May 2001 Message Board

May 1, 2001 - 03:11 - From: Neil Hatherly
Title: oil cooler repairs
Message: Does any one know if you need to take the front bumper off to replace the oil cooler?

May 1, 2001 - 03:21 - From: Nebor
Title: Re: brakes, alignment or steering
Message: I'm planning to check the brakes first. See how that goes and then maybe check the alignment next -any idea how much it would cost to do the 4-wheel alignment. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks for the advise.

May 1, 2001 - 06:50 - From: Davy Neill
Title: re: oil cooler repairs
Message: if you can get under the car to work, then no, you don't. (knowledge comes from a bad "experience" in France last year)

May 1, 2001 - 09:19 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Carlisle 2001
Message: I would like to renew my invitation to Elan owners in the Northeastern quarter of the United States to join us at the Carlisle Cusom Compact Power Jam being held in Carlisle, Pennsylvania this weekend, May 4-6, 2001. The IsuzuWeb car club will again attend as we have for the last three or four years and we expect a very good attendance of show and race prepped Isuzu cars, Geo Storms, Asuna Sunfires, and Lotus Elan M100s. We have reserved a covered club meeting area on the show field for the IsuzuWeb and have notified the major import magazines to have their writers and photographers talk to us and photograph our cars. I would like to see as many Elans as possible show with us and am renewing my invitation of several weeks ago to all of you. Additional information about the IsuzuWeb attending the show can be found at: http://www.isuzuweb.org/carlinfo.html . The deadline for preregistration has passed but regular registration at the event is still available. The show includes the usual assortment of show field displays, contests for stereos, neon, burnouts, bikinis, dirt bike riding, and just about anything else a person could compete at. Live music, cruises around beautiful Pennsylvania, a car giveaway, swap meet, vendors, and various other activities. A very interesting weekend for anyone who is an automotive enthusiast. I hope to see you all there._ _ _Bill Luton

May 1, 2001 - 14:25 - From: Donald
Title: re: Horns - Thanks
Message: Thanks -Ade -- after downloading all the info from the website I found them. I was able to get at them from under the car - there is access behind the oil cooler. The fault - one of the horns was dead short. She passed the MOT :)) Donald.

May 2, 2001 - 00:33 - From: Russell Treasure
Title: Girlfriend
Message: Thought that might get your attention! Hi folks, I just wonder whether you could make my woman happy. She has an SE turbo, '91, and from cold, after about 1 -2 minutes, it chugs and stutters and the engine check light comes on for around 10 seconds. It then clears and is perfect for the rest of the day. I have done the interrogation thing, and all I get is the "water temp. is lower than outside temp" thing. Your help would be very much appreciated, and it would make my life a lot easier! Many thanks (and thanks for this superb site). Russell Treasure

May 2, 2001 - 02:35 - From: Doug
Title: Russell's girl
Message: Russell, I would suspect the INFAMOUS cam angle sensor which you can read about within the site. You seem to be saying that it may not be this however. It thus sounds to me like an intermittent fault, likely from a faulty sensor connection. You should find the engine component location chart in the site and wiggle all the connections real good to see if it clears up. You may even want to disconnect them and check for corrosion in the connector contacts as this has been the problem for me more than once!!

May 2, 2001 - 07:40 - From: Richard
Title: Gear selection
Message: I have recently had the gear cables replaced on my Elan, however I am starting to find that occasionally I have problems engaging first and third gears, (It sometimes crunches!). The 1st and third gear selection doesn't feel as positive as 2nd/4th/ Reverse. Is there any adjustment possible on the cables?

May 2, 2001 - 10:58 - From: Bryn
Title: Gear Cable Adjustment
Message: Yep, cables are adjustable at the gearbox end, remove the waterbottle from its mount and move aside (no need to disconnect the hose if you are careful) then remove the black intake hose and you can get at the cables. Cables have either black plastic adjusters, or lock nut adjusters, yours are most likely the latter if cables are new. Suggest you lengthen the 'fore/aft' cable a tad to fix your problem, find which is which by moving the gear lever. It's a pretty straight forward job to do.

May 2, 2001 - 12:46 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Gear selection
Message: Richard. You have exactly described the problem I have. I had assumed that the graunching into 3rd was because the syncro on third was shot and that 1st was about to go too. I have been waiting for my lottery numbers to come up before I did anything about it (apart from change gear carefully) but if what Bryn says solves it, then I shall be even happier than I already am. If it fixes it, let us know (or if it doesn't).

May 2, 2001 - 13:27 - From: Russell Treasure
Title: Girlfriend
Message: Thanks Doug. I have been reading some of your archives today, (should have done that first-Doh!) and there is a post with a similar thread to mine, in which you recommended cleaning the contacts on the WTS. Considering my fault report (water temp), it may well be the same thing. I will investigate. Many thanks again.

May 2, 2001 - 15:03 - From: Doug
Title: Russell
Message: Yeah you should just go directly to the coolant temp sensor (CTS). I have an unfinished write-up on this as it has given me trouble twice. If you got code "15" then I am sure you have the same problem. This sensor is just behind the CAS and is hard to reach. If you release the clip lock you can pull off the electrical lead to the sensor--you will find it is corroded and you have to clean up the contacts with either a small screwdriver or piece of sandpaper or similar. Then see if you can get some electrical contact protector spray and spray them before re-connecting to avoid the problem in the future. This sensor connection points straight up and thus is prone to have water standing on it if any gets into the area (such as engine detailing or very wet climates)--it has a rubber seal but the water still gets in and the seal probably helps keep the water trapped which causes the corrosion. I think the solution is that if you ever get water in the area as by cleaning be sure to run the engine and warm it up so the water evaporates. If this sensor goes out then the car will think the coolant is -70 degrees and will run full rich and foul up the engine (yes it happened to me)--so be sure to check it out ASAP. The actual sensor is not too expensive but it will be the contact that is bad, not the sensor. Cheers!

May 2, 2001 - 15:06 - From: Doug
Title: OWNERS LIST
Message: Just a reminder to everyone to please add yourself to the "Owners List." People keep popping in and asking for help and it helps us to know where you live and about your car as well so we can give better advice. Also you can find other Elan owners in your area this way for advice or friendship.

May 2, 2001 - 21:10 - From: Scott
Title: AC compressor
Message: With summer coming on I have discovered that my Elan's AC doesn't get cold. I thought I'd get it fixed before it starts getting hot here, so had it checked out by an independent shop with a good reputation. They tell me I need a new compressor and filter/dryer. Are these both Isuzu parts? Isuzu says that there are two different part numbers for the compressor, one for an Impulse coupe and one for a hatchback. Has anyone had to deal with this? Thanks.

May 2, 2001 - 23:51 - From: Brian
Title: sheared stud on speedo drive?
Message: I tried to undo the nut that holds the speedo drive bracket and it sheared off ! I blame Lotus who must have tightened it up too much. The stud is sheared off 2mm below the casing and as you all know is difficult to access. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Does it mean an engine out Job? Any help or suggestions appreciated

May 3, 2001 - 00:38 - From: Doug
Title: Brian
Message: Ouch, now that sucks! I think I heard your swearing all the way up here in CA! Try to find some good shops that are experienced with removing broken bolts! Access to the area will be limited, but you can get some special tools if needed--I have seen some at good home/hardware stores. You can drill the center of the bolt out a bit and then insert a "reverse-thread" conical-tipped bit that will hopefully grip the broken bolt as you screw it further inwards and eventually unstick and remove it. Anyone else have ideas?

May 3, 2001 - 04:05 - From: Russell Treasure
Title: Girlfriend
Message: Cheers Doug, you have sorted my points scoring opportunity for the weekend. (And boy do I need them thick and fast-just brought home the route details for the drive to Le Mans in June, and a track day this month!) I am inputting my SO's details, as I am really an Exige man! (booooo) But I do enjoy driving the Elan. Many thanks

May 3, 2001 - 08:24 - From: Richard
Title: Re-Gear selection
Message: Thanks Bryan for the info on the gear cable, I will have a go at adjusting it at the weekend. I will let you know how I get on!

May 3, 2001 - 18:24 - From: Greg Vandenberghe
Title: convertible top replacement
Message: Are new replacement tops available for the Elan? What are the best part sources for owners?

May 4, 2001 - 07:30 - From: peter bentley
Title: Shockers
Message: Has anyone upgraded their shocks, or have i done what i normally do ask a question only to find there is lots of info already on the site ? Oh well whilst i'm asking is there a supplier in the u.k for the k & N filter upgrade that seems so popular ?

May 4, 2001 - 17:52 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Ramps for Elan
Message: The perfect ramps to get your Elan up in the air are Rhino Ramps, and are available at Pep Boys. They will just touch the bottom of your rubber skirt when you place them under your car, but you can drive your car up and down on them fine with no damage. It is certainly easier than jacking the car up every time you need to do something. Do any of you have a repair and/or parts manual you are willing to part with for less $$$ than from the Lotus dealer?

May 5, 2001 - 04:16 - From: Mr Man
Title: Any 1989- M100 Elans for sale
Message: Please e-mail me with any sale of a lotus elan SE, turbo M100 Thank you

May 5, 2001 - 10:23 - From: Steve P
Title: M250
Message: Doug, you can free some space on your Home Page now the M250 has officially been scrapped. Deposit holders are receiving letters from Lotus stating: "The M250 will not be built because it doesn't meet the global aspirations of the company." Lotus says no new car for at least three years! =(

May 5, 2001 - 12:46 - From: Alan
Title: Cam belt change [& M250 comment]
Message: Anyone had a cam belt break before 60,000 miles? My S2 is nearly six years old and on 50,000. I know I should really have the belt changed but I can use the funds on something else for a few weeks. Please give me confidence to hold off! M250 doesn't meet global aspirations? Is that another way of saying they made a complete lash up of the Elise S2 launch and subsequent build quality of the S2 and VX220? I'll stick to the M100 thanks very much.

May 5, 2001 - 23:53 - From: Rick S
Title: Electrical Problems
Message: Hey All ... Anyone else having or have had problems with 91 Elan electrical system? Something is draining my battery BIG time. Purchased a new one 5 weeks ago and it is quite dead already. Am going to take vehicle into a La Jolla shop next week to get checked but thought I would run it past the Message Board Experts first. Thanks very much ... RS

May 6, 2001 - 02:15 - From: Doug
Title: Boot Drain
Message: Rick, at least that is an easy one--10 to 1 odds it is your trunk light that stays on when the trunk is closed and drains the battery. Either put a small child, trained dog, or video camera in the boot and close it and then figure out if the light is really going off. Likely it is not, as many of us have had this exact problem (and all this year)! The fix is either a new switch (or try to overhaul it) or just unplug one of the wires going to the switch as I did so the light never goes on!!

May 6, 2001 - 10:49 - From: Rod
Title: Battery Drain
Message: I am sure Doug was also just about to mention, the interior light, that people sometimes leave switched on and don't notice - its under the rear view mirror, however the safe money will be on the boot light switch ( or maybe afterfit alarm / audio installs ).

May 6, 2001 - 11:20 - From: Rod
Title: HKS blue spring
Message: I have the HKS bypass from TopEnd, twas supplied with a red spring, and apparently I need a blue one. I have so far failed to manage to get a blue spring. Any suggestions ? I have already tried emailing TopEnd, and HKS USA and UK. Also tried a few UK car places. I happen to be sat in North Carolina right now, if anyone thinks I might find a spring in a USA car shop ?

May 6, 2001 - 12:35 - From: Russell Biles
Title: Importation from UK
Message: Does anyone know how difficult it is to bring a RHD UK version into the US?

May 6, 2001 - 13:41 - From: Rick S
Title: Battery Drain
Message: I finally get a sports car with a relatively enormous trunk (I own/have owned Z3s,M Roadster,MR2 Spyder) and the problem may be a stinkin' little light that refuses to go off in the boot!? English Cars!!! I do have a Clifford alarm in Elan as well which could be the cause but I will unplug the boot light and monitor the situation. Thank you for your quick and wise responses. RS

May 6, 2001 - 14:27 - From: Rod
Title: Battery Drain
Message: Rick, if you get really stuck, then get a test meter in line with the battery and check the drain, then start pulling fuses until you find the problem circuit.

May 6, 2001 - 15:46 - From: Russ
Title: Surrey Fish and Chip Run - Today and next time
Message: Just got back from the latest fish and chip run - again nearly 100 cars, mostly elise's again, but a better turn out of others even if they were exige's and esprits. Six Elans started, 3 finished, Martin and Kate (pacific blue) went home from lunch stop, didn't see G reg Pacific blue one again but sad to say Maggie (who posts here from time to time) put her red elan onto it's roof. She is apparently OK (bruised, cuts, graises and shocked but otherwise OK - this is second hand info though). Don't know the full story so I won't post rumours and heresay but the car is apparently a write off. Other then this it was a great day again. Great roads, friendly lotus owners and the weather wasn't too bad either. Anyway next day out is 3rd June - Stratford on Avon and the Cotswolds so pretty central. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midlandsrun This would be a good event to get the elans here together for a drive in the sunshine (hopefully). Maybe we should make the effort. If there's a bit of interest I'll contact the elans who've been on previous events who aren't regulars here and maybe we could get towards the numbers we had at Donington. Don't worry about the elise thing, everyone's really friendly and there is no pressure to go any faster than you want to, and it's a great chance to blow the cobwebs out. Either post here or mail me direct if you're interested.

May 6, 2001 - 19:27 - From: Rod
Title: UK F&C Run
Message: So sorry I couldn't make it Russ, sounds like a lot of fun, but I am stuck out in USA on business. I should be back in time for the next one though.

May 7, 2001 - 04:51 - From: karl
Title: lowering elan still ha ha!!!!!!!!!!
Message: still trying to lower my elan, about 1" front and 3" back but at the moment i don't feel like spending over £2000 for coil overs (stupid price) is there any cheaper way of doing this thanxs

May 7, 2001 - 05:44 - From: Steve P
Title: Maggie
Message: Maggie, sorry to hear about your mishap at the Fish & Chip run. From the info. on Scott's site it sounds like you're going to be OK which is great news. The Elan can always be replaced but you can't......Hope you get well soon.

May 7, 2001 - 09:21 - From: Dave M.
Title: Maggie, brakes, and clutch
Message: Well, the rest of my message is insignificant in comparison, but I hope you're doing OK Maggie. It made me sick this morning to hear about the mishap. On the upgrade front, my brakes are done. But like Brian, had a problem with stuck bolts. The M6x18 flat head bolts holding the rotors on both had to be drilled out and the rotors "helped" off with a BF hammer due to major oxidation. I used a Dremel with a sanding bit to clean the outer hub lip of rust just to get the new rotors on! The drilled-out bolts are still in there, but are they necessary to replace? I don't think it would pose any problem as the rotor isn't going anywhere pinched between the wheel and hub, but just wanted to toss it out to the group. Also wanted to ask about the clutch cable within the engine compartment. It seems quite loose, but I've had no problems. Below the fixed bracket where the cable connects the actuating arm it seems OK, but above the bracket it is sloppy. Any similar experiences?

May 7, 2001 - 12:15 - From: maggie
Title: how to get squashed
Message: thanks for the messages guys. lost the back on gravel etc, spun round, tried to climb a vertical bank and flipped over. And I was nearly at the pub! as a safety feature you might all like to think of roll bars behind the seats, will make it easier to get out in a similar situation, but then you would not get to talk to nice firemen and ambulance men. Not that you men would ever do what a mere woman can do. I am ok, wish I knew who had my last Rollo!

May 7, 2001 - 13:40 - From: Doug
Title: Maggie, Dave, Karl
Message: Maggie, good to hear you are okay and well enough to be back to the computer!! At least there are a good number of Elans over there so you can find another one if you want to. SO the Elan was turned over. Was the hood up? Did the windshield hold okay?--It is supposed to bear the weight of the car with ease. Dave, like you are thinking that bolt is just to help keep the rotor in place when you take the wheels off and not essential. Karl, perhaps you could get some AVO adjustable shocks and either get new shorter springs for the car or get the originals cut down a bit--kind of a poor-man's coilover. You will need to adjust the suspension at the adjustment points to align it properly after lowering it. Then your Elan will scrape the nose on every little bump in town! Anyone else have ideas?

May 7, 2001 - 16:25 - From: charlie
Title: shipping us to the uk
Message: haha gotcha! Anyway shipping a UK car into the US is more trouble than its worth unless you are in the military and you can keep it for a short while , or only plan on keeping the car in the states less than a year. Its a slightly different car, so depending on which state you ship too, you'll end up paying lots extra. CA is very finicky about out of state cars never mind out of country ones. Sell it, and buy another out here, the US ones are usually in better nick ( again dependant on which state ). There are some dubious people on the web that'll claim to get you in but its a bit of a scam. Plus i know of few people who drive right hookers and they get pulled over a lot more. This bloke i met shipped an elise in, but he had to go via germany (i have no idea why) and take the engine out, and leave it there, as well as go through a whole bunch of paperwork ................... maggie, sorry to hear about your crash, glad you came out of it with some new friends, hope the insurance pays up.

May 7, 2001 - 17:23 - From: Christian
Title: Pressure Regulator Kit from Top-End-Performance
Message: Hello to all the M100 drivers. Does anyone of you has some experience with that stuff? How much fuel/gas will my Elan need after the transplantation? Thanks ... Christian

May 8, 2001 - 07:11 - From: asdangerfield
Title: Oil Cooler
Message: Could someone describe the dismantling procedure to remove the oil cooler. Is it possible to remove without taking off the front bumper? If Ii have to remove the front bumper how do I do it? Unfortunately I do not have a manual. Many thanks for anticipated help Tony

May 8, 2001 - 09:44 - From: peter bentley
Title: Get well Soon Maggie. Hi Russ
Message: Maggie i have written to you previously sending good wishes so, glad to read that you are on the mend. in reply your daughter has got your Rolo's she collected them at the scene !! I was three cars back from you so whilst i didn't see your accident directly i wasn't far behind. Russ, Hi you came over to me at the car park but i got separated from the main group, so never got to say hello, was that you going into guildford at about two ish ?? if so you have an immaculate car, are you going to organise an Elan m100 only run ?? if so i'm happy to help you organise one if you wish, It will be good to see more than seven cars out of eighty at an event.

May 8, 2001 - 13:30 - From: bryn
Title: Oil Cooler
Message: Tony, not done it myself but previous owner had it replaced & i've prodded about down there. Should not need to remove the bumper, if you take off the road wheel and wheel arch liner (4x 10mm bolts & couple of screws) all will be revealed. Getting to the top pipe union is tight, but you can reach it from under the bonnet using a socket & extension bar. Prepare to get messy!!

May 8, 2001 - 13:52 - From: maggie
Title: flat elan
Message: Well, I went to see the car today. Windscreen and roof level with the top of the doors. No the windscreen did not stay upright, yes the roof was up. My dear daughter thought I would like some memories and has taken photos, when they are developed I will see what I can do about posting them somewhere. When you see them you may agree that a roll bar (lump of metal) may be a good idea. Thanks for all the messages, sorry I have not replied to each one personally. Waiting for the insurance assessor, there is a possibility it could be repaired. Watch out you guys I may be back, and keep clear! Peter, I found the Rollos Take care all of you

May 8, 2001 - 13:55 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: Redline MBC
Message: Does anyone have any experience of the redline manual boost control ( http://www.cnw.com/~redline/RBC.htm )? Is it any better than using a 'fishtank valve'? Having read the write ups on fitting and performance increase I am quite interested in fitting one along with a blow off valve.

May 9, 2001 - 05:11 - From: jeremy
Title: roll bar?
Message: Where can you get a roll bar for the elan in the uk then? Glad to hear there were no major injuries Maggie.

