the same problem, which only started after having a new hood header seal fitted. There is adjustment on the hood locking catches. I tried this but it did not fix the leak, but may work for you. I then fitted some draught seal, (rubber type), you can get it from any diy store, to where the header seal settles and this stopped the leak. Draught seal is only a temporary fix as next time I go to a car show I will get some better quality rubber. The softer the rubber the better.

Jul 13, 2001 - 11:09 - From: Dan
Title: Matt - short throw shift kit
Message: You must have never driven an early Elan or Europa - shorter throws than M100 with Bill's kit [and certainly nothing equipped with a Hewland box - like Formula Ford - those "throws" are done with 2 fingers and less than 1/2 the distance of an early Elan...much closer to video game]. If I were you, I'd change girlfriends (you let her drive the M100 and SHE COMPLAINS?!?!?) before I'd swap out the short throw shift kit.........unless you're practicing for the rowing team.

Jul 13, 2001 - 11:31 - From: Jack
Title: Boost gauge
Message: My boost gauge is dead. I am looking at replacing it with an aftermarket item but seem to find mostly "manual" boost gauges. Has anyone else replaced their gauges and had to go this route?

Jul 13, 2001 - 16:13 - From: Adrian
Title: N. CA meet and servicing
Message: George 21st is no good for me. This brit needs to help another brit pack a big u-haul!!! But August might work. And Joel thanks for that tip I knew there must be some others here in the bay, especially the East bay. Still a little drive for me from Brentwood, but hey its closer than Redwood City!!! Oh Doug didn't say thanks to that about Smogging a car. When I bought mine the other day the chap didn't have a Smog certificate within 60 days so took it to Arco on my advice (from you). Passed with flying colors!

Jul 13, 2001 - 16:53 - From: Alan
Title: Factory service
Message: Richard, is this service the really big one? I won't steal your thunder, let us know how it went.

Jul 15, 2001 - 14:56 - From: John
Title: Contact
Message: Just a quick note to say thanks to Jeff/Geoff who I met outside Sainsburys in Woldingham today who told me of this website. I have been driving a Palacio S2 for 6 months now and although there have been a few problems - brakes and Alarm seizing on me - I still think it is the dogs!!! Does anyone know how many S2's were fitted with A/C and how many S2's were made in the palacio colour? Cheers John

Jul 15, 2001 - 15:46 - From: charlie
Title: adrian, boardwalk. boost gauges
Message: Adrian, do not go to boardwalk lotus in redwood city, they are a VW dealer mix, it looks like the typical rich owner wants to have an exotic brand has a hankering for lotus, they have no factory trained mechanics, nor do they have much of a clue either, i've had nothing but problems with them ( i used to work almost next door to them, so its a shame they are so clueless ). FLG is the best in the area that i know of (at last south bay), its not so far =), there is a lotus dealer in SF but i think they're just a seller, don't think its an official shop. As for boost gauges i replaced all of mine with AutoTech Phantoms easy to get almost anywhere. If you can't find the numbers i'll dig them out or do a search on the board for autotech or phantom, I posted about them before, I went for the white faced dials, which I like although I've noticed that the rear illumination can be off a little( not even or dimmer), but they are very visible at times when you can't see the red/black ones. Other than that they are much nicer gauges than the original VDO's the battery and the turbo are real easy to fit, i haven't figured out the oil one yet, since it requires me finding the oil sender, which i haven't been able to do yet.

Jul 15, 2001 - 18:11 - From: Rod
Title: John's S2
Message: Welcome to you and your S2 John. I assumed all S2's had air con fitted, as guessed that for a build run of 800 cars, Lotus would just want to spec them all the same, to cut down on costs.

