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,