May 9, 2001 - 08:48 - From: Richard
Title: Gear selection
Message: Bryan, I adjusted the gear cable as suggested, it took about 20 mins, and was easy! Now I have perfect selection of all the gears. Thanks for the help

May 9, 2001 - 10:08 - From: Dave M.
Title: back on terra firma
Message: Well, my baby is back down off the jack stands after the brake work (lines, rotors, pads, fluid) and I was able to drive to work today! Pity the poor 1989 911 Turbo I followed into downtown who thought HE was the exotic this morning. The new Kumhos (205/45 16) feel pretty good, but will give them and the brakes a better workout tonight. They'll get the true test this weekend when I finally get to the track (Gingerman in South Haven, MI). Man, I forgot how much I love this car...

May 9, 2001 - 13:51 - From: peter bentley
Title: K & N Filter
Message: Is there one particular type of filter that i should be looking for to go onto my intake tube/cone, Im fitting one over the coming weekend so would appreciate any help. cheers peter

May 10, 2001 - 09:08 - From: Dave M.
Title: wheel repair
Message: Forgot to mention yesterday that the two wheels I had repaired/refinished came back like new. They make the other two which looked good to begin with look kinda nasty! If you're in the US and need it, I would highly recommend Precision Wheel Service in Bloomington, MN. Cost was $125 per wheel (includes return shipping).

May 10, 2001 - 09:45 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: washer nozzles
Message: My windshield washer nozzles are clogged with car wax (1 out of the 4 isn't, but that hardly helps!). I have tried cleaning them on the car using pins and even thin pipe-cleaning wire, but that only worked on 1 of the four outlets. Has anyone had any luck doing this, or can you tell me how to remove them from the car, so I can just buy new ones? Thanks ya'all

May 10, 2001 - 11:52 - From: Ed
Title: Fuel Smell revisited
Message: I finally got my hands on an Elan and last night was its first night in my garage. I noticed a good bit of fuel vapor smell in there this morning. If the common cause for this is a clogging of the small hose between the tank and the gas cap end of the filler tube, what's the best way to get at this to fix it? Is it through the inside of the car under the area where the folded top is stored? Thanks.

May 10, 2001 - 14:27 - From: Ade
Title: Washer nozzels
Message: Mat, I had the same problem. I tried pins and wire like yourself, with no luck. The I connected the air hose of my compressor to each jet, after removing the pipe. Since then I have had no trouble.

May 10, 2001 - 14:34 - From: Ade
Title: Washer jets
Message: Mat, I had the same trouble. I tried pins and wire like yourself with no luck. Then I disconnected the pipes from the jets and blew them out with an air hose. Since then I have had no trouble.

May 11, 2001 - 04:16 - From: jeremy
Title: washers, windows
Message: A couple of my washers got clogged after over exuberant polishing. I tried pins etc then adopted the leave it and see approach. They cleared eventually and now I'm a careful polisher. My window makes a loud 'click' noise every now and then as I wind the window up. It has done this for about six months or so. Does anyone know what this could be? Is my window about to pack in?

May 11, 2001 - 07:15 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Washer Jets
Message: I think the jets just push into the bonnet and are probably held by side barbs on the body of the jet. Why not disconnect the fluid tube from inside the bonnet (hood) and get a bicycle pump and blow the debris out. If I polish the bonnet I always wrap masking tap around the jets a) to stop polish getting into the texture of the jet body which goes white and looks crap and b) to stop blocking up the jet hole.

May 11, 2001 - 15:28 - From: John Pollack
Title: windscreen info
Message: I am working on a design project at Western Washington University's Vehicle research institute. We are going to build two carbon fiber car bodies, and we need a windscreen to design the cars around. We have used McLaren screens in the past, but these are now unobtainable. We believe that the M100 may be a suitable replacement. We need a few basic dimensions, most importantly width at top, width at bottom, and length from base to top. If anyone can provide this information, it would be greatly appreciated.

May 11, 2001 - 21:04 - From: John G
Title: Replacement Convertible Top
Message: There is a replacement convertible top manufacturer, Easy On Tops, located in Iva, SC near where I live. I called to see if they manufacture a top for the Elan. They sent me to a retailer who sells their tops name Duetto Motors, LLC. They sell a Stay Fast Cloth Top with Clear Plastic Window for $399.95. They are not familiar with top leakage but are willing to discuss. Of course, they said, poor weather stripping design would not be solved with a new top. I can not speak to the quality since I have not seen one of their tops. Their E Mail in California is www.duettomotors.com. They do ship over seas. Good luck.

May 12, 2001 - 19:00 - From: Russ
Title: Club Lotus Meet at Castle Combe and Midlands Run
Message: Who's going to the lotus day at castle combe on 26th May? Anyone else got a track pass? Is there anyone else thinking about going on the Midlands Run (starts stratford on avon) on 3rd June, it would be nice to get a small group of elans who could stick together, that way we needn't get tied up with the elise boys. There is talk about limiting numbers at the moment because of room at the pub for lunch, but if we can get 4 or 5 elans up there for a get together and a social drive round some excellent countryside we can always use a different pub if necessary. At the moment there's me as a definite and Peter who's a possible. Mail me if you want more info on route, day etc or register on the database at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midlandsrun to join the run.

May 12, 2001 - 19:27 - From: Russ
Title: Floppy sun visors
Message: Had the car out yesterday when it was unseasonally hot here (UK) and for the first time since I've had the car the sun visors flopped down when traveling along, this seems to be because it's hot (something's expanded, less friction to hold them up?) but has anyone else had this problem and how did you cure it?

May 12, 2001 - 19:31 - From: Russ
Title: Bypass valves and High Flow inlet pipes??
Message: That redline boost controller looks the part, wonder if it's any good ? I've been looking at the bypass valves on bills site which also look the part http://www.isuzuperformance.com/bills/engturboicp.html Is there any point getting the more expensive 500bhp rated bypass valve rather than the 300bhp rated one at $75 less? Given that the Isuzu ain't ever going to produce anything like 300bhp does the more expensive model actually do anything better ? Think I'm going to have to go MBC/bypass valve and air filter upgrade at some point :-)As long as it's all reversible, is it easy to get spares of those hoses you have to cut into? Is top end performance the only place to get the high flow inlet pipe for the air filter? Anywhere UK based ?

May 12, 2001 - 19:52 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Blow Off Valves
Message: A little update on shipping out intercooler pipes and valves, valves and hardware arrived late this week. Half of the orders in hand were shipped, most of the rest to go out Monday except orders waiting on other items. I will be ordering more valves, as all that arrived were used to fill those orders. I will need to have more upper pipes made also._ _ _On the difference between the standard and racing valves, the racing valve fulfills a few things the standard does not: It is larger and looks meaner and makes a great ornament under the hood to show off. It gives the driver/owner a sense of personal involvement because it has the adjustment knob on the front that the driver/owner can turn, though the adjustment is more for the pop off function than for the blow off function._ _ _There are valid reasons for both._ _ _Bill Luton

May 12, 2001 - 23:57 - From: Rick S
Title: Battery Drain No More
Message: Thank you ... I disconnected my stupid boot light last week and my battery seems to be fine now. You guys rock!!!

May 13, 2001 - 09:32 - From: Rod
Title: Sun Visors
Message: Russ, the second day I got my Elan, I removed the Sun Visors.

May 13, 2001 - 16:58 - From: Paul Dennis
Title: Time to go
Message: I have decided to sell my 1991 BRG elan, it has done 131000 miles, I'm asking £8750. Is anybody out there interested?

May 13, 2001 - 16:59 - From: Malcolm Laing
Title: Keys locked in trunk
Message: Hello, I have this little problem where the keys are locked in the trunk of my Elan, and I don't have a spare set. Does any one know of a way of breaking in to the trunk with minimal breaking? Thanks in advance, Malcolm

May 13, 2001 - 18:12 - From: Russ
Title: Bill - blow off, pop off ?!?
Message: Now I'm confused, thought I'd read and understood this bypass valve stuff and now you say there's blow off and pop off, what's the difference and what do they do/achieve ?

May 14, 2001 - 04:44 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Castle Combe and Kelvedon
Message: Russ - I'll be there, anyone else??? Has anyone had a geometry check at Kelvedon Lotus Spalding, if so was it money well spent?

May 14, 2001 - 06:03 - From: Glen
Title: Catalytic Converter
Message: The catalytic converter had died on my '95 S2, currently resulting in a 40mph top speed. Does anyone have any idea how much it will cost me to replace the cat and whether it is a job that can be done by a non Lotus garage?

May 14, 2001 - 07:34 - From: Steve
Title: keys locked in trunk
Message: Bad luck Malcolm, I also did this and there is no way into the trunk apart from two small grommets situated under the hood cover, but it will be nigh on impossible to locate and remove the keys via these. The options as I found them are: Speak to a Lotus garage who may have a bunch of spare keys which may fit (Chris Neil has), get a lock smith out , or a cheaper option (which I ended up doing) is to drill out the trunk lock and replace (my car is on the Donington pics with a peg keeping the trunk closed!). The cheapest replacement was to purchase a lock set (cheaper than the single lock and contains 1 trunk and 2 doors) for approx. 50 UKP, got mine from SJ sport cars. Good luck. Steve

May 14, 2001 - 08:04 - From: peter bentley
Title: Visors and stuff
Message: Hi Gang. Russ on my car the previous owners has used a small piece of velcro, seems to work although perhaps not the prettiest solution. I also hope to make the trip to Castle coombe and would be interested in talking to anyone who has fitted a M B C and other tuning bits, i'll be the one in the slowish blue Elan then !!

May 14, 2001 - 08:43 - From: Gordon
Title: Dealers..
Message: Just a quick question relating back to the 'reputable dealer' chat on the board last month(ish), does anyone have any revelations about decent dealership experiences in the S.E London/Essex area? Anyone tried Nelmes Of Romford? Any info would be greatly appreciated, just don't mention London Lotus Centre...Thanks. Gordon. P.S Has anyone else noticed that Esprit drivers acknowledge Elan drivers but Elise drivers do not?

May 14, 2001 - 09:15 - From: Dave M.
Title: track report, blow off valve
Message: Had an absolute blast at the sunny but cold outing this weekend at Gingerman (1.9 mi/11 corner track). Here's what I can tell you after about 80 miles: The Kumhos are very progressive and have very good straight line (braking) grip. Cornering grip is better than the GS-Ds, but could have been stickier - may have been the temp. They seemed to wear very well @ 30 and 32 PSI. The new braking system (EBC rotors, Mintex pads, SMC lines, Super Blue fluid) worked very well with little fade. It took a good 20 min. session to wear them in, but they worked well. I was still not able to lock them up. The rotors DID chow the pads, however. I lost about 40% over the 4 sessions. As compared to some other cars out there (TVRs, vintage racing MGs, Esprits, SCCA Miatas), our little Elan holds its own. I ran consistently in the low 1:50s. The same or faster than almost all the Esprits (2-3 sec slower)! It IS a short course, though. The car needs more power out of the corners, for sure. Got about 12 mpg, too. Have some interesting video of 2 sessions including being dusted by a Formula Mazda car who was out testing. On another topic, the blow off valve worked well on track, but is ultra annoying at highway speed. It frequently whistles under the littlest lift in 5th at say, 75 mph. I've adjusted the screw IN (it came all the way out) but no luck. I want it to blow under greater pressure drops. Maybe I should check the spring? I thought Bill advertised it came with the red one (better than blue?). What experience do those of you with them have at freeway speeds?

May 14, 2001 - 09:28 - From: Florian Aubin
Title: Lotus Elan '91
Message: Hello, I am interested in buying a Lotus Elan '91 with very few mileage (30000km)(engine isuzu, turbo) in spain, and i'd like to what do you think of this car (price, maintenance, checking, etc). Thank you for your response. Florian

May 14, 2001 - 12:16 - From: Guillermo
Title: Florian and dealers
Message: Florian, where do you live ? I am living in Tarragona, I can give you no advice concerning dealers in Spain, but we can talk if you want to. Talking about dealers, i have been observing that this is a common question in this message board, why don't you make up a list of dealers, by country (UK, SoCal, NoCal, etc etc) and talk about your good/bad experiences and the costs, work done, money charged for it, etc etc ? Wouldn't that be good reference ? As once someone stated here, Lotus cars doesn't seem to care if an official dealer is "good" or friendly or whatsoever, but we do.

May 14, 2001 - 12:39 - From: Guillermo
Title: Florian, again
Message: Florian, check the following pages: http://www.lotuselancentral.com/buying.htm and http://www.lotuselancentral.com/faq.htm, they are very useful !

May 14, 2001 - 13:32 - From: Ade
Title: Geom check
Message: Richard, I have had a full geom check at kelsport (kelvedon motors) as to if it was worth it, it really depends if there is a problem in the first place. I had a problem with the steering being more responsive on left turns than right, this they cured. Even if there is no problem it does give you peace of mind.

May 14, 2001 - 14:05 - From: maggie
Title: midlands run
Message: Russ, Peter, Richard have a good time on the Midland's run on 3rd June. Will be thinking of you all, may have news from the insurers on the Elan by then. Look forward to hearing that you all had a good time and got home safely. Peter I am sure you will be able to keep up I am not sure abut the researchers wanting an Elan windscreen, but then I am a little biased!

May 14, 2001 - 15:22 - From: Doug
Title: Owners' Reviews
Message: Hi all, I do have a place to put your reviews--it is the "Owners Review" page!! Please tell us about good and bad dealers and about the fun parts you have on your car or about repairs, etc! You can just type in "anonymous" if you don't want the dealers to know who caught them!

May 14, 2001 - 15:23 - From: Doug
Title: parts
Message: Maggie, I don't mean to be morbid or anything but I am wondering if you know what is to happen of your Elan?? I would love to find a way to get both your rear taillight clusters!!

May 14, 2001 - 15:33 - From: Will
Title: purist or not
Message: I am dedicated to performance. I love to go fast. My wife has a subscription to Sport compact car. I saw the Lotus elise on the cover. If you don't know, this magazine is dedicated to the japanese and german compact car. I read the article, it has an elise with an Acura Integra Type r engine in place of the Rover K engine. I am familiar with this particular engine. My best friend kick all kinds of mustang ass with this engine. I would suggest to everyone to read it.

May 14, 2001 - 16:14 - From: charlie
Title: keys in the boot, sunvisors
Message: get a locksmith, its not a very hard lock to pick, anyone who is at least vaguely good at raking could do it. My sunvisors do the same on a rough road, i just drove over mulholland and pushed them up 5 or 6 times. However the most annoying thing i've found is the position of the rear mirror, its right where you'd be looking at where the next right hand corner is coming up (at least at my height)

May 14, 2001 - 16:16 - From: Will
Title: ooops
Message: I forgot to ask. Has anyone thought about doing an engine swap in their Elan? I love the performance i have now. I was just curious. I think in a few months i'll want to go faster though.

May 14, 2001 - 19:15 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Engines
Message: The 1.6 liter engine will support over 400 HP in stock build, without even going in and changing the basics like pistons, crank, or rods. I'm not sure you will find a more durable engine with that much potential. You have to go with a larger turbo, but, hey, that's not much for such a drastic step up in performance. The transmission has no trouble with the power. Then you can be like all the ten second Storm owners who slap in the turbo engine and fabricate a big turbo setup (or have one fabricated for them). You just have to be ready for the 125 MPH at the end of that ten second quarter mile._ _ _Bill Luton

May 14, 2001 - 22:33 - From: charlie
Title: blowing smoke
Message: I had a problem last year where the car blew smoke under hard acceleration (around 135mph) it'd stop as soon as i let off the pedal. today i saw it at around 90-95, same conditions hard accel, turbo full on, big cloud of smoke. Now i had just thrown an litre of oil in for good measure? did i just over fill it , or is it something else ? The first time it happened i had assumed it was because i'd put 5w/40 instead of 10 =).. Obviously oil is leaking in somewhere? perhaps the turbo, a gasket ? Anyone got any ideas or had a similar experience..

May 14, 2001 - 23:00 - From: Bill Luton
Title: What color smoke?
Message: If it's blue smoke, it's oil, which is bad, but it is more likely black, which would mean its running rich, which is not bad. The fuel system opens wide on full throttle and you will get a black puff of smoke from the computer throwing in too much gas. When it stops doing that, then worry, you could push it into lean run condition and detonation._ _ _Bill Luton

May 15, 2001 - 00:36 - From: Will
Title: vvvrrooom
Message: Bill, i'm plenty fast now. But you know how it goes. you will always want to go just a little faster. I just thought it was a good article. I'm not allowed to get anymore " go fast " parts for my car. I have to make my wife's VW cabrio faster now.

May 15, 2001 - 00:41 - From: charlie
Title: colour
Message: its hard to say, i'm accelerating away from it quite rapidly =) i think its more blue than black though, though grey is what i thought when i looked in the mirror.. It doesn't seem to be a puff of smoke though, it seems to last as long as i keeping accelerating, and if i hold it long enough the engine struggles, which to me sounds like its rich. Is the best thing to do, to take it to a shop with a rolling road? bill you know california is a great place to live and work, lots of isuzus here ;-)

May 15, 2001 - 02:03 - From: Doug
Title: Honda Elise
Message: Will, I have that article too! It is a great concept; too bad you need 2 things not readily available: (1) a perfectly good Elise, and (2) an extra $55,000 for the conversion!! Seems like I could get a V8 Esprit or an Exige for much less!!

May 15, 2001 - 02:19 - From: Brian MDB
Title: Smoke & Mirrors....
Message: For those of you curious about the Elise engine swap, take a look at this site, make sure you're sat down when you see the cost !!! http://www.suninternational-usa.com/pr_els01.html Charlie, I must say I agree with you on the interior mirror obscuring right hand corners, I find it so irritating that I will probably resort to a dash mounted mirror. Regarding your blowing smoke, I would think that a cylinder compression test could be the least expensive first step to take. Of course it could be that you've switched to Diesel due to the horrendous cost of petrol in California ???

May 15, 2001 - 05:02 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Geom Check
Message: Ade, Did Kelsport alter any of the camber, castor, track settings, do your tyres still wear on the inner edge? Did they have to cut off the upper ball joints because the bolts had seized up? I had a quote from Kelsport at 400 pounds (inc VAT) and Nick Whale quoted 175 pounds (inc VAT). What did you pay?

May 15, 2001 - 07:49 - From: MartinC
Title: Holy Smoke....
Message: Charlie, check out some of my messages a while back. I had the same smoke problem and it turned out the seals in the turbo had gone. The insides were a right mess apparently. Got mine rebuilt at a cost of £650, when a new one was at least £1,000. The hardest part (and this is what drove the labour charge up) was getting the bloody turbo off....the heat had almost melted the bolts to the chassis. I believe the chap that fixed it first did a pressure test which is will give you the tell tale signs of a leak......so that's your next move. Good luck. I solved my visor problems with small round velcro patches attached to the centre ends of the visors.....works a treat.

May 15, 2001 - 10:13 - From: Steve
Title: Hood / Soft Top Seals
Message: For what its worth, I have found out the name of the company that makes the hood seals for Lotus Elans. As we all know, these are sold on to us at vastly inflated prices by our friendly Lotus dealers. Do we have any readers of this site who could wander along and try to do a deal with them direct ?? They are called Std Products of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. The hoods are then made up by Trim Technology of Bedworth, Warwickshire, UK. I am fairly sure Lotus will have a phrase in their Supplier agreement which prevents TrimTech dealing direct with the public, but perhaps the Canadians are not so particular, or there may even be a time limit on such a restriction.