Jul 15, 2001 - 19:28 - From: steve
Title: s2
Message: Air con was a £1085.00 option on the s2, other options that were charged for were leather, metallic paint, blue hood, nardi wheel, and various clarion audio units. Not too sure on the exact colour numbers for the s2, i would be interested in that too but from memory at time of purchase the dealer said that azure blue, medina green and palacio were new colours to the s2, so they were only available on the last few s2 cars but have no idea what last few is :-]

Jul 15, 2001 - 19:34 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: MBC
Message: Hey guys, here are some really good web sites regarding MBC's. They are geared at the former Chrysler turbo, but except for the exact PSI numbers dicussed the same applies to our cars. They are really good at explaining things and also show a detailed description with pictures of a Grainger valve being installed. http://www.allpar.com/mopar/boost-creep.html  http://www.allpar.com/eek/turbobleeds.html  http://www.xmission.com/~dempsey/perform/grainger.htm 

Jul 15, 2001 - 19:47 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: MBC
Message: Here is the web-site where you can buy these... $35 with free international shipping!! http://www.dawesdevices.com/boost.html 

Jul 15, 2001 - 21:29 - From: Bill Luton
Title: bleeder valves
Message: I would have to recommend against the Dawes Devises bleeder valve (super boost controller). This is the same twist style Grainger valve described on many of the Dodge pages which costs between seven and nine dollars to put together (excluding the hose and T, but all you guys are looking for is the vale to splice into the existing hose anyway). I built one of these from the parts list on one of those Dodge pages, and found that the threaded body leaks pressure when you just put the end up to your mount and blow through it. Twisting this threaded body is how the valve is adjusted, and there is no way to seal it without making the valve non-adjustable. I would also say that a turbo can put out a little more pressure than me blowing on the barbed end of a valve piece, so the leak would be worse. The valve that Scott put together impresses me a lot more for both precision and also for not leaking._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 16, 2001 - 06:08 - From: Rod
Title: Business Opp
Message: Bill, have you considered trying to get a supply of the part that Scott used, and then supplying to M100 owners ?

Jul 16, 2001 - 06:12 - From: Geoff
Title: Hi John!!
Message: Hi John! Glad you managed to find the web site. It was very nice to meet you yesterday, and to see your very tidy car! As I said, this message board is absolutely invaluable to any Elan owner as there are so many people that write here that are so knowledgeable about the car. Everyone's always really keen to help with any problems, and they often arrange outings, etc. I have relied on advice from these guys from the time I was going to look at my first Elan six months ago, and they truly are experts! Take care mate, Geoff.

Jul 16, 2001 - 06:22 - From: Russ
Title: UK Social Elan Chat
Message: There seems to have been a bit of traffic on the british sports car BBS at www.british-cars.co.uk  over the last few days from UK elan owners looking for the social side of elan ownership and driving which admittedly gets submerged on here with the (extremely useful) technical stuff. So for any UK owners looking to meet up and drive their cars it might be worth looking into once in a while and maybe (just maybe) we can arrange that get together that surfaces from time to time. Went to Supercar Sunday at The Heritage Motor Museum at Gaydon yesterday, 500 plus (invited) supercars all parked up in the display arena including a row of Lotus's (no M100's but mine will be there next year as I've aranged an invite, it just sat in the public car park this year). Too many Ferraris to count (60 plus?), 10 or 12 Diablos/Countaches, 12 Vipers, 16 De Loreans, 6 or 7 GT40's (replicas?), 10(ish) De Tomaso's, Loads or Porsches, TVR's, Jags (including an XJ220), Astons, Caterhams/Westfields, Jappo stuff, A Metro 6R4, A Ford RS200, Ultima's, Delta Integrale's, Mustangs, Cobras (mostly replicas) and rakes of other exotica. Good day out all in all and worth a trip next year for those in the midlands/south of UK.

Jul 16, 2001 - 07:40 - From: Ash
Title: Blaupunkt Radio/cassette
Message: Hi again! does anyone in the UK have an original Blaupunkt Radio/cassette spare, and would like to sell it? I have one in mine but recently the cassette side has become a little bit flaky, and although I have a fantastic CD player sitting at home, I am a bit loath to fit it, having had one of my other cars broken into in an attempt to remove said player! (I had the front with me and I interrupted them!- did not catch the buggers though!), I would obviously need the code to go with it as well, and manual if that were available! cheers for your help guys! Ash