May 15, 2001 - 13:18 - From: charlie
Title: std products
Message: Standard products are cooper standard automotive now, plant 1 is the one that possibly made the parts (there are two in stratford) , (519) 271-3360, its the same number for both, i tried them but i couldn't get to someone who knew for sure.

May 15, 2001 - 13:25 - From: charlie
Title: more info
Message: http://www.cooperstandard.com/contacts.html I fired off an email outlining our demands ;-)

May 15, 2001 - 14:23 - From: maggie
Title: spares
Message: Doug, I am still waiting to hear from the insurers, when I know what is happening I will let you know. On the subject of seals - I happen to have the only front hood seal in England, plus both A pillar seals and intermediate seal for the passenger side. Bought and paid for the week before my attempt to drive upside down. I was fed up with trying to make very threadbare seals watertight! If anyone wants to make me a sensible offer!!! prices are on the SJ Sportscars web site. I should have the photos back next week, if anyone wants to see a flat Elan I can mail them to you

May 15, 2001 - 14:35 - From: charlie
Title: Too much of a good thing.
Message: So i did overfill the oil, and then some =) The local mechanic seems to think i'll pay for it with a period of smoke but no permanent damage, we'll see . . Knowing how well mobil 1 smokes i'll be easy to spot at the next club run..

May 15, 2001 - 15:24 - From: Ade
Title: Geom setup.
Message: Richard, I cannot give you the cost of the setup as it was done as part of a stage 2 suspension conversion and the cost is not listed separately. I can tell you the total cost of the suspension mod plus the setup came to £1143, this does not include rear wishbones. I noticed after a year there did appear to be some tyre scrubbing but I could not make my mind up if it was the inner or the outer. I have recently been back to kelsport to have some rear wishbones fitted, they said it was the inside of the tyre scrubbing and made the necessary track adjustment. It is to soon to tell if this as fixed the problem. I believe when the suspension mod was done some joints had to be blown off. I can also tell you since the last adjustment the steering is a lot sharper and I have tried the car round some very tight bends at excessive speeds and it seems impossible to get it unstuck.

May 15, 2001 - 15:45 - From: Ade
Title: Emissions
Message: While I am at It. Last year my Elan failed its M.O.T on the emission test. The emissions could not be adjusted to an acceptable level. It was found by kelsport to be a problem with the E.C.U. It appears lotus know of this problem as the emissions were originally set high because of the turbo. Lotus supplied a new chip at a cost of one penny, (yes one penny, it was not a miss type). Worth knowing.

May 15, 2001 - 15:49 - From: charlie
Title: postage rates
Message: maggie what's the postage like for mailing a flat elan ? can i have one ?

May 15, 2001 - 17:34 - From: gary
Title: Car For Sale
Message: I have not read the messages in about a month...so here are some responses to some "old" questions. R&D Enterprises in Pa. sell an exact match to our convertible top. I just received it. It cost $750.00 and took about 2 weeks to get. They were the only place I could find one in the US outside of Lotus. Now for the interesting news... I've won a new 2001 Porsche 911 with lots of options added, which I pick up Thursday. The bad news is 40+% taxes on an $82,000 car. Now I'm going to have to start selling my other cars (the last will be the Lotus). Any one want a '96 Jeep Grand Cherokee, V8, AM/FM CD, original owner, in excellent shape, all service done by the dealer (who wants to play with that when you have an M100), for $13,500.? It is in Ct.

May 15, 2001 - 19:57 - From: Doug
Title: Chas
Message: How funny is Charlie with his oil!!? Always a clever way to get rid of the excess oil: first he puts it on the turbo heat shield and burns it off, now he blows it out the exhaust. Perhaps you are missing that thingie that tells you how full the oil is in the engine?? ;-)

May 15, 2001 - 20:13 - From: charlie
Title: =)
Message: hey i thought it'd make a good barbecue, its quite amazing how quickly oil catches fire after a 140mph run.

May 16, 2001 - 02:54 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Hood / Emissions
Message: Steve - Is TrimTech now what Tickfords are called? Ade - My chip was free except for the half hour labour to fit!

May 16, 2001 - 03:26 - From: ADE
Title: Emissions and geom
Message: Richard, it looks like I was over charged for my chip. I have had a rethink about your quote from kelsport for the geom check. I thought they advertised the check for £99+vat.I know they charge £35+vat labour per hour, so where do they get £400 from, that's nearly ten hours work. Is it just a geom check you were having or did I miss something. I was there recently, I had wishbones fitted, oil cooler hoses fitted and geom reset, for a total of £299.

May 16, 2001 - 05:36 - From: Geoff
Title: Help! My Elan Can't see!!!
Message: Hi all, I have owned my Elan for about a month now, and I couldn't be more overjoyed at how much fun it is! It has also behaved its self up until now, but last night I noticed that the headlights will not pop up when I turn the switch to dipped headlights. The sidelights work, and the headlights do pop up and work fine when I pull the "Flash-the-full-beam-at-the-oncoming-driver" lever towards me (not away from me). Is is just a fuse, or maybe the dipped headlights switch. I hope someone can help me, as I enjoy driving in the evening, but can hold a torch and the steering wheel as the same time!!! Geoff

May 16, 2001 - 08:45 - From: Scott
Title: headlight control module
Message: Geoff: When my headlight control module went bad, I faintly remember being able to do just as you claim. Eventually, even the quick dip stopped working altogether. The easiest way to confirm if this is your problem is to pull the module and open it up. It will become immediately obvious if its the culprit -- the smell of fried electronics will hit you in the face. Doug's page http://www.lotuselancentral.com/commonparts.htm#headlight shows you a picture. Read the write-up. Its easier than replaying it here. Also, Doug - the email address on the link on that write-up goes to my old address. -Scott

May 16, 2001 - 11:52 - From: Doug
Title: Scott
Message: Hey, Scott, after that message I was hoping you would pop in and help him out. Seems you are lurking in the shadows! How is your marvelous Blue Elan doing? Any new pictures for us? When is that car event out there?

May 16, 2001 - 12:58 - From: Steve
Title: TrimTech
Message: Richard.. As far as I know, Trim Technology are wholly owned by Tickford, who are owned by Ford

May 16, 2001 - 13:24 - From: Scott
Title: lurking but loyal
Message: Doug, the message board site is my default homepage! Visit it EVERYDAY, several times a day. The Pacific Blue Metallic Elan is doing quite nicely, thank you. Our event in Carlisle, PA was 2 weeks ago. I spent 2 days with the IsuzuWeb guys (Bill Luton and company). This year I felt a little old (I am a sprite 34) with all the teenagers around. Definitely a young man's domain. The Lotus Elan gathered many looks, but it seems only the males aged 30-49 had any real interest. If it did not have a big "Type R", a big "coffee can" muffler or 8 subwoofers, the kids passed it by. This year I did not place in the showing. I was overtaken by a 1999 FERRARI 360 MODENA, then a 1986 PORSCHE 944 TURBO, and finally a 2001 PORSCHE BOXSTER. A lot of favors get cashed in with the voting. I decided not to work the crowd and just enjoy the day. With regards to pictures...I still owe you some. I am definitely a gadget guy and my wife has put me on a short leash. She won't let me buy a digi-camera. I will have to borrow one in the meantime. Oh, and regarding the Honda powered Elise, I took the $55k price to mean the TOTAL price. See their website again. Here's the quote "Estimated total cost INCLUDING customer supplied new Elise, base version w/ new 200 hp powertrain and installation is $55,000.00" So, if they meant you bring in the Elise and they will convert it for $55k, they would have said NOT INCLUDING. Just my 2 cents. Later guys (and gals). -Scott

May 16, 2001 - 16:22 - From: Will
Title: Elise swap/ auto show
Message: The people doing the swap must be high. really high. You have to be on crack to shell out that much for something so simple. You could super charge the rover engine and get the same results. I would love to run up on one of them. I want to cross an Elise's path anyway. I will show them what the Elan has to offer. Scott i feel you on the car show thing. I entered one here in Hawaii. The only questions i got were, "do you have a blow off valve?" or " how many watts is your radio pushing?" But after the show, i handed a porsche boxter his ass. hahaha I think i will be at the Carlisle show next year. I'm pushing for a transfer to the east coast. Just sharing my own 2 cents.

May 16, 2001 - 17:09 - From: Guillermo
Title: Heater Controls
Message: Hi all, did anybody change his 4 position to the 6 position heater controls ? It seems that there are only 3 things needed to change them: the controls themselves, changing the "thing" ("vacuum hose" ?? what's its name ?) that operates the vacuum pipes and bypassing the vacuum microswitch for the recirculating flap. Is that correct ? Thanks

May 16, 2001 - 17:10 - From: charlie
Title: transferring
Message: will?, transferring from hawaii to the east coast? its you thats on crack ;-) I thought the track version of the elise was $55k? I didnt think you could buy the base version ? at least not without an engine and lots of paperwork? so for $110k you can get a fast little elise? Time to call dave at monster motorsports in escondido see what he can do

May 16, 2001 - 17:36 - From: Russ
Title: Elise
Message: I wouldn't bother with the elise conversions - according to the motoring press in the UK this week there are definite plans to federalise the Mark II elise in the near future.

May 16, 2001 - 19:45 - From: Edward
Title: Wheels
Message: I have trying to decide on aftermarket wheels for the Elan. Doug's wheels are nice, but I would like either some Momo Twin or Sport, or OZ F1 Cup. The problem is the offset! So far, there is nothing that comes close to 60mm. I have talked to Tire Rack and Discount Tire, and they both say that there are no wheels for the Elan, other than those already listed on their website. Well, there is a place in San Diego that claims the actual offset on the Elan is 38 mm not the 60 mm listed in the manual...or the Teamloco, SSR on the Tirerack website.

May 16, 2001 - 20:20 - From: Tony V
Title: Cost of Elise Conversion
Message: Having checked with Sun.....the cost of the Elise conversion is 25K. They are assuming the cost of the car to be in the 30K range. That is accurate as that is the cost of the car in Germany (LHD). It is the same if you do a 340R( which is what I want) or an Exige. As far as the car coming to the US...I would buy one in a minute, but I don't know if it will. I hope so...and there is certainly talk of it... I hope it doesn't come to this...but I suspect there are those at Lotus voting to drop the "production car" business entirely and just keep the engineering side.. I just wish they would put Arnie Johnson in charge of Lotus UK...then perhaps we would get the Elise. I just don't understand that the US is not important enough to have a car designed for us...I thought we were the largest market. Oh well. . .hope springs eternal.

May 17, 2001 - 04:36 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: God Bless America
Message: Tony, contrary to what some Americans seem to believe, America is not the centre of the universe. America has no more right to expect Lotus to build a car specifically for them than, say, the Siberians who may be peeved that the Elise does not come with a snowplough, or the Saudis that it doesn't have an ice cream maker. America, by insisting on all sorts of 'safety' and environmental rules and by having such amusing product liability laws, has brought it upon itself, making it difficult for a low volume car maker to provide them with an acceptable product. I hope I'm not offending anyone here but if you (as a nation) over legislate then we (as the rest of the universe) might just have to step back and say 'sorry mate but we'll go somewhere else'.

May 17, 2001 - 05:04 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re; Geom Check
Message: Ade, When I spoke to someone at Kelsport they said that to do a full 4 wheel geometry setup it would take a full days labour. Nick Whales said that it would take half a day with their new laser gizmo. I even mentioned to Kelsport that I'd freed up the top ball joint bolts but this didn't affect the cost. Did Kelsport do the settings with a full tank and a 75kg dummy in the drivers seat? Note to everyone - if you want to save money on having a camber setting change make sure that the inboard bolt of the front top ball joint can be removed. If it can't be removed the garage will cut off the ball joint and charge you for a new one! It took me a week to free mine using some considerable persuasion and lots of plusgas. The old bolts were badly rusted but the new ones are now plated.

May 17, 2001 - 07:08 - From: Guillermo
Title: Maggie
Message: Maggie, i did try to find out the prices for the seals, but - i am sorry - i am not able to find them on the SJ Sportcar website, I found the prices, but there are so many "seals", i can't distinguish them. Could you send me a list of the parts number ? Or better, the invoice so I can see the prices. I am interested at least in the A pillar seals, the drivers - left - side (my elan is a SE and LHD). My seals are not quite water proof ... anyone's ? If you want to sent the information by fax, please use +34 977 21 63 31. Thank you

May 17, 2001 - 08:49 - From: Dave M.
Title: legislation / LOG seminar?
Message: I agree with Richard on the legislation and liability side. But someone in DC is starting to help (the track-use loophole). I DO agree on emissions controls (which is why they swap the VTEC into the Elise "conversion" - the Rover isn't smog-legal), but the continuing airbag fiasco and average-Joe American's insistence on cupholders and cell phones over actual driving has gotten us nowhere and no serious niche cars. No offense, and I love my Elan, but I would trade it in a second for the 340R if it came here and I could drive it everyday. It just isn't going to happen anytime soon. I'll be pleasantly surprised if the Elise ever does, either. (...stepping off the soapbox and getting back to the fun side of Lotus...) By the way, have you heard anything more on an Elan seminar at the LOG, Tony? I can't wait! I will be at the track tomorrow at least...looks like rain, but that will make for interesting slides on video!

May 17, 2001 - 14:23 - From: Will
Title: importing cars
Message: Richard Clifton i understand about the woes of bringing a car to the great U.S. I spent three years in japan. and had two cars i wanted to bring back a Skyline GTR v-spec and the silvia. It is not as hard as you may think. I ran short on time so i sold the car. I had the Skyline first. but the car had a problem i could fix, so i sold it to buy the Silvia. If lotus thinks about it. the rest of the world follows what the U.S. does. So they should have a second offering for us. The Esprit is out of a lot of peoples range. well my range. It would be nice. Just so i can see one on the street here. So he too can suck some Elan exhaust. And Charlie how did the nos system work for you? Just curious.

May 17, 2001 - 20:23 - From: Loren
Title: M100 soft top replacement
Message: Greg: Found another manufacturer called cabrioworld with a price of $425 and can be contacted at www.cabrioworld.com or Jeff at (800) 752 1563 or (973) 642 4058. thank you, Loren

May 18, 2001 - 03:06 - From: Geoff
Title: Headlights
Message: Hi all, I managed to fix my headlight problem by pushing upwards on the area of the dashboard by the drivers right knee. Apparently this is where the relay is for the lights, and it can become a bit loose. I was too scared to try to remove the dash to have a look at them as it looks like a hell of a job, and a hell of a lot of dashboard to come off in one go!!! If it is an easily do-able job, then can someone let me know, and I'll get a bit braver and have a go!!!

May 18, 2001 - 03:36 - From: ADE
Title: Steering geom
Message: Richard, if kelsport are charging that sort of cost, I think I would give it a miss, considering if there is no fault with your car, you will feel no benefit. Nick Whale seems a far better option. As to if my Elan had a full tank of fuel, you must be joking, in this country, my Elan has never seen a full tank, although it may see a full tank next week, I am taking It to France. To be honest if the necessary loads were applied, I do not know, as I was not there at the time. Best of luck in getting sorted. If you do go with Nick Whale please let me know what you think of there service.

May 18, 2001 - 04:37 - From: Ash
Title: ECM problems
Message: Hi everyone, I am hoping for some advice! Last night after stopping the car (N/A M100 naturally), for a short while and coming back. I found it would not start, after much huffing and puffing I remembered where the fuel cut off inertia switch was and hey presto off I went. Fine until this morning after driving for about 5 miles the car started to dye. Upon stopping and trying a couple of times to restart, I could hear the fuel pump, so the inertia switch is fine, but the engine will not start! The tell tale lights are showing nothing strange, (one flash a pause then straight on, or sometimes just straight on), have any of you helpful bunch got any ideas? Please!!! The ECM was replaced just over a year ago (at grrrrr London Lotus), but looking back at the service records this would have been the second replacement which does not bode well? The car is completely unmodified if this helps at all? Thanks in advance for your ideas! Ash, Bucks UK.

May 18, 2001 - 04:39 - From: Ash
Title: Thanks to Ade
Message: Ade, I forgot to say once again, thanks for the kind donation of the wishbones! they arrived perfectly, and are now undergoing careful preparation! Shame the car has decided to stop working though! See message above! Ash

May 18, 2001 - 05:28 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: R.O.W
Message: I hope the rest of the world can be selective about what we copy from the US. For instance, wonderfully cheap petrol would be nice, driving around in gas-guzzling behemoths would not. Living next door to any of the 'Sex In The City' girls would be fun, being in fear of my virginity whilst lost in my canoe in a backwater of the River Wey would not.

May 18, 2001 - 05:34 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Apart from that .....
Message: Can anyone tell me the orientation of the dipped headlight bulb in the back of the unit. I attempted to remove the right-hand headlight to replace the bulb last night but I couldn't shift the securing screws. I had to roll up my sleeve and get all gynecological, working blind with my hand shoved up the back of the headlight pod. I couldn't make the flange on the bulb seat properly so the beam is pointing a bit high. If someone knows which way up it goes, I can pop out and have another go.

May 18, 2001 - 07:02 - From: Ash
Title: ECM problems
Message: Hello again, further update, the alarm was shorting out preventing power getting to the ignition. The car ran for a short while longer before dying again! This time the RAC were called in! All they could find before putting it on the back of a low loader, was that the ignition pack is getting hot, it seems to run for a while then dyes again! Any ideas at all please? Ash

May 18, 2001 - 08:24 - From: steve
Title: Headlight Gynecologicals
Message: Richard.. Don't know the bulb orientation off hand, but have you disconnected the lifting rod to give yourself extra room for hands ? Sorry if this is obvious.

May 18, 2001 - 08:59 - From: Richard Steele
Title: ECM Problems
Message: Ash - What make is the alarm and does it have an immobilizer in it? Have you looked at the error codes held in the ECM?

May 18, 2001 - 09:54 - From: Ash
Title: ECM Problems
Message: Hi Richard, The Alarm is a Piranha System, I can't remember the model no, it doesn't (to the best of my knowledge) have an immobilizer, i.e. there is no key fob etc to activate one, however the RAC chap suggested it was a combined fault with the Alarm/immobilizer stealing power from the Ignition, and suggested that some alarms have a system of cutting the fuel system and will occasionally let you run the car for a while before once again killing the fuel? sounds a bit dubious to me! It could be a trip to an auto electrician this time! I've just finished printing out all the Electrical section of the manual, which may be of assistance. Have you ever heard of an alarm doing such things? an immobilizer I could believe. Thanks for your thoughts!? Ash

May 18, 2001 - 11:11 - From: Paul
Title: co
Message: The idle CO on non-catalyst equipped M100 Elan models is adjusted via a CO potentiometer which should allow a minimum output voltage of 0.66 volts. Legislation in force at the time of Elan production was 4.5% CO, but this was retrospectively changed by directive 92/55/EEC in 1995 to 3.5%. This change meant that some cars require a recalibrated mem-cal in order to meet the required CO level. This may be ordered from any Lotus dealer under part number A100E0097S, but is supplied on an exchange basis. Please enquire with your dealer. Bear in mind that it is necessary for the engine and fuel injection system to be in good order before the emissions requirement will be met.

May 18, 2001 - 12:08 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: Elan Parts
Message: I live in North Florida. Whenever I order parts from my local Lotus dealer (Matheny Jaguar) they really have a "Lotus is an insignificant part of our business" attitude. Does anyone know of a Lotus dealer in the states that would be happy to take my parts order over the phone? (one that is quick and reliable) Thanks

May 18, 2001 - 14:00 - From: Doug
Title: Parts
Message: Matt, check the "links page" for parts suppliers; you can call them and they have all been better than the dealers!!

May 18, 2001 - 15:16 - From: will
Title: Doug
Message: i clicked on the picture of the yellow Elan. everything is in korean. i'm sorry, but i dont speak korean. nor can i read it. can i have some help. I want to get those front wings for my elan. I need of an aggressive look. I talked to the wife, i just installed a new amp and speaker set up in her car.

May 19, 2001 - 02:46 - From: Guillermo
Title: Ash - Inmobilizer
Message: Citing a Service Bulletin from Lotus: "... the standard Lotus vehicle alarm does not include an inmobilisation feature ... If it is required that vehicle inmobilisation be included with the alarm, the following modification may be carried out ... Part required: Inmobilisation Kit, vehicle Alarm, RHD A100M0336S, LHD A100M0337S ...." It also states that the location for inmobilizer is side by side with the alarm module (RHD back of diaphragm panel, LHD - behind speaker trim panel). The Elan S2 include Alarm AND Immobilizer, but make is now Gemini Aquila 5060T.

May 20, 2001 - 17:28 - From: Mark
Title: Headlights
Message: Can anyone help - I pooped the headlights today and the left one came up and dropped back a bit. On inspection I noticed the lifting mechanism was trying to retract by pulling the lifting rod downwards and back instead of upwards and back like the one on the right. Basically it was jammed on the two aluminum pipes and a brass bracket. I disconnected it all and realigned the mechanism and tried it again and hey presto it happened again. Should the lifting rod be adjusted to a particular length to stop it dropping down when the pod comes up or is it just trial and error - please tell me it isn't as there ain't much room in there??

May 21, 2001 - 07:13 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: ECM Problems
Message: Ash, Some alarms have a relay contact in them that you can either route the LV of the coil or the fuel pump feed through and this acts as an immobilizer. Immobilizers usually isolate a number a circuits. Maybe your alarm has this fitted? I have a friend who's immobilizer cut in when he was in the outside lane (fast lane) of the motorway and he managed to coast to the hard shoulder without harm.

May 21, 2001 - 08:53 - From: Chad V. Uy D.D.S.
Title: steering wheel noise
Message: I just recently purchased an Elan two days ago. I noticed when I turn the steering wheel left or right I hear a hissing sound as if air is leaking out. It stops as soon as I release the steering wheel. Is this normal. I also discovered a switch under the dash on the left driver side. I should call the dealer to see if this is an aftermarket switch. I am afraid to touch it. Thanks. P.S. this is a wonderful site.

May 21, 2001 - 08:58 - From: Ash
Title: steering wheel noise
Message: Hi Chad, Steering hiss uh...., it's not a problem it's a very normal, and some how reassuring noise that all is well! So go out and enjoy the car! You have not said whether yours is a LH or RHD car? I am not sure about the switch I'm afraid though. Cheers Ash

May 21, 2001 - 09:08 - From: Ash
Title: ECM/Immobilizer problems
Message: Richard/Guillermo Thanks for your advice, I am now going to go and take a look at my alarm to determine whether or not it has a by pass circuit of any description, and or the additional immobiliser add on fitted. Do you think that this type of device would allow a small amount of time before activating? I have now established that the car will run for about 10 minutes (idling on the drive way), before it dies and won't re start. The fuel pump can be heard still though, so the next possibility is the ignition system, As I had mentioned this pack was described as being hot by the pick-up guy. But I am not so sure that it was hot or just at working temperature! I've not been able to check the error codes yet, but does anyone no if these same codes are applicable to the non-turbo Elan? since something's such as the ignition system do differ? Thanks once again for all your help! I hope to be out enjoying the weather as soon as the car is back on the road! Ash

May 21, 2001 - 09:22 - From: Dave M.
Title: Lotus Engineering Day
Message: I know another contributing member to this board was there, but for those wondering, the Lotus Engineering Day at Waterford Hills, MI was great. Apart from the Lotus Engineering test Esprit getting dunked into a swamp and hitting a tree things were safe. It drove out, but had about 6" of water in it and a splintered rear spoiler. Ouch. A real treat was seeing a 340R in person (I've got video passing it, too - OK, so the guy was taking it easy...) along with an R500 Superlight Caterham, two Elises, a nice vintage racing Lotus Cortina, and two other M100s. My brakes were better this time, though still weak. The Wilwood upgrade is looking better and better. The Kumhos were poor on the short, tight circuit (13 turns - 1.5 mi). Next time I'll buy/try the Yokos. The best part was since the speed was lower, the wind noise in the video was quieter. My dad rode with me and the editorial comments are priceless: "Oh, #%$!" as we round the fastest corner, "Slow this thing down, kid!" as we hit the esses, etc. If someone knows an easy way to get video on the web, I'll get some to Doug to maybe post.

May 21, 2001 - 10:55 - From: Dave M.
Title: One Lap of America
Message: I have this crazy idea of doing a charity run in the 2002 One Lap (see www.onelapofamerica.com - it's the descendant of the Cannonball Run). The first of many issues: I think the original MSRP for the Elan was around $40K. This would put me in a class with Vipers, Vettes, and all sorts of tuner cars (Renntech 600s, Malletts, etc.). Does anyone know the original MSRP of the car? It seems I heard of a revised MSRP at one point, due to poor sales. Maybe I could get under $35K (the class separation) on that technicality...

May 21, 2001 - 11:29 - From: Ed
Title: MSRP
Message: Dave, having just registered my Elan here in AZ a couple weeks ago, I can tell you exactly what they put in the system as the original price from which they calculate taxes. That price was 33.9K. Of course it wasn't in any of the NADA books, they had to call the local Lotus dealer to get it. Though I do also seem to remember it being closer to 40K before it didn't sell so well. But where taxes are concerned, I'll take the lower number. The Lap of America sounds fun. As for the Cannonball, the closest I've come to that is doing close to 2200 miles from VA to AZ in 32.5 hours (solo). It was actually a rather fun drive, a lot more so than I thought it would be when I started.

May 21, 2001 - 13:15 - From: charlie
Title: America, NOS, Parts
Message: From what I understand of it, the UK/Europe actually has stricter laws and requirements for testing of the cars. CA is strict on the smog part, but you can get round that one easily enough. Its the crash test thats been the real bear i think. They require you to crash a lot of cars even though the standards are lower and they've already passed them. Will I haven't gotten round to setting up my NOS yet, i'm waiting for shop time and an overhaul on the engine before i put it in. I've been busy elsewhere and neglecting my elan a little.., Ferrari of Los Gatos have always had a good attitude with parts for me, fast turnaround.

May 21, 2001 - 15:18 - From: Will
Title: Charlie
Message: That's cool. I have to share a dealership here in hawaii. Everyone thinks that thier Diablo is the only car worthwhile, and that the esprit is the only car Lotus makes. I have to go to the small import shops here to get things done. And no i am not on crack. I am getting tired of 80 degree chrsitmas's here. I need snow. You can only walk the crystal clear watered beaches so many times. Okay i am not suffering, but i miss my Family.

May 21, 2001 - 15:44 - From: charlie
Title: yup.
Message: Yeah i don't see my family much either, but the choice between Los Angeles and chorley, lancashire. UK (although they live down the road from the lotus breakers yard in copull) well its a no brainer, i just bring them over here once in a while.. Hopefully i'll get some shop time in john forces (drag cars/funny cars)workshop i'm going to be working on some projects with them.. I'll let you know as soon as I get the NOS in. My elans just getting to the point where it needs some overhauling I think. I just wish there was a local shop i could drop it off and get everything done at once, rolls royce are good for servicing, but not for overhauls, I want a respray (but a shop that won't bake), exhaust, gaskets, turbo overhaul, new leather and the NOS fitted. I wonder if Bill has any family in LA =).... Also has anyone changed the oil sender unit for another? i still haven't gotten round to swapping out the old for the phantom, it looks dumb with just one black/red dial and the rest white. I have no idea where the oil sender is.

May 21, 2001 - 16:07 - From: Ade
Title: Wishbones Alarm
Message: Ash, glad to hear you received the bones they should give you a few good years. Sorry to hear of your other problems. I think you could be on the right track with the alarm. My immobiliser does what you describe. The engine runs for a while, I do not know how long I have never tried it, during this time It does not respond to the accelerator so I would guess the fuel is cut off. Best of luck.

May 21, 2001 - 17:27 - From: Matt
Title: New Exhaust
Message: Did all the preliminary work for installing the performance exhaust yesterday. Everyone said I would strip/break some of the bolts from the pre-cat, so I didn't force anything, used lots of Rost-Off (German Liquid-Wrench) and took my time, and they all came off! Only real problem I had was with the top bolt on the heat-shield. Broke a 3/8 inch extension on that and had to remove all the plumbing off the turbo to finally get good leverage. (attacked it from the top of the car instead of the bottom). Anyway, all the hard work's done now and I can't wait until the exhaust system finally arrives, hopefully before the weekend (but probably not). Put everything back together for now after cleaning it and coating with high-temp synthetic grease. I want those bolts to just spin-off by themselves next time! Will keep you posted once I get the exhaust installed... but I can really see how restrictive the stock exhaust is now, so I am expecting great things!

May 21, 2001 - 20:17 - From: Will
Title: Parts
Message: Speaking of exhaust, has anyone put in dual exhaust on thier elan? Or has anyone done any body work? Like a body kit. And Doug checkout www.streetracing.org . go to the speedorama canada 17 feb-2001. then go to the 3rd page. and tell me what kind of car that looks like. Looks like an Elan to me.

May 21, 2001 - 23:04 - From: Doug
Title: Smoking Crack
Message: Who in their right mind would desecrate an Elan like that ?! Will, I assume you mean the yellow car. Size is similar, emblem is like a Lotus one but upside-down, but I'd have to say with the size cues and the steeper windshield perhaps it is a modified Alfa Spyder, or one of those little Euro roadsters like that which we never see over here in the land of litigation and too many auto rules!! Yes, we need some front, side, and rear skirt options for the Elan, but someone is going to have to convince someone to make them first, and it will likely be a costly custom mod.

May 21, 2001 - 23:19 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Various topics
Message: Automakers really handicap themselves when they introduce a car and do not sell it in the US. Regardless of laws, requirements, or anything else, the US consumes more cars than any other country and is a huge market for selling cars. Developing a car and then not selling it in the place that a company could potentially sell more of them than anywhere else keeps money out of the pockets of the company. Laws and regulations are just the rules of the game and the companies know these rules all too well. Not playing by those rules that would allow them to sell their product in the US may annoy us, but the companies are the ones not making the money selling cars in the US. It may be a bad situation, but the shrewd ones look at it as "this is the inconvenience we have to overcome to make the big bucks" and go through the effort to make products available in the US so they can take those customers' money._ _ _Dual exhaust on a four cylinder car is not functional, it would be only for looks. The added weight of the additional pipe and possibly additional muffler would not net any more power, and this would be a net loss in performance due to that weight. Ignoring that, two tail pipes do look nice._ _ _The yellow car is a rather extensive body kit on a honda. It was in one of the import magazines six or eight months ago. The head lights are the only part that betrays the car's origin._ _ _Bill Luton

May 22, 2001 - 13:56 - From: Guillermo
Title: not a beautiful mod indeed
Message: Bill, the mod's are for a Honda ? which model ? And why do they put a Lotus (or Super7 ?) badge ? Concerning the US legislation, a lot of interesting car makers (Lotus, TVR) have not the cash to do full type approval, even if then it might result in more sales. And speaking of Lotus, I don't think they have a good reputation to get money for investing in an "adventure" like selling in the US. Lotus does not make big numbers, and even if they wanted, I don't think they even have the capacity to make much more ...

May 22, 2001 - 16:04 - From: charlie
Title: yellow peril
Message: A honda huh, when i first looked i thought original elan (not the m100) heavily modded, i though that because of the windshield and roof design. I don't believe the badge is a lotus badge but it does look kind of like one. I see Bill is quietly ignoring my hints, well that's the way I want it, subliminal messages. llib, lacos ot evom . Matt remind me never to drive behind you then, I'd imagine an exhaust system would do quite a bit of damage when the guy behind you runs over it.

May 22, 2001 - 16:17 - From: Will
Title: stuff
Message: I thought the car was a lotus. But i couldn't zoom in on the badge. And Bill i spend a lot of time in a tower looking down on a lot of things with the "big eyes". i saw the new neon with dual exhaust, stock. can you explain this one? You do seem to have the answer to most things. And to end my message on a sour note. On my way home from the premier of "Pearl Harbor" the movie. Just got on the freeway. Next thing i hear is boom. Then i see a lot of smoke. I hit a large rock at about sixty. Put a hole in my oil pan large enough to slide my hand in. I just changed the oil on saturday. Can anyone give me an estimate of how deep the dealership is going to stick it to me. Or where i can get a new oil pan.

May 22, 2001 - 16:25 - From: Kev
Title: Exhaust in the UK?
Message: My car started making a very loud rasping/rattling sound this morning. Are there baffles in the exhaust that can rot or come loose? The exhaust seems to still be intact but I have yet to get under the car and check out the noise. I suspect that I need a new exhaust. Can anyone suggest where I can get an aftermarket replacement. It a 91 n/a elan. Could I fit the turbo exhaust from the downpipe back? Also ideas on prices? Thanks, kev.

May 22, 2001 - 18:04 - From: Bill Luton
Title: other stuff
Message: The yellow convertible was in the November 2000 issue of Super Street. The badge is a yellow circle with a upside down blue triangle and looks to say "Vitesse" in cursive script. It started out as a 1988 honda civic which they put a "Gulf Coast Motors Vitesse body kit" onto. The number for the kit manufacturer is (416) 918-4555. The car is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The article is pretty poor, not much for details, and probably because about he only interesting part about the car is the body kit and the fake cross drilled rotor disks bolted on between the wheels and brake drums. The photos on the internet must have been carefully taken from an angle to make the car look sleeker, because the photos in the magazine show the windshield to be much more vertical and it looks disproportionately tall. Then again, it is a kit, so the car at the show on the internet could be one done with a different windshield. But it's the integra headlights that really give the whole thing away._ _ _True dual exhaust would be two pipes from the front of the car to the back. This makes sense on a V8 because there are two sets of four and the exhaust flow evens itself out with four exhaust pulses evenly spaced for good scavenging effect. Running one pipe for the 1 and 4 cylinders and a second pipe for the 2 and 3 cylinders on a four cylinder car would not help scavenging at all, because the exhaust gas pulses would be too far apart. On a turbo car, that is all moot anyway, because all four exhaust runners must merge and flow through the turbo to provide the energy to pressurize the intake, so it goes to one pipe no matter what._ _ _Two tail pipes on the back end of a four cylinder car would then mean that someone has run a single pipe back and then split the flow to run through two mufflers and tail pipes or split the flow after the muffler to two tail pipes. Either way, there is no performance benefit from doing this over using a single muffler with a single exhaust pipe of the appropriate size. Adding an additional muffler and more pipe or just more pipe offers no additional performance and adds only weight, and hauling around more weight makes a car slower._ _ _Why do car makers put dual outlet pipes on cars without V8 engines, because they want to make buyers think there is a lot more engine in that Grand Am, Grand Prix, or Dodge Stratus than there actually is. It is for aesthetics. Symmetry makes things look more pleasing and it is more difficult to design something asymmetrical to look pleasing and balanced._ _ _I'm not up for power blackouts, earthquakes, rationed water, and we already have your vehicle inspection and reformulated gas which we don't want anyway, so I'm reasonably sure I won't be moving to California. I'll stick with snow and salt, pot holes, backward-pickup-truck-driving-hillbillies-and-their-big-three-only-mentality, and elected officials that we can't get rid of without a tax evasion indictment._ _ _Oil pans from Isuzu are well over $125. I was thinking about deep sump oil pans. I can't remember specifically how much the price made me hurt, but it pretty much killed the deep sump oil pan idea._ _ _Bill Luton

May 22, 2001 - 19:21 - From: Malcolm
Title: Sony Radio XR-7070
Message: Hello I recently had the dash board of my Lotus apart, so I had to take the radio out. Every thing is back together now but I can not get the radio to work. It appears I have power and its grounded. The book mentions a reset button for the radio, but I can not find it. Can anyone tell me where this reset button is, or what might make my radio not work. Thanks Malcolm

May 22, 2001 - 19:22 - From: Will
Title: Stuff
Message: Thanks Bill, you are one of the three guru's i tend to listen to on this site. Even though your turbo upgrade price was more than twice of what i spent. I'm not a wrench turner, so i ask a lot of questions. like, what about the dual exhaust on a v-6? I hope the oil pan is not too expensive. In that same magazine that is talking about the Elise with the Honda engine. They also talk about the sleeper impulse turbo.

May 22, 2001 - 20:26 - From: Bill Luton
Title: different stuff
Message: Dual exhaust on a six cylinder engine wouldn't work as well as a eight. Three pulses don't scavenge quite as well as four, but it still works a lot better than two. Notice that Toyota chose to go with a single pipe on their last Supra, because they calculated out that the performance gained from running two pipes was offset by the additional weight._ _ _I've rethought the moving to California thing. The part I would hate the most is the 2,000 mile commute every day to St. Louis._ _ _Bill Luton

May 23, 2001 - 00:30 - From: Kev
Title: UK Exhausts
Message: Who makes exhausts for the M100 in the UK?

May 23, 2001 - 02:07 - From: Brian
Title: Exhausting stuff
Message: The thing to remember about our Turbocharged cars is that we are trying to reclaim some of the waste heat energy that escapes down the exhaust pipe. By sitting the Turbo as close to the Exhaust valve as possible, the turbine is able to use the maximum amount of heat energy before it gets lost to atmosphere. When Turbos were relatively new applications to cars, and 'Turbo-Lag' was a problem, some tuners would position the Turbo at the end of the first section, or 'Primary Length' to use the scavenging technique as on naturally aspirated engine, and this in turn helped to compensate for the Turbine lag at low RPM. On non turbo engines the coupling of exhaust pipes should be done in such a way that cylinders do not adversely effect each other, and this is dependent on the number of cylinders and the firing intervals. The ultimate exhaust set up can be found on Dragsters, just a single tuned length of pipe for maximum pulse reversal, scavenging and least resistance. From there it's all a question of compromise due to regulations, packaging and driving characteristics.

May 23, 2001 - 03:02 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: UK Exhausts
Message: Kev, Try "Double S" in Culumpton Devon they do a stainless steel "sports" and normal. I don't have the numbers to hand but I think they may have a web site.

May 23, 2001 - 04:08 - From: jeremy
Title: exhausting
Message: Kev. I put the SS stainless sports exhaust system on my 91 turbo about 4 months ago. The quality of the metal work is good but when it came, it would not fit without fouling on a cross member under the car. SS were keen to play ball and did collect the piece and press the area that should have been done to start with. They then returned the pipe to my local garage. When fitted, the tailpipe does not point straight out the gap in the back bumper but rather sits right over to the right, about half an inch from the edge of the hole. I was concerned that this would melt my bumper but it has not done so. It sounds fantastic and I can make the car backfire at will (anti-social posing b*****d)! The power seems good but a problem (code 31 low voltage) has developed with my car since. This may be coincidental but I am not able to plant my foot and keep it there anymore. I have to keep the car off max boost when the revs really get going. My wastegate is not sticking so this overboost 'may' (I am a designer, not a techie) be caused by everything spinning out easier and reaching the manifold pressure limit where I believe the ignition is cut. Were I to take my car to a specialist, I am sure they could sort this out but I haven't done so yet. New Dad = no money. Check out this ferretic / non ferretic business too. One stays shiny better. Cost of the ss system was if I can remember correctly was somewhere about the 200ukp mark. Also, SJ sportscars advised me to get the 'lotus' downpipe if you have the turbo car which I assume they gave me. The non-standard downpipe was causing a few problems. ...mmm... Janspeed also do a system but I don't think it was stainless. good luck.