Jul 16, 2001 - 08:56 - From: MartinC
Title: End of an era........
Message: Well, I didn't want to admit it but I've been thinking about changing my Elan for a while now and last week I ended up putting a deposit down on a TVR Griffith 500. After a test drive I couldn't reach for my wallet quick enough........I didn't realise cars could go that quick (0-60 in 4 secs)! And best of all it's still British!!. Suffice to say my dear old Elan is now up for sale. I have it registered on Exchange and Mart and Autotrader (both online) at the mo, but thought I would see if anyone is interested on here as well. It is registered on here in the owners bit but basically is a '92 J Pacific Blue, 51,000, Stainless Exhaust, CD, FLSH including recent B&C service. The engine was replaced after 10K (very rare) and so is fresher than the car. As I need to sell quick I would accept £11,500 and am in SW London. Get in touch by my email if interested. Its going to be hard seeing her go...!!

Jul 16, 2001 - 09:05 - From: Dave M.
Title: numbers!
Message: "Stock" Elan (w/exhaust and blow-off valve) & K&N filter, 3 run averages: 0-60: 6.43. 1/4 mi.: 15.11 @ 95.4. K&N + MBC: 0-60: 6.15. 1/4 mi.: 14.63 @ 101.9. I found some perfect flat roads around some fields here for testing (and probably really confused an older gentleman sitting on his porch in the process-he probably thought I was REALLY lost as much as I drove by). I will have a part two as the braking measurement function of the G-Tech didn't seem to work and like a dork I forgot the original air filter to put the car in "stock" form. The HP function also didn't seem to give reliable figures (183 wheel HP w/MBC and 171 w/o?!?), so I will revise my procedure and have another go. I'm putting all the data in a spreadsheet that maybe Doug can post. Now to wait for another day similar in temp and humidity to run again! Definitely an eye opener on how much performance the MBC gives, though! BTW, the best 1/4 mi was a 14.25 @ 106.3. :) Smelled clutch on that one...

Jul 16, 2001 - 09:31 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: MBC
Message: Bill, there I was all excited about finding a good cheap MBC and you off and debunk it! My problem with a straight bleed valve is boost creep, not spiking. Will a good quality ball & spring valve (like the one made by TurboXS that someone else mentioned) pretty much solve that problem? They are asking $129 for theirs, so I would agree with Rod that there would be a market for you to offer a cheaper, but still acceptable alternative, should you choose to.

Jul 16, 2001 - 09:43 - From: Steve
Title: Wheel Colour
Message: I'm going to get my wheels painted this week. What does anyone think about having them being painted a gunmetal colour. (dark grey metallic) I'm very unsure myself. That colour looks good on an Elise, but a yellow Elan ???

Jul 16, 2001 - 10:32 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Another crazy thought
Message: If you're manually controlling your boost and have everything pretty well sorted out, but there is just that one slight problem area (like 100mph in fourth gear!) that you seldom see but have boost creep that just barely exceeds the preset fuel cut-out... you could always wire a relay off your ignition switch that is armed in the ACC position, and use this as the power supply to the fuel pump. I have done similar things on other cars to power different devices. I am not endorsing this, I'm just throwing it out as an idea to avoiding fuel cutoff. If you are constantly exceeding your boost cutoff level, this is definitely not the way to go.

Jul 16, 2001 - 13:11 - From: Dave M.
Title: tidbits
Message: Steve, after a recent track day, I got home to clean the wheels and they were a darker grey to what you mentioned (hardly uniform, though!). I thought it looked great with white and imagine with yellow it would look great, too. Kind of a BMW M5 "titanium" wheel color. Very nice. My two cents on the MBCs: I spent about $30 on materials and got the above numbers. If one of the pre-made units can improve performance more, let me know and I'll order, too. Otherwise, save your cash for other goodies.

Jul 16, 2001 - 13:33 - From: Matt
Title: boost creep
Message: Here I am at lunch today, running no MBC, totally with the stock ECU & solenoid control hooked up, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am I hit the fuel cutoff in 4th gear same as with the MBC (at around 95-100mph). It is a problem of boost creep bcuz I watched that turbo gauge, after pausing at 6.5 bar, creep right on up until it hit the fuel cutoff just past .9 bar. So, to all of you in the UK that wondered if Bill's exhaust would flow more air than your non-catalyst exhaust, more even than the wastegate can process, let that be your answer. I did install the system without the cat, don't know if anyone else has done that.