May 23, 2001 - 05:07 - From: Ash
Title: Engine cut out
Message: Hi everyone, sorry to keep going through this one, but I am itching to get out and enjoy the seemingly rare sunny spell we are having here in the UK! I am still not able to use the ELAN because it seems to be cutting out once it reaches working temp, at which point there is no spark in the ignition system until the car has cooled down again! I've checked the ECU and thankfully that is not the problem but there are also no codes stored in there at all, which once again is good and bad (less money but I don't know what the problem is!). I have cleaned most of the electrical connections up, and still no success! Any ideas at all would be gratefully received! The car is a Non turbo. Has any one experienced a similar problem to this? it seems to be at working temp a sensor is supposed to be kicking in to keep the ignition alive but instead it isn't!! Argh!! I need to be out in it!! Cheers for all your help/ideas! Ash

May 23, 2001 - 05:59 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Exhausts
Message: Double 'S' exhausts have a lifetime guarantee, which is a good thing. My current silencer is (I've lost count a bit now) my 7th or 8th and this one needs replacing too, as the pipe into the box is cracked. Each time I get a replacement, a lot of messing about is required (including more bending sometimes) in order to get them to fit. The last time I got a straight centre pipe from them, it had to be returned as it just plain would not fit so I fitted a Lotus one instead. It sounds like I am complaining but I'm not really since, with a lifetime guarantee, I won't have to buy another ever and I get a nice new one every year or so. By the way, I usually get them from Paul Matty.

May 23, 2001 - 06:12 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: One Sad Elan Owner/One Happy Elan Owner
Message: When Paul Dennis mentioned that he was selling his Elan (May 13th) I passed his details to my friend Alistair. I met up with them both last evening and Paul and Alistair did a deal. Paul left looking a little sad, wondering if he was doing the right thing, Alistair took me to the boozer, very happy about his purchase. I think that if I wasn't married with small child, I might have bought it myself as a spare!

May 23, 2001 - 07:34 - From: Ash
Title: Ignition system non turbo
Message: Hi, does any one have any manual info on the ignition system of the Non-turbo elan? I think I've traced the problem I'm having down to the electronic ignition system located in the distributor, can't be sure yet. Also does anyone know of a cheap source for a replacement unit? thanks. Ash

May 23, 2001 - 07:59 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Castle Combe 26/5/01
Message: Is it just Russell and myself at Castle Combe this Saturday?

May 23, 2001 - 10:24 - From: Bryn
Title: Exhausted
Message: Kev, I have a SS exhaust on my 91 SE, fitted by previous owner. Not sure of exact origin but it cost £296 fitted, consists of 3 pieces and was supplied by Humphries in Reading (01189 482011), believe they have branches through the South of England. It's probably the 'Double S' system already mentioned, fits okay, but tail pipe is off centre like Jeremys. Has been on for a year now, back bracket broke on the way to Donington a few months ago, had to get one made and also had to reseal the joints. From my limited experience of SS exhausts on a number of cars, have always found them more brittle & likely to crack, shear or leak at the joints, guess that's the nature of the material they are made from and you will prob need to be prepared for more messing around to get a good fit. But like Richard says they come with a lifetime guarantee so that's someone else's problem.

May 23, 2001 - 11:06 - From: Matt
Title: my exhaustive resume
Message: Have had a Maserati BiTurbo Spyder since '95. It's exhaust was similar to the Elan in that it had a pre-cat on each bank of the v6, followed by one main cat. after the pipes came together (then, oddly enough, the pipes split again AFTER the cat. and came back together going into the muffler at the rear of the car - proving perhaps, that there are as many exhaust designs as there are designers!). Anyway, getting rid of ALL the cats. on that car made a phenomenal difference. Turbo cars need to breath to spin those turbos up faster. Have installed headers/exhaust on a MAZDA RX-7 and Truimph TR8 also, both with excellent results. Modifying exhausts, ESPECIALLY ON U.S. CARS, is a very worthwhile and comparatively easy endeavor, that I would highly recommend. Remember that shops are bound by law not to modify a car's emission system. There are many plus's to doing things yourself, the most of which is having the job done right. I would also recommend to anyone getting underneath your car from time to time just to be sure nothing has gone awry. I usually do this at each oil change (by the way, I have actually SEEN the Elan oil filter... it beats the Maser, where I only have to bend the sway-bar to remove the oil filter!) Can I call in a rare-oil-filter sighting to some sort of oil-filter-collector club? Should we get shirts printed up... "I have seen the oil filter on a Lotus Elan!" ?

May 23, 2001 - 12:57 - From: Matt
Title: toxins in the food
Message: Had this idea at lunch for those of you who just must have the ultimate Elan "dual exhaust". Separate runners from each cylinder, each pipe driving it's own turbo, two of these pipes can exit out the side like on a Viper, the other two can run all the way out to the back giving you duals in the rear. Because I will have to consult NASA to get all the "fluid dynamics" adjusted correctly, cost will be in the six-figure range! Good news is boost will be adjustable from 6 to 60 psi! A mind is a terrible thing to waste, I should know!

May 23, 2001 - 13:01 - From: Dave Schmid
Title: N/A Ignition
Message: Ash, The N/A ignition is from a GM 4 cylinder. I have used their parts for the cap and rotor. The distributor housing is special to Lotus. The electronics is also GM, although I used an MSD Ignition for the electronic board in the distributor, MSD coil, wires and the MSD 6AL ignition with rev limiter, part #6420. If you want the part numbers for the distributor electronics and coil, let me know. It has made a noticeable improvement with the multi spark.

May 23, 2001 - 13:51 - From: Will
Title: things
Message: How many people have done an intercooler swap out? what i mean is, who has moved it to the very front of the car and made it bigger.

May 23, 2001 - 15:05 - From: Steve P
Title: Exhaustive..Question for Bill
Message: The problem with changing exhausts is the lack of hard information on performance gains or otherwise. My backbox dropped off on an F&C run and there was a noticeable gain in throttle response, a guy following me in a Lotus 340R said "that Elan of yours seems a quick one". He was clearly having to work hard keeping up with me down the straights. No doubt the exhaust system is even more critical if you are running increased boost as I am. Problem is it's an expensive mistake to make if an alternative system doesn't perform. A non standard system was on my car when I bought it, after it dropped off I replaced it with the standard Lotus system and the car suddenly gained what felt like 50bhp! From what I've read about Bill's exhaust system I'm tempted to try it, but so far (please correct me if I'm wrong) comparisons are on US spec. Elans running two CATS. Bill how about offering us guys in the UK a straight through system without the CAT (good as it is). It would reduce the cost of the system and also help offset the high shipping costs. Don't forget there are lots more of us in the UK with rusty old exhaust systems! What do you think? ;-)

May 23, 2001 - 17:30 - From: Rod
Title: Exhausts - UK
Message: I have a stainless systems supplied by Haydon Cars in Salisbury, they have them made especially. Fitted it myself, a great fit and pipe is central at exit. Was about the same cost as a genuine Lotus one, and been on the car about 5 years. Mine has baffles in it, but Haydons would do one without baffles if you wish :-) If I was buying one now, Bills would be interesting as I have seen the quality of his work, and we know he uses nice big diameter tubing, which should assist flow !

May 23, 2001 - 17:37 - From: Rod
Title: Drip Drip
Message: People may remember I am having trouble with bleeding my brakes, spent two nights this week having another go, and 3 litres of fluid. Still got loads of pedal travel, but just as putting car away I noticed a drip under the car. ONLY with the engine running, I can see a drip about 6" inside rear drivers side ( RHD car ) wheel. It was getting dark but I suspect brake fluid ! So would it be true that with the engine running, the brake servo is pressurizing the fluid and hence forcing it out, if I do have a leak. Also I wonder where it could be leaking, and suspect parts in that area ?

May 23, 2001 - 20:12 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Exhaust systems
Message: I've mentioned a couple times before that air freight for a single exhaust to Europe would be between $100 and $125, depending on which airport customs office it would need to be picked up at._ _ _The exhaust systems are made in production runs, all the same. Selling one without the catalytic converter means I have to leave a catalytic converter out of the box and go out and pay for a length of 2 1/2 inch diameter pipe and pay to have the ends flared so it will go in place of the cat. I would be stuck with a cat and have the additional expense of another pipe, so there would be no savings in price at all._ _ _Now, if you guys wanted to buy a full production run of non-cat exhaust systems, ten or more, I could have them made and depending on how much they want to fabricate that pipe to go in place of the cat, the price difference might be $50 per exhaust system or a little more._ _ _As far as performance difference, there won't be much. The 2 1/2 inch high flow catalytic converters are built for V8 engines of 350 cid or 5.7 liter. I'm guessing that if you could run somewhere around 75 PSI boost through a 1.6 liter engine, you might be able to get that catalytic converter to cause some restriction, but short of that, it's going to outflow anything you can throw at it._ _ _Bill Luton

May 23, 2001 - 21:58 - From: will
Title: question
Message: how hard is it to change the oil pan on an elan?

May 23, 2001 - 22:50 - From: Doug
Title: Exhaust
Message: I figure I should speak up and give Bill's system a plug here. I was just toying with it on the way home today--I mean I was thinking about how great the boost response is with it in place and how the needle just jumps up immediately from the bottom when you hit the throttle (schwing!!). The sound is great too. I was changing my oil last weekend (this time I tipped the filter over and it dropped on the frame and all its oil spilled all over the frame of the car---aargh!!) and I smiled when I saw that big pipe with the flex joint in there to protect it from vibrations! Even if you guys don't need cat converters over there, how about a vote for the environment and just get the system with one on it!? As Bill said there is no restriction from it at all.

May 24, 2001 - 00:03 - From: Tony V
Title: reply to some stuff...
Message: gosh...posted one message about Lotus and comments on not bringing cars to USA...and out of the woodwork.... Let me make this clear...I LIVE Lotus...I have spent the greater part of my life (shallow as it may be) devoting the majority of my time to all things Lotus. I AM JUST MAD THAT I CANNOT BUY AN ELISE OR A 340R..(at a reasonable price)...to paraphrase what John Wayne said in a movie..Doesn't matter whose fault it is..your fault..my fault....Lotus fault..goverment's fault....nobody's fault..I am still MAD and the cars are still not in my garage...

May 24, 2001 - 02:57 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Re: Drip, Drip,
Message: Rod, the leak could be from the rear proportioning valve as this is roughly where it is, I've recently replaced mine but I only had one drip per year. It's a replaceable part and not repairable. Not sure about your theory of pressured brake lines unless there is some problem with the master cylinder?

May 24, 2001 - 02:58 - From: Steve P
Title: Cats & Mots
Message: Doug, I agree let's try and save the planet......My other concern though is the UK MOT test is really tough on emissions. Every time my car goes in the inspector always looks for a CAT as my car was manufactured during a transition year. Once he sees one of Bill's mega CATS dangling down, I'm going to have one hell of a time convincing him he's got to test to the old higher emissions threshold. Without recalibration of the ECU, pre-cat and O2 sensor I don't think I'm in with a chance of a new certificate. Remember what that lot did to the S2 Elan?! :-( Maybe Bill can license his design to a fabrication shop over here in the UK ..... Just grabbing at straws! :-)

May 24, 2001 - 07:25 - From: Steve
Title: Castle Combe?
Message: Richard - What exactly will be at Castle Combe? Will probably make it down but also require a new silencer. Don't know whether to pick one up at Cris Neils on Friday or see if anything is available on Saturday.

May 24, 2001 - 07:50 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Castle Combe
Message: Steve, Castle Combe is like Donington but without the exhibition hall although there are some traders there. There are Lotus's on the track that you can watch wizzing by, there's a bar, plenty of grassy areas where you can park and have a picnic, If the weather is kind, which it looks like it will be, then it's a great day out for meeting other Lotus owners. There's also a concours which hardly any other M100's enter so you will have a good chance of getting an award regardless of condition. I don't think that you will be able to pick up a new exhaust there.

May 24, 2001 - 08:22 - From: Steve
Title: Castle Combe
Message: Cheers Richard - Just arranged to travel down with an Esprit - so I'll see you and Russell there.

May 24, 2001 - 08:25 - From: Chris
Title: keys in the boot
Message: I had the same problem a couple of years ago when I shut the keys in the boot half way up a mountain in the Alps...Use adjustable locking grips to hold the lock barrel and rotate it. Use a cloth to protect the paintwork around the lock. The barrel should pop out of the spring clip retainer which fastens the barrel from the inside of the boot. The spring clip can be re-bent into shape and re-used.

May 24, 2001 - 08:28 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Castle Combe
Message: Steve, if you are driving down from the north west (is bnfl.com Windscale?) then another option is to call at Paul Matty Sportscars. They are only a short distance off the M5 at Bromsgrove.

May 24, 2001 - 09:19 - From: Dave M.
Title: Re: drip, drip
Message: Rod, as Richard mentioned, it could be the proportioning valve. However if it is closer to the wheel (you mentioned 6" away), it could be where one of the flex hoses is connected to the metal lines. For each side of the car, there is one flex hose at the caliper (most likely your culprit), another flex hose at the center of the car where the lower wishbone meets the frame, and then the proportioning valve mounted in front of the center hose on the side of the frame. With the rear jacked up and that wheel removed you should be able to get to all six connections to see which one is giving you a problem. I'm delinquent in getting Doug my write-up on brake hose replacement which will have pictures of all the above locations. If you'd like pictures in the meantime, please e-mail me.

May 24, 2001 - 09:29 - From: Ash
Title: Non-turbo workshop manual
Message: Hello!, does anyone have or know if there ever was a workshop manual for the M100 N/A engine? I am hoping it might help me in my search for a cure to my ignition system problems. I think my problem lies either in the distributor or ignition pack (since the N/A does not have a cam angle sensor as such). Ash

May 24, 2001 - 09:42 - From: Alan
Title: Elan rear suspension
Message: Hi, I'm thinking of buying an Elan (a pre-production example, apparently it was the one unveiled at the launch of the Elan and it was on Top Gear!). It has a couple of problems: a drive shaft fell out the transmission 200 yards into the test drive (the seller is having it fixed), the rear suspension arms are rusty, the rear wheel bearings have a bit of play and there are a couple of cabin niggles. The mileage is low (33k) and backed up by the service history. The body is good (minor paint chips only) & the engine seems Ok. They want £10,000 Should I run a mile? I'm having trouble being objective...

May 24, 2001 - 10:13 - From: Dave M.
Title: intercooler swap
Message: Will, I've looked into an intercooler change also but seem to remember in my search someone saying the design of the current intercooler was extremely good. Any change may affect cooling, pressure, and/or flow performance. As for location, I think I know what you mean. A big, aggressive-looking piece right in the center opening? I wanted that too, but questioned how that would affect air getting to the radiator and A/C condenser. If you do find anything, I'd be curious, though... On a similar topic, has anyone replaced the flexible hose leading from the turbo to the intercooler? It seems this could expand slightly under boost as the upper pipe leading to the intake could (part of the reason we replace the upper pipe, eh?).

May 24, 2001 - 10:23 - From: Edward
Title: cooling hoses
Message: On the subject of replacing hoses...my cooling hoses are showing signs of aging. Has anyone replaced this with braided-type; such as, Earl's Performance? It would be worth doing, so you wouldn't find yourself -- on the side of the road someday...

May 24, 2001 - 10:33 - From: Ade
Title: Pre. production elan.
Message: Alan, It may not be the same car, but I spoke to a owner of a pre production elan, who was selling the car last year. I know Clarkson had been photographed with it. I believe it was silver, but not sure. To add to the other faults you mention it leaks very badly and could not be stopped. Personally if it is the same car I would give it a miss you could be in for a lot of trouble.

May 24, 2001 - 13:32 - From: charlie
Title: NA manual
Message: the NA is covered in its own section within the manual.

May 24, 2001 - 15:12 - From: Matthew Welsh
Title: intercooler swap, etc.
Message: Along the lines of the gentleman who said he remembered someone saying the stock intercooler works well... it is stated somewhere on the web site that the stock accordion hose between the stock air-box and the turbo is not conducive to smooth airflow. I believed this until I had to remove the hose. Even though it appears to be a standard accordion hose on the outside, it is completely smooth on the inside. The metal "accordion" loop is only on the OUTSIDE portion of the hose to provide it with some amount of rigidity. Perhaps we have not given those Lotus guys the credit they deserve.

May 25, 2001 - 05:24 - From: Ash
Title: NA manual
Message: Charlie, unfortunately the manual I have is either incomplete or was not updated sufficiently and so is missing this section. If any one has this section and does not require it or is able to let me have a copy, it would be gratefully received! thanks, Ash

May 25, 2001 - 10:45 - From: Russell Pinder
Title: Castle Combe - Lotus Day Tomorrow
Message: If anyone's at castle combe tomorrow, has a crash helmet and wants to ride out on the track I've a spare seat for my two sessions. First come first served, all for the price of a cold can of coke :-) Mail me direct, no point clogging up the board.

May 25, 2001 - 12:05 - From: Rod
Title: Drip - now Rear Prop Valve
Message: Hmm, just discovered rear proportioning valve for brake system is £114, and cannot find one in stock anywhere. Think I will investigate more and be sure I need one before ordering ! Anyone else had this part fail, as dealers I have spoken to say they don't sell many.

May 25, 2001 - 12:27 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: Position of Blow off valve/ Intercooler pipe
Message: What would be the effects of putting a blow off valve on the intercooler pipe from the turbo to the intercooler instead of the more usual throttle body to intercooler pipe? I ask this as I have just bought a fitting kit allegedly for the Elan, that is just a large diameter aluminum tube with a smaller pipe exit for the blow off valve.

May 25, 2001 - 14:11 - From: Bill Luton
Title: blow off valve position
Message: I believe the valve works best as close to the throttle body as possible. The reason being that with the valve mounted farther upstream or between the turbo and intercooler, the release of pressure would cause backflow through the intercooler. The increased turbulence of the back and forth flow of air within the pipe and the intercooler would probably cause some decrease in performance. With the valve right next to the throttle body, there is no back flow and the release of pressure pulls the air along (scavenging effect), so the air is already moving in the right direction when the valve closes and throttle is applied to accelerate through the next gear._ _ _Also, if the valve were mounted between the intercooler and the turbo, you might want to fabricate a undercover of some sort to keep water from being splashed on it. Adjustment would be a pain, you would have to get under the car to adjust the valve. It also kills the vanity aspect of opening the hood, pointing at the valve, and saying how proud the owner is of their new performance part, because you have to climb under the car to look at it._ _ _Bill Luton

May 25, 2001 - 15:05 - From: Doug
Title: various
Message: Rod, be sure to check the inner brake line connectors! I remember Charlie looked into the prop. valve issue before and maybe replaced his? But you mentioned a pretty big amount of fluid loss so you should get it fixed before it goes out or you will be in SERIOUS trouble!! (be sure your handbrake is adjusted cause it will be your last hope along with downshifting!) Phil, I agree with Bill about the bypass valve placement and his argument makes perfect sense to me--no need to say more. However, I see the bypass valve as this ugly big lumpy thing under the hood, not as some great 'performance part'--although it is!! Russell, if I had time and knew about the seat i might have got me a ticket to ride along ;-) About the intercooler issue, you can rig up a system to spray water mist onto the intercooler to use as a means to leach heat from it by evaporative cooling--I remember Kip Anderson did this to his Impulse (search online Kip's Impules Mods). Is anyone ever going to figure out the coding procedure for the ALDL querying so we can all get our laptops hooked to the car with Andy's program?? Any computer studs feeling up to it??