Jul 17, 2001 - 04:13 - From: jeremy
Title: creep?
Message: Sorry guys, what is boost creep? Could it be this that is causing my car to cut the ignition as the turbo really gets going. Its not my wastegate/sensors etc. Short words and simple sentences please.

Jul 17, 2001 - 06:26 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Lotus Service Centre
Message: I have had the 198,000 mile service done at Ketteringham Hall and they did just fine although I didn't give them a lot to do - only an 'A' service plus a few little things that I hadn't got around to doing myself. They did just what I asked, nothing more, nothing less. They have a little card which shows the service costs but my bill was 40UKP more than this - not quite sure why as the labour charge was 1.8 x their hourly rate which is correct for an 'A' service. What the hell. It's a nice place with loads of history and just being in the same workshops where Andretti, Mansell, Senna and, of course Chapman used to lurk was worth the trip. It actually brought back sad memories for me as well because the last time that I was there was on the Friday following the deaths of Roland Ratzenburger and Ayrton Senna. The mood was very sombre then as you could imagine. Alessandro Zanardi was the only one laughing and joking, everyone else was looking very glum, Senna being not just Senna but also the last person to win a Grand Prix in a Lotus. Ho-hum.

Jul 17, 2001 - 07:24 - From: Bryn
Title: Wheel Colour
Message: Steve, there was an Elan at Donington last year in white with gunmetal grey S2 wheels and they looked great. IMO better then the standard silver finish. Maybe Rod has a picture of this Elan on his web site somewhere?

Jul 17, 2001 - 08:02 - From: Richard Steele
Title: VIN's
Message: Adrian and John, Welcome to the list, if you decide to add your cars details to the Owners list can you put the 10th letter (from the left) and the last 4 digits of the VIN code as this denotes the build year and serial number. Thanks Richard M100 Register

Jul 17, 2001 - 08:27 - From: Steve
Title: Wheel colour & Rod's page
Message: I'm going to back off the idea of gunmetal coloured wheels. I'm just not brave enough. At £30 a time it will cost too much if I've made a mistake. Any one know what has happened to Rod's pages www.lotus.thepitlane.com seems to be unavailable

Jul 17, 2001 - 08:46 - From: Rod
Title: Wheel Colour / Web Page
Message: I think it was Adrian's white Elan that had the wheels done. I think they looked great on a white car, not sure about putting them on a darker coloured car, however Silver/Yellow cars might be ok. You can still get to the lotus.thepitlane.com site sometimes, but it became so unreliable I moved to www.mardibloke.co.uk the problem is that most of the old pictures are still on the old site. So I have put a picture of Adrians car here : http://www.mardibloke.co.uk/trackdays/DSCN0013.JPG 

Jul 17, 2001 - 08:50 - From: Rod
Title: Lotus Service Centre
Message: Richard, do you mind me asking what the total cost for the service was. I am ready for an A service, and ready to try a new dealer. I noticed one in Birmingham had a "special" offer at £99 for A service, but wouldn't mind making the trip to Ketteringham Hall.

Jul 17, 2001 - 08:57 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Turbo Boost Creep and Spiking
Message: Jeremy, This is cut & pasted from the web site http://www.allpar.com/mopar/boost-creep.html - it will probably look like crap without the formatting but here goes... Turbo Boost Creep and Spiking Boost creep is rising boost due to not enough exhaust bypassing the housing. For example, you're set for 13 psi, and when you floor it, you get a quick rise to 13 or 14 psi. But then as rpm's climb, the boost creeps higher and higher: 14, 15, 16, 17, etc. Enlargening the wastegate hole is one cure for boost creep, as you did. Spiking is when your wastegate hole is large enough, but your actuator can is taking too long to fill with compressed air, so you *temporarily* overshoot your boost level. Example: you're set for 13 psi, and when you floor it it quickly rises to 16 psi, but then gradually drops downward towards 13 psi again. A common problem with modded engines is a combination of spiking AND boost creep. That's where you're set for 13 psi, and when you floor if it overshoots to 16 psi, *begins* to drop back down, but as the rpm's rise it goes up again! Normal boost rise when set to 13 psi = shoots up to 14, then 13, 13, 13... Spiking = shoots up to 16, then 15, 14, 13, 13, 13... Boost creep = shoots up to 14, then 13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17... Spiking and boost creep = shoots up to 16, then 15, 14, 13, 14, 15, 16,17... Set a manual boost control to 11 psi and floor it slowly in high gear. It should go to 11 psi and hold it pretty well. If it starts to slowly climb over 11 psi as the rpm's get high, that's "creeping". The boost creeps higher at high rpm's because there's too much exhaust flow for the wastegate hole to bypass. Now go to 11 psi again, but tromp on it quickly! It will shoot to 13, or 14, or 15 psi, then drop down to 11 and stay there. That's "spiking". Spiking is a quick flash of high boost that goes a little beyond your set boost point. If you are set for 11 psi, and you tromp on it quickly, this might happen: boost "spikes" to 14, quickly drops to 11, then slowly "creeps" back to 14 or more as the rpm's climb. Now you are seeing spiking followed by creeping! ;)

Jul 17, 2001 - 10:44 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Bill - opinion
Message: Bill, I would be interested in getting your opinion on these 2 MBCs... (thanks) http://www.boostcontroller.com/products2.html  - $48 http://www.boostvalve.com/moreinfo.html  - $45

Jul 17, 2001 - 10:46 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: 'A' service
Message: Lotus charged 117ukp labour then the usual 'Sudries' (WTF they are!), oil, filter and sump plug washer. All of this 'plus yer VAT Guvner'. Was the 99 quid at Nick Whale and inclusive of parts and VAT? If it was then I would get them to do the service (I recommend them also) and spend the money you save on a nice hotel in Norfolk somewhere. Book a factory tour if available, call in at Ketteringham Hall for a wander round and a photo or two (everyone very friendly) and give Classic Team Lotus a ring and see if they will let you have a butcher's in their workshops too. In fact, it seems so good I might even come with you.

Jul 17, 2001 - 11:00 - From: jeremy
Title: cheers matt
Message: Thanks,... I think I get it now.

Jul 17, 2001 - 12:26 - From: Bill Luton
Title: valve
Message: Matt, the first of the two looks to be more solidly built. The second one is a variation of the twist body type valve with the fitting tapped into the side. The part that gives it away is the hex shaped body and the little thin lock nut on the large threaded knob._ _ _Bill Luton

Jul 17, 2001 - 14:53 - From: DAVE
Title: RPM
Message: COULD ENY BODY TELL ME WHAT THE REV'S SHOULD BE AT TICK OVER? AT THE MOMENT ITS AT 1000 JUST HAD BC SERVICE AT HR AWEN IT SEEMS HIGHER THEN WHEN IT WENT IN IS IT EASY TO SLOW IT DOWN?

Jul 17, 2001 - 15:04 - From: Adrian
Title: boardwalk in Northern CA
Message: Would love to hear feedback from others who have used Boardwalk. I found them on the USA Lotus Dealer web page and have noticed from viewing their website that they don't seem to sell Lotus's. I've also spoken to them there (when I was researching another Elan) and they said they service a lot of Elans- so anybody else here go there? I also spoke to FLG and they indicated they get very few Elans in and Boardwalk gets most of them. Just interested in folks feedback. But Boardwalk and FLG are a bit of a drive from Brentwood so I think I might try that place in Hayward one of the other chaps mentioned. But please still let me know, I do not like going to services places that do a sloppy job!