May 25, 2001 - 15:17 - From: Guillermo
Title: ALDL
Message: I don't know if is of any help, but I got an TECH 1 module for my Elan (chassis 6724/dec. 90) and the cable that connects the TECH1 to the ELAN. If it is of any use, I can lend it.

May 25, 2001 - 17:56 - From: Rod
Title: ALDL
Message: Guillermo, how the heck did you get your hands on a Tech 1 for the Elan !! Is it a Tech 1 and you have a cartridge that says ELAN on it ? I had my hands on a Tech 1, but apparently you need a cartridge for the specific model or car, and Lotus would only supply the cartridges to Lotus Dealers ? Doug, I too am keen to be able to log data with Laptop connected to Elan, but have not found the correct connector for the Elan, nor software specific for the Elan.

May 25, 2001 - 18:15 - From: Rod
Title: Drip - no brakes
Message: Doug, I have no brakes at all now, was lucky that discovered the leak on the drive, while trying to bleed air out of the system. I now guess the air is getting in at the leak point, and leak got worse the more I bleed brakes.

May 25, 2001 - 18:29 - From: Guillermo
Title: ALDL
Message: I got the cartridge, not the TECH1. I was driving quite a lot across Europe, mainly to Spain, where there was (and is) only one Lotus Dealer, in Madrid - some 500 km away. So when I bought my ELAN I made 2 conditions: 1- I wanted a full copy of workshop manual and parts manual 2- All I needed to make at least a diagnostic if there where any problems. As Lotus was GM then and my Dealer is Opel/Lotus/Harley I got cartridge, cable and the mentioned manuals. In case of trouble I always could drive to an Opel dealer and make an diagnostic. Problem was when I had trouble, GM sold Lotus a few months ago and a French Opel dealer (about 50km from Lyon, some 400 km from German border, 500 to Spanish border) refused to make any connection to his TECH1. I then drove with 2100 rpm in 5th home to Germany (1000 km at 75 kmph, my god was that embarrassing, even large trucks drove faster). Since then the pieces remains in the car, untouched - thank god !

May 25, 2001 - 18:48 - From: Guillermo
Title: Manuals
Message: Has anybody 55 MB webspace left for ZIP Files containing scanned images of the service manuals ?

May 25, 2001 - 19:25 - From: Rod
Title: Tech 1 / Online manuals
Message: Hmm, I know where I could borrow a Tech 1 if required, so would be handy to have the Elan cartridge :-) If you could get the manuals burnt to a CD and sent over, I could pop them up on my Webspace.

May 25, 2001 - 22:16 - From: Will
Title: oil pan
Message: Does anyone know how long it takes to change an oil pan?

May 26, 2001 - 01:44 - From: Dave M.
Title: late night ramblings
Message: Phil, if the lower pipe fits, where did you get it and do they make one without the smaller pipe exit? Doug, I also saw a fan that mounts directly to the intercooler that supposedly lowers temp, too. At least when you're not moving I guess :) It was for a Saab, so quirky is as quirky does...

May 26, 2001 - 02:58 - From: Phil Johnson
Title: Early Morning Ramblings
Message: Dave, The fitting kit is from 'Bailey Motorsport, whos web pages are http://www.baileymotorsport.co.uk/  Another company to try might be http://www.forgemotorsport.co.uk/ as they say they can produce things to customers own designs. Doug, I too see the dump valve as a necessary evil and was looking at fitting a recirculating one back into the air filter to quiet things down a bit, so the front pipe might of made things a little easier to plumb in. I agree with what Bill says about the flow.

May 26, 2001 - 03:56 - From: Guillermo
Title: good (early) morning everybody
Message: I can burn you the CD, mail me your address. If someone can get his hand on a TECH1 with my cartridge, it should be possible to listen and record the communications between car and TECH1, you need some equipment for that, I think. Doug, you mention "Andy's program", is that Andy Whittaker or someone else ? Maybe he has some ideas about that.

May 26, 2001 - 04:03 - From: Guillermo
Title: Rod
Message: If you want - it's only a suggestion - I can upload the files directly, I have a fast connection available. And you can change your password afterwards.

May 26, 2001 - 10:37 - From: Rod
Title: Manual Boost Controller - UK
Message: Many people ask me where to get a manual boost controller from in the UK - when I was just in a Halfords supestore, and they now sell MBC's ( 3 way is £14.99 ) that look just fine for using on an Elan. Naturally I would recommend you sort out brakes and maybe a compressor bypass first though. Halfords also have "dump valves" however they did not look up to the job for an Elan.

May 26, 2001 - 10:58 - From: Rod
Title: Andy Whittaker
Message: I am sure Doug does mean Andy Whittakers' web pages. There does appear plenty of software and hardware around. The bits we are missing are : a) research into the connector we need to plug into the car b) work out from the data coming out of the car, which bits of data relate to which function ( sensors, revs etc ).

May 26, 2001 - 13:21 - From: Guillermo
Title: More detail on cartridge
Message: Ladies (Maggie, did you find a new Elan ?) and gentlemen, listen up: more details on the cartridge: it is manufactured - and the TECH1 - by vetronix (see .com form more details). Mine states: Part no. TK02370 Lotus 89-90 ECM "plus". The cartridge features a 2x20 connectors card (like an ISA slot). If you open you see two IC, one EPROM from TI with visible chip (I think it's to erase it with UV light), the other IC is also TI, SN74HC373N .The cable (Lotus order no T000T0897/2) features a 10 pin connector for the car (here ARE identifying letters ), at the other end there is a 15-pin female connector (2 rows, like RS232). It states also a number: TA00053, for sure the vetronix order no. I sent an email asking for an TECH1 unit, we will se what they reply...

May 26, 2001 - 14:56 - From: Guillermo
Title: me again ...
Message: can anybody scan pages 11 and 12 of chapter AD (b/w with 300 dpi) and email them to me ? thanks

May 26, 2001 - 16:32 - From: Guillermo
Title: hey, where are you all ? driving or what ?
Message: The General Service Manual's Online !!! http://ret0027h.eresmas.net/manuals.htm. Any comments welcome...

May 26, 2001 - 16:46 - From: maggie
Title: new elan
Message: Guillermo Am waiting for the money from the insurance co. Have been casting my eye around and have had several offers of help, thought yellow or blue this time. My husband is not impressed! So watch this space and your backs LOL

May 26, 2001 - 17:08 - From: Rod
Title: Service Manuals / Pacific Blue
Message: Great to see the Service Manuals online !!! Already had a good read about the braking system :-) Maggie, I love my Pacific Blue Elan, go on you know you want Blue !

May 26, 2001 - 17:48 - From: Guillermo
Title: TECH1 cartridge
Message: With the TECH1 cartridge came a operating manual, there it states the of error codes, just as on the "Diagnosing Check Engine Light Problem" page. Missing on Doug's page are: 13: O2 sensor (or circuit) malfunction / 26: QDM Fault Quad driver module short or open (seems more like an ESPRIT fault) / 35: IAC error IAC motor not controlling the engine to the desired speed / 44: lean exhaust / 45: rich exhaust / 53: Over voltage (system voltage high) /65: fuel injector driver circuit (or output) problem. Error code 51 states: PROM Chip failure. Later the manual says that it is possible to change the PROM, no need to change whole ECM (if it would be faulty ECM, how could ECM tell you "I am dead." ?)

May 26, 2001 - 17:52 - From: Russ
Title: bits and bobs - Maggie, Rod, Richard
Message: Maggie - if you find a yellow one I'll be really jealous. I wanted a yellow one, just couldn't find one in good enough condition (saw one in yellow with full yellow leather and yellow carpets - looked superb) which leads me to........ Richard, how much did you have to pay those judges to put yours ahead of mine in the concours today ?? :-) You weren't kidding when you said he'd marked it down because he didn't like red. I reckon he was just pissed cos I disappeared for another session out on the track :-). Seriously though well done, it's a very tidy car. For those of you who weren't there I spent two hours yesterday polishing all the plastic and really sorting the interior, Richard shows up in his white one (great paintwork) shakes out the mats (literally) enters the concours and wins. Another great day on the track today (can you have more fun with your clothes on), I couldn't count all the M100's in the paddock (30ish?) but there were 4 or 5 in one session (out of 12 cars) out on the track sometimes and never less than two. Nice to see two Lotus Carltons on the track together and great to see all the old elans, elites, eclats, europas and esprits out too. Rod.. you back in UK now? where were you today ? Missed a really great day and there were track passes going begging (chap too at £50). They guaranteed 2 runs and said they expected us to get 3 or 4. I did 7 :-) and only stopped because I'd done enough, could have done 2 or 3 more if I'd really wanted. Are you coming up next weekend - cotswolds run. There's at least two elans now after I recruited another today.

May 26, 2001 - 19:59 - From: Rod
Title: Next Weekend - Midlands Run ?
Message: Russ, got back to the UK this week, spent the last couple of nights under the car trying to fix the brakes, spent all day working on it today, gonna take some time off work next week to spend more time under the car ! I was given the impression all the track time was booked up months ago for todays event, if I had known there was track time I would have paid the dealer to sort the car out last week. Maggie :- PACIFIC BLUE PACIFIC BLUE PACIFIC BLUE !

May 27, 2001 - 04:47 - From: Guillermo
Title: Maggie & Rod
Message: PACIFIC BLUE PACIFIC BLUE PACIFIC BLUE - there is nothing like it ! just do it !

May 27, 2001 - 04:52 - From: Guillermo
Title: I just opened my mail and ... oh dear
Message: "Dear Mr. Herlt: ... I can sell you the latest version Tech 1A for USD $1745.00 complete with OBDII software. If you purchase 10 or more and would like to try to distribute them in your country, I can offer you 40% off the above price. " Well folks, who wants one ? I can offer you a ... hmmm ... a 30% discount ... anyone ... ? ... Bill, do you get some discount on this item without buying 10 pieces ?

May 27, 2001 - 05:54 - From: Russ
Title: Dumb Question - Brakes
Message: Yesterday, after pretty heavy track use (140ish miles) I found I'd 'lost' about 2 or 3 mm of fluid from my reservoir (1/10th of max to min) , enough to bring on the low brake fluid light (I always keep it topped right up to the max limit). Question is, Is this just the fluid moving to the calipers to fill the extra space as the pads wear - and wear they did:-) or is it likely to be the sign of something else that need attention. There's no obvious sign of a leak and the quantities involved are quite small.

May 27, 2001 - 10:19 - From: Rod
Title: Russ - Brakes
Message: I think I am becoming the resident expert on broken brakes Russ !! If you look at the service notes that Guillermo just made available. It does say that if putting in new pads you should REMOVE about a 1/3rd of the fluid from the reservoir first. So that does imply that a few mm wear on the pads would affect the level. The other thing that occurred to me on track was that the fluid can boil. However if this has happened I am sure you would have noticed the smell on track, and also have a spongy pedal now. Suggest you just top it up and see how you go.

May 27, 2001 - 10:32 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Tech 1
Message: I was quoted $4,000 for a refurbished, used Tech 1 and the software would cost an additional $2,000 to run the thing. This was from Kentmoore, the distributor for GM. I'm not interested in any of them unless they were given to me, they are just too expensive._ _ _Bill Luton

May 27, 2001 - 10:51 - From: Simon
Title: Brakes (this will mean more to those in UK)
Message: Hi, I'm thinking of getting an Elan and have been checking out this site for info. I've seen a lot of articles about brakes. I had a look at my first car yesterday and noticed that it seemed to have the same front calipers as my current car (a vauxhall nova). The reason I bring this up is that my current car is known to have very poor brakes and there are many aftermarket alternatives in available. I'm not sure of the exact details of which vauxhall the calipers/discs on the elan came from but I know that the calipers of later model vauxhalls can be used as direct replacements for earlier models, and there are several companies who make "spacer" kits to allow one to use very large bell mounted disks with OEM calipers (given larger wheels of course!). I replaced the calipers on my car and found the brakes much more powerful and they have no sliders to seize up. Checkout http://www.knighta.f9.co.uk/mods/brakes16v/brakes16v.htm for some images and details of the conversion on a Nova. If anyone is interested in investigating this drop me a line.

May 27, 2001 - 16:55 - From: Rod
Title: Brakes - GM Parts
Message: Simon, brakes are indeed GM parts on the Elan ( As GM owned ( and maybe even paid ) for Lotus around the late 80's/90's ). The pads are certainly Astra ones, read back through archives of this board for exact part numbers. If you really want great brakes then several dealers will install four pot AP racing calipers, custom bell hosing and disc. You can make the standard Lotus brake setup work ok, but it needs looking at each year to keep it in tip top condition, and even then the brakes are *only* ok. If you want to head for a track then certainly braided brake lines, and disk pad combinations such as EBC, or Tarox work much better, and cost little more than Lotus parts.

May 27, 2001 - 20:42 - From: rudz
Title: color choice
Message: hey maggie, glad you were ok from the little mishap. if you haven't already heard, here's some word from another PACIFIC BLUE owner....it's just got to be PACIFIC BLUE !!!! go for it !

May 28, 2001 - 00:29 - From: Dave M.
Title: brakes
Message: Maggie, if you want a winner - go with Monaco White. I'm not only partial, but just ask Richard! Russ has even vouched for it. :) Yes, Russ, the pad wear could account for that drop, especially if you have wear like I've seen with mine. Careful when you do change pads if you keep the reservoir topped off. You'll be surprised how much and how fast the level comes up when setting the pistons back in.

May 28, 2001 - 01:32 - From: Will
Title: oil pan
Message: I guess no one has changed an oil pan on their Elan.

May 28, 2001 - 06:00 - From: peter bentley
Title: For sale perhaps
Message: Maggie ! It seems that everyone wants you to have a Pacific Blue elan. Well i have one and I am thinking of selling it only because i have seen an Esprit which im waiting to hear further details on, so if you want to contact me get in touch as and when you have decided what you want to do. you can se a couple of pics of the car on the owners gallery if you wish.

May 28, 2001 - 06:07 - From: peter bentley
Title: Oil Pan/Castle Coombe
Message: I felt sorry for your un answered message, why are you wanting to change the oil pan ???? Castle Coombe looked great fun, good to meet up with you Russell and Richard, both your cars looked in great shape, perhaps the smell of cooked brakes put Graham off awarding a best in class to you Russ? Once the rear shockers and dampers have been replaced I'll be joining you on the track, so maybe next time. By the way thanks for the tip on the K & N I've ordered one today.

May 28, 2001 - 09:51 - From: Bill Luton
Title: racing classes
Message: I am not sure how many of you read the last issue of Resurgence Magazine but the article concerning the SCCA's refusal to classify the Elan M100 for Solo2 stock class competition should be of particular interest to any of you interested in racing. In addition, they placed the Elan into A Street Prepared class as the lowest class available, putting the Elan against Dodge Viper, Mazda RX7 Turbo, BMW M Series, all Porsche 6 Cyl and 8 Cyl, and Mitsubishi 3000GT in a class that expects full coil-over suspension, removal of AC system, limited slip differential, racing wheels and tires, and limited full race preparation as a minimum for successful competition. While saying things like "those cars are nothing like the quality of my Elan" may be nice, in reality, the SCCA has intentionally classed the Elan in a way that there is no way it could possibly run competitively. It just so happens that the SCCA is in the process of restructuring the Stock classes and the head of the Solo Events Board has been promoted out of the SEB and into a position that he can make someone else's life into a living hell, which means that this is your opportunity as Elan owners to get your car competing in a more favorable class. Check http://www.autocross.com  and look at the PDF file containing the proposed reclassing structure. Look specifically at the C Stock Class which contains the BMW Z3, Mazda Miata, and Toyota MR2. These are all cars that are considered in the same market segment as the Elan and would be considered piers. There are even several magazine comparison tests to back this assertion up. I believe we could reasonably expect a positive response from the current SEB with a suggestion of classing the Elan with these comparable vehicles. I would suggest that all Elan owners write to the SEB and recommend to them that the Elan M100 be placed in this class: Solo Events Board, Sports Car Club of America, Inc., 9033 E. Easther Place, Englewood, CO 80112._ _ _Bill Luton

May 28, 2001 - 13:10 - From: charlie
Title: online manual, brake prop, tech1
Message: Glad to see someone else scanning the manuals in =) I wasn't looking forward to doing that one, that should be all of them online now.. Brake proportioning valves, lotus issued a service note saying that the earlier valves weren't optimum and said to change them out *if* the braking system was being worked on, ie it wasn't enough to warrant it on their own... I didn't change mine out, as the mechanic opted not to do it, i think it requires lot of testing and so on. Tech 1, I'd done some more work on Andy's program adding in the elan stuff, but i haven't gotten round to doing much with it, that tech 1 chip you have has all the info in it we need to decipher the rest. Its easy to make your own Tech 1 unit, however its hard working out what it all means. Unfortunately i no longer have a garage to work in, so i can't work on it much more, check out syntaxis technology off Andy's w. site it has tiny bit more info on the data.

May 28, 2001 - 13:40 - From: Russ
Title: Oooopps ! Another one bites the Dust
Message: Picked this up from alt.cars.lotus http://sites.netscape.net/mansonje/crash 

May 28, 2001 - 18:55 - From: Simon
Title: Test Drive
Message: I have just driven my first Elan today :-) It's a 1991 Red SE that's done 88 thou. The car appears to be in very good condition though I have no "reference" to gauge it by. I apart from general stone chips etc. I noticed a few things. The steering felt quite heavy during the test drive. My current car has no PAS and slightly wider than usual tyres, but felt lighter, how heavy is the steering normally? I noticed the ECU warning light come on during my little run. The dealer said they'd take a look at it and mentioned something about the lambda sensor it this plausible? The passenger side rear wheel had a small dent in it along with what I would consider a larger than normal number of balancing weights the car felt fine but should I try to investigate further? I think I could here the wastage “chatter” when I changed gear is this normal? I’m going back to test the car again as an earlier customer broke a rod on the soft top before I got there and could put the hood up ! The car is up for sale at 10995 UKP which I’m beginning to suspect is a little high any comments ?? Is there anyone in the Staffs/Cheshire region of the UK that knows of good dealers nearby?

May 28, 2001 - 19:09 - From: Guillermo
Title: manuals update
Message: Service Bulletins are added. If anyone has something to add, please scan them at 300dpi b/w and mail them to me. Thanks.

May 28, 2001 - 19:38 - From: Will
Title: peter
Message: I ran over a small boulder that put a 4 inch hole in it. I don't want to change the oil pan, i have to.

May 28, 2001 - 19:39 - From: Steve
Title: UK Car Insurance
Message: Have any UK owners who own 2 cars ( or more ! ) got any special policy to cover both/multiple vehicles or does everyone do what I have to and have 2 completely separate policies ? It is getting a little expensive with 2 lots of fully comp, you can only drive one at a time :-]

May 29, 2001 - 01:33 - From: charlie
Title: 0W/40 ?
Message: 0W/40 for the engine ? yonks.

May 29, 2001 - 01:46 - From: charlie
Title: cute wittle lambies
Message: Lambda sensor is an O2 sensor in the lotus world and yes its quite possible that its generating a fault, what's the code? or didn't they tell you , check Doug's write-up on how to find it out with a paper clip.

May 29, 2001 - 03:35 - From: Simon
Title: Test Drive - Lambda sensor
Message: All I saw on the dash was the warning light. When I go back I'll press them on it.

May 29, 2001 - 03:47 - From: jeremy
Title: Maggie.... yellow!
Message: Now's your opportunity. Don't you just have to get a Norfolk mustard car? Pacific blue?.........

May 29, 2001 - 04:05 - From: Richard A Clifton
Title: Insurance
Message: Rod. Did you get many replies to your request for information on insurance around the country. My friend Alistair has just bought an Elan and would like to know some details. From what I've seen posted previously, my insurers, Footman James, are by no means the best available so I too will be looking to change.