Jul 17, 2001 - 15:13 - From: Paul Sloper
Title: ALTERNATOR
Message: The alternator on my 91 elan se many be U/S. can anyone tell me what I need to remove to get my alternator off the car so I can get it tested. Paul

Jul 17, 2001 - 15:42 - From: Loren
Title: Alternator R&R
Message: Paul: Removed the power steering top hose and container in order to get at and undo the adjusting bolt (which un-tensions the belt). Then there are two bolts and a bracket from below. Don't forget the connector and a wire to undo from the back end as well. Not much room to drop down but it does with much twisting. The reinstallation is more difficult because you have to hold it in position, hold the bracket in position and bolt it as well - I rigged up a support wire from above first. Turned out the alternator was fine - I had a bad connection at the maxi-fuse block. thank you, Loren

Jul 17, 2001 - 15:46 - From: Ade
Title: Wheel colour.
Message: Steve, Rod and Bryn were right my elan was at Donington this year. The wheels are painted with a metallic grey paint, I had it mixed specially. It does not have to be expensive, to paint the full set of wheels only cost £18.I sprayed them myself using my own compressor, (you could hire one). They were painted with twin pack paint, with no need to lacquer after and it gives a really high class finish. Technically using twin pack is I believe illegal because it is toxic whilst being sprayed, but if you are outside or in a well ventilated area and you wear a mask you should be o.k. I agree with Rod about using it on a dark colour car, It may work or it may not, try one wheel and see. If you want to know more e-mail me. Whilst I am here I would just like to mention that I shall be at the Club Lotus Welsh Weekend, this is August bank holiday. This is a three day stay at Bodelwynddan Castle. The reason I mention this is that on the Sunday there is always a run out after breakfast to some place of interest. There is always quite a variety of lotus and plenty of them, about 60 and last year there were several M100,s. So anyone wishing to join the convoy I am sure would be more than welcome.

Jul 17, 2001 - 15:56 - From: George
Title: Adrian, Boardwalk
Message: Adrian, I got my gas tank replaced at Boardwalk. After that, I tried them for services... The bottom line is that those people don't know jack! The service is bad, attitudes there are bad, always mess up on part orders, and they have no clue at all. Read my piece under "Owners' Reviews" about Boardwalk. Don't go there, trust me.

Jul 18, 2001 - 07:15 - From: Steve
Title: Wheel colour
Message: Thanks Ade, but I'm having mine powder coated to silver. That's why its costing £30 a touch. I'm just not brave enough to go for the gunmetal colour, which is nearly black, on a yellow car.

Jul 18, 2001 - 09:47 - From: jeremy
Title: wheel colours
Message: When I was looking for a set of 17 " wheels for the car, I was keen not to spend 800ukp on wheels which did not look right on the car. I scanned a side on picture of my car into photoshop on the pc and then tried various wheel options scanned from a car mag. You could also recolour wheels on a scan to see whether they would look cool or not. I see you have already come to a decision Steve but its an easy way to visualise what you're contemplating.

Jul 18, 2001 - 16:15 - From: Frank Dombrowski
Title: Alternate final drive
Message: Does any know of a lower( higher numerically ) final drive for the M100 Elan?

Jul 18, 2001 - 17:17 - From: Dean
Title: LOG21
Message: LOG21 will be here soon (August 24-26), how many folks are taking the trip to Worcester Massachusetts? It looks like there will be at least a few M100's in attendance.

Jul 18, 2001 - 17:19 - From: Dean
Title: LOG21 again
Message: Sorry, forgot the link for those of you who are not familiar with Lotus Ltd. http://www.lotuscarclub.org

Jul 18, 2001 - 18:38 - From: Matt Pritchard
Title: Insurance quotes
Message: Thought I'd give you the benefit of my shopping around this very afternoon for insurance quotes for my beloved. Myself (25yrs old just) and my father are joint owners of the car - insure it in his name for obvious reasons. He's got 7 points on the license, I've managed 3 (none of which were acquired in the Elan I might add) Full no claims etc - limited ourselves to 6,000 miles per year for the 1990 SE Turbo. Best quote I got was from CIS (Co-Operative Insurance Services) at £370 with a compulsory excess of £50 and a voluntary of £150. Not bad considering my age, our collective points and the hike in prices due to all these personal injury claims nowadays. Their number is 0800 868500 alternatively you might try Hill House Hammond who quoted us at £416 Hope that helps Matt

Jul 18, 2001 - 19:39 - From: Rod
Title: UK Insurance
Message: Matt, would you care to admit your Dad's age, and give us a rough idea where you are in the country ?