May 29, 2001 - 04:45 - From: Ash
Title: Manuals
Message: Guillermo, please excuse my ignorance, but where abouts are your recent manual uploads located? Cheers, Ash

May 29, 2001 - 04:50 - From: Guillermo
Title: Ash & Manuals
Message: Ash, look at http://ret0027h.eresmas.net/manuals.htm  . Another comment: if anyone sees an error or something faulty, there are about 600 images and 600 pages, for sure there is an error somewhere, but please drop me a line for correcting it, thank you.

May 29, 2001 - 08:45 - From: Bryn
Title: More Brakes
Message: Russ, I lost about same fluid as you at a track event last week, it leaked out the top which was only evident from under the car where it ran down back of engine, guess it was the fluid expanding under great heat. My brakes suffered from a nasty shimmering from speed when hot, as the pads (greenstuff) and EBC disks are new, I do not believe they can be warped, anyone have any ideas of alternative cause? or suffered warping EBC disks?

May 29, 2001 - 08:48 - From: Russ
Title: Test Drive and Insurance
Message: Simon - £11K sounds like an awful lot of money for a 80k'er with significant problems. Judging by what I've seen around this car should be about 2,000 cheaper. Have a good look around and I'm sure you can find one for £11K with less miles, no ECU problems and a roof that works (broken by the previous customer my arse, wonder how many times they've used that line?). My bet is that they're going to have that particular car for plenty long enough for you to look at others. Try private, get a professional inspection done if you find one you like. Guy at Castle Combe this weekend had a very tidy Pacific Blue car with about 70k miles on it - he paid under 9k for it privately a couple of weeks before. (Owner needed to get rid quick before going abroad). Steve - Insurance, have you got Elan on a classic policy? I pay about a third of the cost of my main car to insure my elan, don't need ncd (as in it makes no difference). Look at the adverts in the back of Classic and Sports Car and phone round for a good deal. I pay just over £300 for a 37yr old with car garaged and mileage limited to 4000. No alarm/immobiliser, guaranteed value £13K

May 29, 2001 - 08:51 - From: Bryn
Title: More Boooost Please
Message: Fitted my MBC last week together with Bills excellent bypass valve/intercooler pipe. Suffering from nasty boost spikes which hit the ECU limiter. I am aware that this is an inherent problem, but in turning down the MBC to avoid the spikes I am only achieving a little under .75 on the gauge when it is not spiking (know this is prob a little more in reality due to inaccuracy of gauge). Does this level of boost sound about right? is there a way of reducing the spikes so I can run a higher boost? is there anything which may contribute to the spikes i.e. type/size of hose used in the MBC plumbing etc?

May 29, 2001 - 09:08 - From: Dave M.
Title: crunched Elan
Message: The pictures Russ referred to are of Jim Manson's Elan. You can see his pre-Armco'ed car with mine at the Rollbar write-up. I drove with him at The Glen after LOG 19 and he's quick. At one point he and I joined a third green Elan for some 3-in-a-row running I wish I had some video of. He's also one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. A great Lotus and M100 enthusiast. Here's wishing a speedy recovery to the car and a thanks that no one was hurt.

May 29, 2001 - 09:22 - From: Dave M.
Title: brakes
Message: Bryn, I have new EBC disks that have shown no warping problems in over 100 miles on track. The only thing I've noticed about the rotors is their propensity to chow pads. I lost pretty much 75% of a new set in 80 miles. Did you find the same on the track? I am having heat problems, too. Boiled fluid and a burnt imprint of the piston on the back of the pads I just swapped out are making me think Wilwood very quickly. Anyone need a cheap set of EBC front rotors? They are great for light track day use and wonderful for the street, just not for the heavy stuff. They may be on the For Sale page sometime soon...just don't tell my wife about the Wilwoods. I'M still trying to figure out how I can afford them!

May 29, 2001 - 10:12 - From: Simon
Title: Test Drive
Message: Russ - Thanks for the reply. I've come to a similar conclusion that it should be about 2 grand cheaper. I'm printing off all the cars in Autotrader to give me a better idea of what's what. I'm in no hurry so I'd like to get a good one. Do you think prices will rise during the summer ?

May 29, 2001 - 10:50 - From: Simon
Title: Events/EBC Brake
Message: Are there any Elan/Lotus events in the north west of the UK coming up. I'd like to come and have a look at a few cars and talk to some owners before I take the plunge and buy one. On the EBC brake pad topic, you should be aware that EBC have re-formulated the compounds that they use on the Greenstuff brake pads several times. I guess though it's pot luck as to whether or not you get pads made from the new formulation. If people want pads for track use then they should look at the EBC "Red stuff" pads or "yellow stuff" (I think) these are harder and have a higher temp rating. Have people tried Demon Tweeks http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk  for sourcing parts? They are very very good and deliver all over the world. If you are near to Wrexham in the UK it's worth a visit just to see the equipment they have on offer. Everything from screen-wash to F3 tire warmers :-)

May 29, 2001 - 10:53 - From: Rod
Title: Simon - Test Drive
Message: Simon, read everything you can here on Doug's web site, great information on what to look out for. The Elan is pretty reliable for a Lotus, but there are still things to look out for. The balance weights on the wheel would have me worried. The standard UK 15" OZ wheels are very light in order to keep the unsprung weight down and make the car handle so well, hence they need to be kept away from kerbs etc. You could have a buckled wheel, which might need replacing. The steering on the Turbo Elan ( the NA has no PAS AFAIK ), is indeed pretty heavy for PAS, but this comes into its own once you get above 30mph, makes the car feel really nice to drive through corners. Certainly you want to dealer to sort out why the ECU light is on, I could be talking complete rubbish but think the lambda sensor was only fitted to USA cars, and maybe the UK S2's. Sounds like the salesman was guessing. "wastage “chatter” sounds an odd one, its been a while since my car was standard, but I don't remember anything like that. Its odd the hood mech. was damaged, I have not come across that problem before. Again you would need to see this fixed before even talking money. Perhaps if the car is at a Lotus Dealer(?), you could get the 11k down to 10k, and walk away with the car all sorted out, plus a decent warranty ? I would try and drive more Elan's at dealers, as they are all a little different, and you will then know a good one when you drive it. There is a Lotus meet at Rake Hall, Little Stannley, Ellesmere Port, South Wirral ( off A5117 ) last Sunday of each month - Noon. That must be in your area, although I have no idea if there would be any Elan's. How about this Sunday for the Midlands run, Russ sounds like he is going and I am sure could share a lot of information with you, plus actually show you areas of the car to inspect.

May 29, 2001 - 10:56 - From: Alistair
Title: Faith Renewed
Message: Have seen my name mentioned as new Elan owner, or rather renewed. Would like to state that although I strayed, and was lost in the wilderness with germans, italians, japanese, french and americans on the driveway - I am found! Unfortunately this was at the expense of Paul, the previous owner, but I think he will be back sometime also..... anyhow, I think I will try "the gear change adjustment routine" tonight having lost 2/4/R intermittently at the weekend, and it might be that. Then rear wishbones - any galvanised suppliers out there, new tyres and maybe some fluids and maybe a short run mid June to France. Maybe also do an S2 Suspension setup if I can get wishbones, bushes and spring/shocks - unless anyone has better ways of maintaining comfort and ride height (policeman fat when sleeping) while sharpening up a 130k miler?

May 29, 2001 - 10:57 - From: Rod
Title: UK Insurance
Message: I had very little interest ( ok 3 people ), in getting insurance information. Mine is due next week, so will have a good ring around. If anyone wants to send me details of what they are paying, to who, and where you are in the UK - email to lotus@thepitlane.com 

May 29, 2001 - 10:59 - From: Rod
Title: Faith - Wishbones
Message: Apparently Lotus have the rear wishbones back in stock ( S2 - galvanised type )

May 29, 2001 - 11:38 - From: Jim Manson
Title: Crashed M100
Message: I need some advice on repair of my Red '91 Elan SE, which got out of shape at Watkins Glen on 15 May 01. See . This _may_ be covered by insurance, but nonetheless I need a shop in the Boston area that does great fiberglass repairs. I'm sure that Lotus Motorsports (Steve Serio's) will repair/replace the suspension parts fine, but they talk about new fiberglass from Lotus, which I understand requires about as much work as repairing damaged. Any advice, comfort, kind words, will be welcome! Jim Manson

May 29, 2001 - 11:46 - From: Dave M.
Title: wastegate "chatter"
Message: Simon, this is a normal occurrence on the Elan. It was one of the first things I noticed when test driving, too. See the write up on the Blow Off Valve on this site (under Upgrades/etc.). It talks about what is happening and what can be done to change/improve the stock system.

May 29, 2001 - 12:04 - From: Doug
Title: stuff
Message: Guillermo, thanks a million for the service manual--I can field all requests to your excellent scans now--I will link to them on the site as soon as I can. Bryn, you should be able to get a better boost profile. Perhaps your boost gauge is inaccurate. The spikes may be caused by placing a MBC in a new hose which is too long or too narrow--be sure to double check this. Jim, so sorry to hear about the mishap--your pictures were already spotted and discussed here!! That looks like a LARGE repair for an Elan. Being a racer, I don't have to tell you to be sure the chassis is straight before spending $$$$$ to fix her! I'll buy your right rear taillight cluster if it is not salvageable though! Let us know what the repairs look like. I would guess you will have to get panels from KIA for the repair unless you find some laying around at some UK dealer!

May 29, 2001 - 12:50 - From: Russ
Title: Elan Prices
Message: Simon - re prices rising, I don't think it's going to be an issue now. IMO they've already risen all they're going to for this year. It seems to me that the top end of the market (S2's and low mileage <30k SE's) are holding up price wise pretty well but that at the other end the less tidy and higher mileage SE's are dropping in value. Personally I think this is because of the prices of 2nd hand elises falling into Elan territory, the M100 enthusiasts will keep the top end of the market buoyant but those seeking cheap Lotus ownership may well be able to stretch to the elise now. You may be able to use this to beat people down.

May 29, 2001 - 13:26 - From: Bryn
Title: Brakes
Message: Dave, I have all the same problems, boiling fluid causing air in system, back of the pads burnt to a crisp where they touch the caliper and spectacular wear of the Greenstuff pads, (forever cleaning the damn wheels!). I am coming to the conclusion that greenstuff are not really up for hard track work out but maybe that's because I use the Knockhill circuit which is all twisty bits and little in the way of straits to cool the brakes down. Hopefully it's the pads overheating and causing the shimmering not my EBC disks. Think I may shell out for some red stuff for those special occasions and keep the Greens for everyday use, also thought of adding brake ducts but can't really see where to put them to get a good flow of air - anyone tried this or had experience with the Redstuff pads?.

May 29, 2001 - 13:45 - From: Rod
Title: Body Panels
Message: I believe D J Dean have a couple of complete body shells - 2,000ukp + vat, both LHD and RHD available.

May 29, 2001 - 15:13 - From: maggie browne
Title: yellow/blue
Message: decisions, decisions have been told about a low mileage S2, black, secret deal anyone have anything to say about the S2 jeremy i take it you have a yellow one - ? for sale

May 29, 2001 - 16:25 - From: Russ
Title: Brakes - Dave and Bryn
Message: Dave - Bryn sounds to me like your problem isn't so much your pads/discs as your fluid. What sort of fluid are you using and how old is it. I've just had my system refilled with DOT 5.1 which has a much higher boiling point than 3 or 4. Not had any problems with brake fade in spite of fairly heavy track use - had two 150 mile sessions (plus 1500 road miles) out of my greenstuff pads with ATE grooved power discs and they're still significantly less than half worn. I suspect your problems all stem from the fluid boiling (or air trapped in the system expanding), this would cause the pads to drag, causing significant additional wear and generating even more heat (thus causing the eventual boiling). I'd try sorting out the fluid before messing about with discs/pads if I was you. Get the fluid changed and pressure/vacuum bled and see if you still have a problem. I run fairly trick 4 pot hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike (don't be fooled - these easily get up to the same sort of temps as cars under track use) and these are extremely sensitive to fluid problems (partly due to the small quantities invlved). If I ever have overheating problems (which I do from time to time) it's invariably sorted by a bleed or fluid change.

May 29, 2001 - 16:36 - From: Russ
Title: S2 - Maggie
Message: S2's are significantly more desirable than SE's purely because of their 'limited edition' status and the fact that they're newer. It's not unusual to see people asking in excess of £20k for a good low mileage one and even for an average one it's rare to see them sold for less than £15k. Having said that they're heavier and less powerful (partly due to the cat) and hence slower. They have a different suspension which some say is better but there is also a school of thought (backed up by at least one of the designers at Lotus at the time) feeling that this was done purely to make the car look better (bigger wheels) at the expense of dynamics (we're probably talking about stuff here which we'll never be able to appreciate). The hoods on S2's are supposed to work better too which may interest you! If you can find a nice one going cheap or can afford the additional cost then I'd say snap it up as it should be a good long term investment, but in general pound for pound my personal opinion is that the SE offers better value for money. Look in the FAQ on this site, there's quite a lot of info there.

May 29, 2001 - 16:39 - From: Alan
Title: S2 or SE-Maggie
Message: Maggie, if you can afford the S2 and aren't too worried about the 10 bhp loss due to the cat, I'd definitely go for the S2.Nicer wheels [IMO], no hump behind the handbrake, 'lights on' warning buzzer, various little improvements and even MORE exclusive than the SE. The hood still leaks but there's got to be something to moan about!

May 29, 2001 - 16:56 - From: Steve
Title: Insurance
Message: Thanks for the advice Russ, will they insure an S2 as a classic too or is it too new or does that not matter ? Who did you go with in the end for your insurance ?

May 29, 2001 - 18:03 - From: Simon
Title: Rod - Test Drive
Message: Rod thanks for the response - It seems as if all my thoughts are re-enforced by your comments. I'm going to have a quick drive of a friends 1.9 205 Gti with PAS to get an idea of what the steering is like weight wise. Several things I've picked up the dealer said he would fix if I go for the car. They aren’t a lotus dealer just an independent. I'm getting a mixed feeling about the car but I really do need to see another few. I asked the salesman to phone me when they have the hood fixed so I can go for another test with it up. If he does phone back either it's been sold or there may well be a little more to the car than meets the eye (or he's worked out I'm not going to buy on it sight/trust). I'm going to look at two cars (if they are still there) at a lotus dealer in Derby. The problem I've got with test drives is I'm only 25 and may come across as just wanting to go for a spin. But I hope if I phone first and ask some sensible questions they should be OK. Plus I'll do what I did last weekend and turn up in a colleges 911 :-) works a treat :-)) As for the meetings I'm from Crewe in Cheshire and E. Port is just down the road. Where about is this midlands run ?

May 29, 2001 - 18:06 - From: Russ
Title: K & N High Flow Air Filter
Message: The part number quoted on the parts section for the K&N filter would appear to be incorrect. I ordered one from Demon Tweeks (seriously helpful people). They had the Elan M100 listed as using an E2360 (it's listed on the site as a 2350). Anyway after some discussion we established that a 2360 is 160mm high and a 2350 is 165m high (diameters the same). To cut a long story short they sent out a 165mm high filter and it doesn't fit (you can't shut the airbox). The replacement 160mm high E2360 filter fits like a dream and also has the same end profile as the paper filter I took out (which is also 160mm high). Have others been ordering their filters by number or application ? Any similar experiences ? Seems to make a difference allowing car to pick up quicker, but I could be imagining this.

May 29, 2001 - 18:48 - From: Rod
Title: SE vs S2
Message: The S2 does have nice cosmetic touches like the same key for all locks, Lotus Alarm, centre console redesign. Plus as mentioned already they are obviously newer cars and may have less miles than an SE. The lower power output and increased weight ( especially unsprung ) would certainly not be my choice, plus you will have to pass the higher emissions limits at MOT, and have the cost of CAT replacements to consider. Do note that the last of the SE cars, had the redesigned hood, and door seals, and if you go for a car registered in 1991 then you don't need a CAT.

May 29, 2001 - 18:58 - From: Rod
Title: Test Drives
Message: I think I visited just about every Lotus dealer in the country before I found my car Simon. Just try and see as many cars as you can, the more the better. You have the bonus of trying to view all the colours available ! Peter Smith is not my personal choice of who to buy from, but others have been happy with them. The PAS on the Elan is not like you will find on most other cars, its weighted to give you the "feel" that you don't have PAS once moving, to try and give you feedback through the wheel. I believe Russ has more details on the Midlands run, Russ come on where is the advert for this weekend :-)

May 30, 2001 - 04:00 - From: Russ
Title: Midlands Run
Message: Its more Cotswold than Midlands - will possibly be two elans, maybe only me. Details can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midlandsrun If anyone else fancies going mail me direct. Russ

May 30, 2001 - 04:56 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Maggie SE's
Message: Maggie, The better SE's are the 92 year model that started in October 91 at VIN N6001 up to N6802'ish. I don't know for sure the last S1 VIN because the official line is that the last S1 is N6622 July 92 but I have seen a N6802. The advantage with a Monaco White car is that the undercoat is also white and so you don't notice the stone chips so much as say on a B.R Green. I also think they look nicer with the contrasting black hood and other black bits, but it's a personal choice. My Monaco white has also turned a slight Vanilla on the boot lid and back wings which I haven't seen on other Monaco whites. If you want to see when a car was made go to the GGLC site at http://www.best.com/~gglotus/ggtech/m100vin.htm 

May 30, 2001 - 05:12 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Castle Combe
Message: I had a great day at Castle Combe and it was nice to meet Russ and Peter Bentley, the sun shone most of the day, the drive down through the Cotswolds was great and to top it all I won the concours even with the flies still on the front bumper. Russ - I think you would have stood a better chance if you had stuck around as Graham Arnold came back to dish out the awards and only had 2 cars to chose between as yours wasn't there. I was only joking when I said he had marked yours down because he didn't like red - better luck next time. I nearly got a ride with Russ but as I didn't have any long trousers with me I couldn't. The race rules are that you have to have long sleeves and trousers to go on the track in an open top car. Parts of the previously grassy parking area are now tarmac'd but there are still areas that you can park and picnic. I saw 15 M100's and got the chassis numbers to 11 and full info on 7 so if you own the following can you please get in touch with me - 1 PGW, H591 XYL, M632 PEP, M686 UMM, G436 SEN(W?), 1 JDW, J215 LGA and J299 SNE and I can complete the records for these.

May 30, 2001 - 07:06 - From: Paul P
Title: Rear brake discs
Message: I have decided to get some new rear discs. London Lotus quoted £98.50 + VAT each!! Does anyone know of a cheaper source - recent discussion suggested that there might be an alternative Vauxhall part. Does anyone have any suggestions?

May 30, 2001 - 07:13 - From: Richard Steele
Title: Insurance & Brake Proportioning Valve
Message: My insurance is due today and my broker has quoted 558.17 with Cornhill for a 45 year old, with spouse, full no claims, protected no claims and a B90 post code. Alternatively he has also quoted for a Cherished Car policy with CGU with a 3000 mile limit for 259.40. The only problem with the Cherished policy is that you lose your no claims unless you transfer the policy to your spouse every year whilst you transfer to your other car (her car) which has to have a normal policy. Rod, I paid 30 pounds + VAT at Nick Whales for my valve last year. Have you found the fault yet?