Jul 18, 2001 - 20:55 - From: charlie
Title: boardwalk
Message: FLG gets a lot of lotus's through though, and they sell a quite a few esprits and all the elans they can get, there aren't that many elans around, plus you're getting factory trained technicians, they treat the cars really well. I rarely ever saw elans at boardwalk, in fact when i went in one day to find out about a replacement windshield the guy selling the lotus's want to know what kind of car i was driving, he went right up to it and wouldn't believe it was a lotus =) they only usually have one or two in stock, and often its just a race model elise. FLG aren't cheap though which is one of the reasons you don't see a lot of elans there, you'll see the odd elise though as well, but the really know what they are on about and get stuff really quickly.. Boardwalk just say no!. George seems to have a good mechanic. I had some issues with FLG now and again, but overall i had a great service relationship with them , and what dealer is perfect, i only wish california wasn't so long =) i'd be still using them. Go down and visit them, they're in campbell on whiteoaks, you'll be surprised by the facilities and the amount of cool cars they have around there ( and if you live close by you get to ride home, after dropping the car off, in one of them)..

Jul 19, 2001 - 06:29 - From: John Gordon
Title: Buying an Elan M100
Message: I am presently looking to buy an Elan M100, please forward your details if you have one for sale

Jul 19, 2001 - 07:49 - From: Rod
Title: John needs an Elan
Message: Good choice John ! I guess from your email address you are based in the UK. Check the forsale section on this web site, and also the owners section ( I noticed a few people mentioning they might sell in there ). I noticed what looked like a nice blue S2 in exchange and mart last week, just looked at the exchange and mart web site ( http://www.ixm.co.uk/ ) and there is a good selection available from £7450 to £19000. You could also try the autotrader web site ( www.autotrader.co.uk ), again nice and easy to search for Elan's. Good luck with finding one, and do make sure you pick a good one, as bad ones will cost you a lot of money to sort out.

Jul 19, 2001 - 07:58 - From: R.Steele@ftel.co.uk
Title: Palacio and S2's
Message: John, In my register I have only 5 Palacio S2's with VIN codes and another 10 without VIN's. Of the 167 S2's I have listed only 7 have A/C but I don't have the full info on all of these. Do you want to add yours to my register?

Jul 19, 2001 - 09:09 - From: Ian H
Title: Brakes
Message: Sorry, to bring it up again. My car has just failed it's MOT, so I have now replaced the front calipers (exchanged) £50UKP, new pads EBC green stuff, New discs £78UKP grooved. Exchanged Rear Discs £25 each (normally 98UKP - new) from SJSportscars.co.uk. New rear Brake Pipes, new rear bearings £15 each. I have done all of this myself so if anyone needs any help on the above please feel free to contact me. If anyone need any spare parts I have found a flood damaged Lotus Elan at a dismantlers, now minus one rear light cluster, due to a incident involving some bullbars. Cheers Ian.

Jul 19, 2001 - 09:57 - From: Dave M.
Title: LOG/computer "design"
Message: Dean, I will be attending the LOG. Have you heard anything more on a M100 tech session. The latest Remarque had something about a walk-through session with a car available for "eyes-on". We may not have a lot of attendees, but it could be a great meeting for those of us there. I'd be interested in helping/presenting. If anyone is heading to MA from the west, let me know and maybe we could meet and drive in together. I'll be coming in from MI, through Ontario and NY along 90 most likely, but would side trip to run with more Loti. Jeremy, I did the same with a bitmap file when I was considering painting my calipers. I was checking red and yellow by adding a little color between a few of the spokes on a side pic of the car.

Jul 19, 2001 - 13:52 - From: Rod
Title: MOT
Message: Sounds like you have been keeping busy Ian, congratulations on the hard work to get it through the MOT. Mine is due and I have been nervously looking at the rust build up on my rear disks. Do SJSportscars have more rear disks do you know ?