May 30, 2001 - 10:35 - From: Dave M.
Title: brakes / K&N
Message: Russ, I am using ATE Super Blue which has one of the highest boiling points (dry and wet) that I could find. It was brand new when I went to the track, but I still had problems. I vacuum bled the system when installing the fluid, and bled after the track day. The next week I had similar issues at another track. I had significantly less pad wear using the stock discs over the slotted, but braking performance wasn't quite as good. I STILL cannot lock the fronts, though the new setup causes a few chirps here and there. As for the K&N, I ordered mine from Bill @ Isuzuperformance and must've gotten the 165mm, too (not sure of the part# - the box is at home). The garbage can lid fits with some help and flex, but it's not a stock fit. I'll modify with a Dremel rather than hassle with replacing it...

May 30, 2001 - 11:51 - From: Doug
Title: stuff
Message: Thanks, I'll update the K&N info soon. I have a rear rotor from Barry and am working on matching it to the current aftermarket brands for discs/grooved/drilled/etc.--it will probably be a while though so don't wait for me. With regard to the claimed 10HP loss on the S2, I will guarantee it is not from the catalytic plates alone, as these should not change the flow at all--until rusted up. The difference will be the addition of the pre-cat housing which is a highly restrictive cast-iron piece that tapers the exhaust from 4 inches at the turbo outlet to 2 inches in a matter of a 6 inch length!! Clearly removing this crap piece adds significant power to the US Elan. It is interesting that all the US magazines claimed the US Elan (SE) has the same 165HP as the non-cat non-US Elan SE!?!

May 30, 2001 - 12:39 - From: Matt Welsh
Title: 165hp
Message: One could dismiss that as a massaging of the numbers by the manufacturer, except for the fact that testers of both the Euro & US Elan reported the same acceleration times. I can't explain it, but the proof is in the pudding.

May 30, 2001 - 13:27 - From: peter bentley
Title: Brakes and pads
Message: In reply I have tried the tarox red pads which are harder as you would expect and probably to hard for road use however before my Greenstuff pads were fitted they were better than the standard set up i had. The discs i use are the 44 groove type from tar ox which I'm very pleased with. if i were as i hope to be on a track day i would certainly fit the red pads as the greens get hotter and therefore go off sooner perhaps ? I suppose the brakes debate will continue for sometime as in my opinion even the improved set ups that a lot of us seem to be running seem to be a little short of the brakes we all want. My other half's golf TDI will out brake my car easily. as for the price of the rear discs for what they do i seriously hope there is an alternative available.

May 30, 2001 - 14:13 - From: Guillermo
Title: more on brakes
Message: Rod, you said "You can make the standard Lotus brake setup work ok, but it needs looking at each year to keep it in tip top condition" may I ask: what can I do for making the brake setup work ok, what can I change ? It seems that I cannot change neither discs/rotors nor pads if have no type approval from the manufacturer for the Elan... or does someone know any approved discs (not AP Racing, they are out of range ..)

May 30, 2001 - 15:21 - From: Will
Title: Stuff/maggie
Message: I saw some better pictures of that 'vinesse' car. it does look like crap bill. I saw it in a magazine that the dealership gave me for letting them rape me on the oil pan repair. Maggie, my car is also Monaco white. I have to agree it does look better with the black top. but my paint is starting to bubble on the boot and wing. After my oil pan repairs, I'm thinking of painting it championship white. with a blue pearl coat.

May 30, 2001 - 16:27 - From: Jack
Title: Aftermarket steering wheel
Message: I didn't get any response last time so I will try again. I would like to replace my stock steering wheel with an aftermarket item. Can anyone tell me what mounting kit and adapter I need to use?

May 30, 2001 - 17:50 - From: Rod
Title: Standard Lotus ( GM ) Brakes
Message: I just overhauled the calipers each year, plus new pads, new fluid and clean everything up. They do work, but for same money you can upgrade to Tarox disks/pads ( that's what I have ) or ATE/EBC. Oh, DOT5.1 does have nice high boiling points ( £10/litre ), however AP600 ( £20/litre ) or Castrol SRF ( £45/litre ) have even higher boiling points.

May 30, 2001 - 18:35 - From: Guillermo
Title: Standard Brakes
Message: I just returned from quick "lap" around here, there some nice, uneven, unflat, unstraight, uneverything, for some km even with less-than-fair grip, driven by night, with hood down (22 degrees now, it is 24h now here), you can imagine I used the brakes a lot and so I touched boiling point - first time I done so, not surprisingly, but at 50m before a hard left turn (and yes, strait on, that are rocks - gulp !), you stop breathing ! As I mentioned changing brakes without manufacturer approval is illegal (my insurance wouldn't pay in case of need) so ... I think I have to upgrade fluids, thanks Rod for your info, I will search for mentioned fluids ...

May 30, 2001 - 18:45 - From: Russ
Title: Dave - Brakes
Message: Dave - sounds like you're using your car a lot harder than most of us and a racing compound pad may be appropriate. I'm going to stop trying to give you advice though because you clearly already know a lot more about the subject than me :-)

May 30, 2001 - 19:09 - From: Russ
Title: Guillermo - Brakes
Message: Is this can't change parts without manufacturer approval a Spanish thing? Seems to me it must of cost the manufacturers a pretty penny in 'contributions' to the government to have got that one through. Great way to make the customer pay through the nose for sub standard bits though. I'm pretty sure it'd be kicked out in UK if it was ever suggested as being anti-competitive and against EU rules, goodness only knows how they manage to maintain it in Spain. Bloody stupid rules hey! You have my sympathy.

May 30, 2001 - 21:05 - From: John G
Title: USA East Coast Elan Owners
Message: USA East Coasters are the least spoken of any on this web site. Here as an advanced chance for us to get together. The EURO 2001 Auto Festival is schedule for October 19, 20, and 21 in Greenville, SC at the BMW plant. Last year, over 400 cars were shown and I was the only M 100. The only other Lotus was a Seven. It is a great show including an Auto Cross on Saturday with cars provided by Euro 2001. Sunday features a Canadian Driving Event using your own automobile. Sunday will feature a two hour fun rally. For more information check their web site at www.euroautofestival.com or phone 864-814-1078. Jaguar is the featured car this year but it would be really great to have a bunch of east coast Elans there. I live close to Greenville (Clemson, SC) so if there is interest, E Mail me and let's arrange a gathering. Any European Elan owners who want to venture over, contact me and I will help with arrangements. USA West Coasters are always welcome.

May 31, 2001 - 02:03 - From: peter buckley
Title: VIN Numbers?
Message: Richard-you said the official last number on the S1 was N6622. I ordered mine in May 92and picked it up from Storm in Leicester in July 92. My VIN number is 26810. It was one of the last 10 remaining cars, but I remember reading somewhere that the very last car had all its panels signed on the inside by the people involved in building it. Has anybody any information about this?

May 31, 2001 - 04:17 - From: Bryn
Title: More on brakes/K & N
Message: Russ, agree on the K & N issue, my '2350' was too big so I scimmed a little off the top & bottom to get the dustbin lid to close. With regard to brake fluid, I am using fresh dot 5.1, bleed it obsessively and still have problems with boiling fluid. Having spoken to a few 'experts' on my shimmering brake problem it does sound like the ATE discs are warped which is disappointing as they have covered less than 1,000 miles. I will try something else next time like the EBC's or Tarox. I have also been advised that the Redstuff really should not be needed and may not actually work in the Elan as it is so light (Hmmm), they are certainly not advised for regular street use where they will not get up to heat. Very subjective this braking business isn't it!. So, has anyone tried the Redstuff out there?

May 31, 2001 - 04:28 - From: Bryn
Title: Still need more boost!
Message: Tried an experiment last night to see if the length of pipe where my MBC is fitted effects the turbo spiking. Managed to 'make' an MBC to fit in the stock length of pipe (approx 2" long), but the spiking was the same, so I concluded that the way I have fitted the MBC is not the issue. I know the boost gauge reads low as with no MBC fitted I see 0.5, which should in reality be 0.65, so with the MBC fitted, seeing 0.7 on the gauge is really 0.85 (does that make sense?). Can anyone with an MBC out there confirm if they are achieving a steady boost above 0.75 on the gauge? any more ideas on how to control the boost spikes?

May 31, 2001 - 05:09 - From: Richard Steele
Title: More Castle Combe Stuff
Message: Whilst I was at Castle Combe I meet Steve Williams who is an independent Lotus engineer (half page advert in Club Lotus mag) and he was changing the gear shift cables on a August 1990 built H plate. For a change it wasn't the ends of the cables that were the problem but the plastic collar of the adjusters that had broken off and wasn't being retained by the brackets on the back of the gearbox. He said that this was becoming more common. Another area that he is seeing more of is the oil cooler leaking.

May 31, 2001 - 05:42 - From: Guillermo
Title: Russ - regulations
Message: My car still has german plates (and I won´t change them, here you pay insurance and taxes for whole year, even if car is inactive, in Germany I can activate and inactivate as often as I want to- taxes on monthly basis, insurance on daily basis), and regarding manufacturer approval, it is not Lotus, it is the manufacturer of the brakes. He must present at least a paper stating that his product is suited for the car, and then german TÜV looks if the product is mounted correctly. That is done because of product responsability.

May 31, 2001 - 06:21 - From: Andy
Title: Elan SE looking for new home!
Message: Hi! I haven't posted for sometime and it's great to see that enthusiasm for Elan's is still going strong! If anyone is looking for a very nice example, my 1990 Elan SE is currently looking for a new home where she will be loved as much as she has been with me. She has 31K miles and has lived with me in London for the last six years. She has been serviced and maintained regularly and has just been given her spring overhaul. Everything works correctly and she runs very well. She's Silk Red (metallic burgundy and very pretty) and has contrasting cream leather interior. Wheels are S2 16" with 4 new tyres. The Hood is BRAND NEW! She has factory remote alarm/central locking and also a Clifford immobiliser. Hifi is Sony Minidisc and 10 disc CD boot changer with all the amps/JBL speakers etc. Change of circumstances forces sale so if anyone is interested, drop me a line at: andy.hoath@citicorp.com Cheers, Andy

May 31, 2001 - 07:33 - From: Russ
Title: Track Day - Coming up, might be good for a first go.
Message: Castle Combe Racing School are running track days at Castle Combe circuit for £135 for the day. Details are at http://www.castlecomberacingschool.co.uk/trackdays.htm  I've just spoken to the circuit and while they will take up to 72 cars max the day yesterday was attended by only 24. The format of the day is 12 cars out at a time for 15 minute sessions. (if they get over 48 cars they increase the cars on track apparently to a max of 20, 12 cars are pretty much lost on the circuit IME). The web site and brochure states that demonstration laps from instructors are included in the price (as is lunch) so it would seem that this might be a good place to start if you've not been out on track before. Dates available are 27th June and 11th July and I'm going to do one or the other, thing is can we get a few more elans out too? You really don't have to push the car to 100% (I don't) 80% is bloody good fun and one hell of a lot safer than tanking it around the local B roads, overtaking is strictly controlled and only done in a non competitive manner - you wont have people suddenly appearing on your inside as you turn into a corner. Either post here or mail me direct if you're interested in joining me and hopefully we can sort out the date most people can make it and have a good day out. Castle Combe is just off the M4 between Swindon and Bristol so is easy to get to from London/South via the M4 and Midlands via the M5. ... Go on ......you know you want to :-)

May 31, 2001 - 08:20 - From: Russ
Title: Track day addendum
Message: Just before anyone gets the wrong idea I'm not organising a track day as such - just suggesting that some of the rest of you might like to go to one (with me) that's being organised and run by castle combe circuit/racing school. They have plenty of spaces at the moment.

May 31, 2001 - 10:09 - From: Rod
Title: More Brakes !
Message: Front pads : Vauxhall Nova 1990 1.6 ( GSi 8v ), Ferodom FDB173 £10.99, Halfords own HBP300 £8.99, Red Dot ( tarox ) XE1275 £25.99, Red Dot Competition ( tarox - guessing Metalic or Kevlar = lots of brake dust ) XF1275 ~£50?. Front Disks : Vauxhall Astra 1990 ( GSi ? ), Tarox 6 groove XJ1280 £77.99, 20 grove XR1280 ~£100-£120, 40 groove XM1280 ~£160, Drilled ( don't know if grooved also ) XO1280 ~£150-£160. Anyone care to work out what Vuaxhall Caviler the calipers are off ?

May 31, 2001 - 10:13 - From: Dave M.
Title: steering wheel and brakestuff
Message: Jack, I have a Momo wheel in my Elan. The Momo adapter I used was for a Isuzu Impulse (I'll check the invoice when I get home for part # or Impulse year and post later). It works perfectly, but needed two small holes drilled in the base to accept the plastic turn signal cancellation piece that sits on the steering column. On brakes, I truly appreciate the advice, Russ! This is the way we all learn more, eh? The Mintex pads I am running are supposedly "race" compound (1144 C-type - check www.rdent.com, as they are on sale for $59 a set through today, I think). And you're right, I should qualify my usage of the brakes lately. The track that recently gave me problems included a corner where I was braking from 100-105 to around 50. At 1:50 laps and 20 minute sessions, I was hitting the corner approx. 10-12 times x 4 sessions. The brakes have performed well (though the pads might be a little hard) on every street-oriented situation I've had. So if you're not really having a go at the track frequently, I'd merely recommend real good pads, stock rotors, and frequent fluid changes with quality fluid. My theory is you can never stop fast enough, though. Bryn, I will be trying the Redstuffs if I don't have the Wilwood upgrade by my next track day!

May 31, 2001 - 10:24 - From: Dave M.
Title: I had a yummy donut this morning
Message: The speeds above were MPH, not KPH, in case you over-the-pond folks (those to the east, not you Will!) thought I was some sort of putz. :) See www.gingermanraceway.com for the aforementioned corner.

May 31, 2001 - 10:42 - From: Bill Luton
Title: General brake information
Message: I'll chime in with a little very general brake information._ _ _On pads, there are different pads for different uses of a car. Soft pads that bite hard quickly are designed for more commuter use and autocross and will overheat quickly if used repeatedly in rapid succession over a longer period of time, as in driving around a race track for 15 minutes or several hours. Soft pads on a long track glaze and melt._ _ _Harder pads are designed for use as extended periods of time on a race track, because they are more resistant to the additional heat but the trade off is that they do not bite immediately and will take time to warm up before they turn from the feeling of pressing your foot against the side of a wagon wheel to the point that you can tell they are actually gripping the rotor and stopping. This is why using hard endurance pads on the street usually means that the car won't stop until about the third hard panic stop or third traffic accident. Hard pads also eat rotors._ _ _The type of pad must be selected based on the intended use of the car and no single pad is the right one for everyone, especially if some people are complaining about no grip and others are complaining about roasting straight through a set of pads in a short time period, with the same pad. Pads must be selected based on the compromise of immediate grip versus heat resistance keeping in mind the use of the car._ _ _Most of the rotors mentioned thus far in the conversation are OEM replacement rotors. Avoid Asian manufactured rotors at all costs, they wear through quickly. Many companies are using these Asian manufactured rotor blanks for their slotted and cross drilled performance products. They still wear quickly._ _ _Slotted rotors, as mentioned by some, eat pads quickly. The slots are designed to shave the surface of the pad many times each rotation of the rotor when the brakes are applied so that the pad has a fresh surface against the rotor._ _ _Cross drilled rotors do not eat pads as much._ _ _Cryogenic treatment of rotors extends rotor life by as much as 3 1/2 times allowing the use of harder pads without as much wear problems. This treatment also helps greatly prevent warpage._ _ _Overall, without changing the size of either the pad or the rotor, most of the options of pads and rotors are just a shifting of where the wear is going to happen, whether the pad wears out first or the rotor._ _ _Neither of those does anything to address the inherent problem in the OEM caliper which tends to stick and does not dissipate heat well enough to avoid boiling the brake fluid._ _ _Bill Luton

May 31, 2001 - 11:04 - From: Simon
Title: More Brakes
Message: Rod - Anyone care to work out what Vauxhall Caviler the calipers are off ? Very good question. I completely agree with the assessment on which cars the Discs and Pads come from - that's what confuses me. I have a 1.6 Nova it comes with 236x20 mm discs and calipers that are a dead ringer for the Elan ones (and most other pre-90 Vauxhalls) I know for a fact that there are different sized calipers of this design. I was under the impression that the ones on the Nova & Pre 90 cavs. with vented discs were the largest. However my Nova has been upgraded with post 90 discs (as from an Elan) and calipers from an Astra GSi 16v (or Cav.) There is NO way the original Nova 1.6 calipers I had would fit round the new discs that are 256/24 mm (check http://www.knighta.f9.co.uk/mods/brakes16v/brakes16v.htm to compare). Now either the hub carrier is further away from the drive shaft on the Elan (and the calipers can take a thicker disc) or they made a larger caliper - (off a Carlton maybe?). The later would be a good thing as it would mean you could take the Calipers that are designed to go with the discs on the Elan. These are MUCH better they have a bigger pad and therefore generate more friction. I know as I’ve got them :-) They also do not seize up as often. I think a Vauxhall scrap yard may be able to help here?? or get the caliper part numbers for a Nova 1.6 and an Elan from someone. It’s no wonder the Elan brakes are poor as the pads fitted also are used on a 1.0 liter Nova (maybe a different compound) that has VERY small discs. I imagine that the discs must were unevenly across the diameter as the pad is too small to sweet the whole area ! If any of you live near one of the reputable Vauxhall tuners you should pay them a visit !! I still have my calipers off my 1.6 Nova I'll measure the opening where the pad/disc/pad goes. If all goes well this weekend I may have an Elan to compare it against ;-)

May 31, 2001 - 12:43 - From: Simon
Title: More Brakes again
Message: The Discs are from post 1990 "performance Vauxhalls" - Astra 16V, Cav 8V Sri & CDi & 16V Sri, Calibra 8V and 16V. Also most new Vectras. Pads are the same pattern/size as almost all 1980 > 1990 Vauxhalls. I guess the compounds could differ though. As Bill points out bigger is better. Tuners for my current car experimented with OEM parts and found the Discs and calipers off a V6 Vectra (300mm!) would fit a Nova with a big enough wheel ! They have also used spacers that move the caliper away from the hub carrier along with Alloy Bell discs/rotors. Take a look at http://www.regal-auto.co.uk/Brakes1.html for some Vauxhall brake tuning parts.

May 31, 2001 - 13:37 - From: peter bentley
Title: K & N filter
Message: Fitted the k & N today and it does seem to help the throttle response, especially at full throttle. I went for the replacement type not the open ended version. Thanks to all who advised, next step m.b.c. and valve thingy !

May 31, 2001 - 16:36 - From: Guillermo
Title: brakes, brakes and .. eh .. brakes
Message: Well, this month will be the "brakes month", and after my experience yesterday I went searching for brake updates, fluids, etc etc... and found the following web-site: http://www.movit.de/ They are astonishing, they adapt Porsche brakes for many available cars. and yes, I asked for the Elan .. we'll keep you informed, stay on this channel ...

May 31, 2001 - 18:19 - From: Steve P
Title: Vins & S2 Power
Message: Richard, just checked my '92 Elan VIN 6753. I'm not sure exactly what differences the later production model has but I've not experienced some of the more common Elan problems such as shifter cables & windows (yet)! Doug, If my memory is correct the US Elan was 163bhp as opposed to 165bhp. Not much difference anyway. Problem with the S2 was it had to comply with much stricter UK emission limits than the original US car hence a further 8bhp down. Although max torque is only a little down too, I bet if you put an S2 on a rolling road you'd see an entirely different set of curves particularly in the mid range, which would explain why the car is seconds slower in the incrementals. How else can you account for the S2 being nearly 23% slower to 100mph with 6% less power and 2-3% more weight? I'll have to run the figures through Car Test 2000. Great little program if anyone's interested in a bit of theoretical racing ;-)