Jul 19, 2001 - 14:27 - From: Dave Schmid
Title: Trading Places- Racing
Message: I finally got confirmation on my 340R and pick it up in two weeks, so I will retire the M100 after this season. My daughter decided she rather have the M100 rather than the TR6 (I brought her up right), so I will probably make it streetable again. I don't have all the interior parts, but she rather keep the race seats, harnesses and open feeling. I will probably remove the roll cage and put on a convertible hood to keep some of the weather out. If I decide to part out more this Fall, I'll let yous know. I'm not sure whether I will keep the race suspension for the black M100 or sell it. I need a set of useable head light buckets and brackets, I have a spare set of motors, if anyone knows of some, condition is not a major concern.

Jul 19, 2001 - 15:23 - From: Dean
Title: LOG21 M100 Tech Session
Message: It looks like I traded the status and adulation of Lotus Ltd. board membership for that of running the M100 Technical Session at LOG21. Anyway, what we will try to do with our allotted 1 1/2 hour is to get out in the parking lot to look at the cars. I think it would be best to pay special attention to: -- Typical problem and maintenance items (e.g., top fit, window lifts, headlamp lifts, transmission oil changes, shift cables, interior trim and etc.). I will bring a store of the typical problem parts, both new and old to inspect. If anyone can supply a CAS I would appreciate it. -- Our car is pretty stock, we can use it for comparison purposes. If anyone brings a car with performance enhancements (e.g., MBC, wheel and tire upgrades) we can certainly have endless discussions about those goodies. -- A few folks who frequently turn up at LOG have run their cars at track days and auto-X. This might be a good opportunity to hold a bull session on track preparation, especially as an auto-X is scheduled for Sunday.

Jul 19, 2001 - 17:35 - From: Matt Pritchard
Title: Re: Insurance
Message: Rod - in answer to your question, my dad is 53 (ish - I lost count after 50) Live just outside Swindon, Wiltshire. For the record - I got a quote in my own name from the same company - hoping that my turning 25 made all the difference. Same basic details, except that I have 4 years NCD - came out at £670. Not bad, but £300 pounds more than the alternative. The truth is, my dad only gets to drive the thing once in a blue moon and I get to use the thing on a daily basis. That didn't half piss the car loving college lecturers off when I was turning up to college in an Elan every day for my final year! Just out of interest... have any of you guys invested in the NTC hard top yet? - I am gagging to get one as soon as I have the pennies in the pocket. Using the car daily, I would love to get the noise level down and rain droplets OUT. Any reviews I should look at - any alternatives to consider. For any browsers out there, wondering whether to get one of these Bat Mobiles - JUST DO IT! - as Nike would say. The thing accelerates as good as you need in any condition and the handling is nothing short of phenomenal. I have lost count of the number of mates and unwitting passengers I have had crawling into the footwell as launch into the corners. And you can't help but grin... Ear to ear... as you glance in your rear view mirror and see every single pedestrian you pass gawping in envy. The best bit is - that feeling and the sheer exhilaration does not wear off after driving it every day, all weathers for the last 3 years. Took me awhile to find you guys on the web - but I'm glad I did. Great resource and top advice.

Jul 19, 2001 - 17:59 - From: Rod
Title: NTC Hardtop
Message: As far as I can tell, only a couple of the NTC hardtops sold, guess you could ring them direct and ask them the question. They were at the Donington show a couple of years running, sure lots of interest, however it was quite a lot of money ( £1500 ?? ) and I really don't think they had many takers.

Jul 19, 2001 - 20:13 - From: steve
Title: Unichips & Powerflow Exhausts
Message: I have been talking to a guy at work who's seriously into car modding ( not a kid either ) and although i was very skeptical of him at first he seems to know his stuff. He has had a quick look at the elan and recommended fitting a unichip piggy back ecu system, i have done a bit of digging on them and i must admit they seem like a good bet, especially if changing exhausts, filters, cats etc. Has anyone looked into this ? He was a little down on mbc's suggesting the unichip would get more gains and be a lot safer and reliable, from the readup he may be right but i'm no expert ( help please ). Also on the exhaust front he suggested powerflow exhausts,