October 1999 Message Board

Oct 1, 1999 - 05:50 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Car comparisons
Message: I agree with doug there are many cars faster than an elan on the straights but on track that's it... The elan seems the best nothing to my knowledge) beats it. Enjoy our elans to the fullest.

Oct 1, 1999 - 05:54 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Headlamp motors
Message: I changed my in the beginning of this year and regretted since then. The motor's ok, after taking the whole thing out, it fine .. .. The most difficult part is taking it out.

Oct 1, 1999 - 08:29 - From: Jason
Title: Comparing the elan to the elise
Message: Just to add some fuel, I borrowed my dealers demo elise 111s for a day while my car was being serviced. I definitely think the Elise is a lot more "fun" to drive by virtue of the amount of feedback you get (from everything!). Off the line its quicker, in gear, I think they're pretty similar. I liked the car more than the standard model as it has a lot more power higher up the band, and it rev's both higher and more freely. My neighbour said it sounded "like a real sportscar - like a 360 modena" under full acceleration past our house (we live in the sticks). I can't confirm this - I was in the car and he was gawping at it from the driveway. Possibly a bit of an over exaggeration - but you get the feeling. Having said that he was at a Ferrari track day a week or two ago so should know what they're like. Handling wise, the elise was great, but I didn't push too much as I didn't know the car too well. I'd say though that its a bit more dramatic. It doesn't corner on rails like the elan, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It gave more of a "sense of occasion" On the downside, as there's so much feedback it can get very uncomfortable, it gets very hot, the noise is deafening when accelerating ( and above 80 mph - sports exhaust fitted) and getting in and out is an art. My gut feeling is that you can't really compare the two cars - they're really totally different apart from the badge. Both are excellent at what they do, they just do it slightly differently. I like the elan because it combines comfort, practicality and performance so well. The elise is a lot less comfortable and practical, but the way it delivers the performance (and the grin factor) can make you overlook its weaker areas. In fairness to it, it makes no claims to be either of the first two above. However, the proof is in the pudding so to speak, and I'm currently trying to convince my wife that all the elise's shortfall's (and there are many) can be forgiven as a replacement for the elan. As a Second / third car its great. The elan however is a great only, 1st or 2nd car!

Oct 1, 1999 - 15:18 - From: charlie
Title: car comparisons
Message: of course there are faster cars, but that's no reason to give up talking about making the elan one of them, after all for some of us that's half the fun. Perhaps its because I spend most of the time optimizing code I want to optimize the car too.. I plan to upgrade my turbo to the garret in January, not only will the car be fast on track but on the strip too. Has anyone been to see that smashed in red elan in Hermosa Beach (I think) he wants $7k for it. 8-)

Oct 2, 1999 - 10:48 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Upgrades
Message: Can anyone tell me of the price of their upgrading to 200bhp and whether it would damage the clutch etc... I am also seeking to get more power before the turbo cuts in 1500 to 3000 rpm range.

Oct 2, 1999 - 10:49 - From: Tony V
Title: Parts Sources (esp...HKS Blowoff)
Message: Hello all....cold someone Email me a source for the HKS blowoff valve.... As an aside...Doug...it would be helpful to perhaps list a bunch of M100 suppliers... just an idea.

Oct 2, 1999 - 12:39 - From: David
Title: Upgrades
Message: http://www.racetep.com/lotus.html and http://www.isuzuperformance.com/bills/ are the urls that you guys should check out. They gave me a better price on the blowoff valve at topend than what was listed. I plan to buy the exhaust from Bill later this year.

Oct 2, 1999 - 13:07 - From: Doug
Title: October Updates
Message: AOL is not letting me upload currently, *#@$&!! ASAP I will have a brand new "F.A.Q.s" list--we all have Steve P. to thank for this! Also look for some new links--and, Tony, that which you seek is already in the "links" area!

Oct 2, 1999 - 14:09 - From: Alan
Title: M100-just making contact
Message: Found the site via Richard from Wakefield UK. Great to read all your comments. I've had my 1990 Elan SE for just over a year and done 24000 magic miles inc 2200 in 8 days to Switzerland and back. Not much wrong, usual window problem and also wastegate[ which last owner paid for by prior agreement when I bought it] If anyone's interested I run North Yorkshire Lotus Owners Club [NYLOC nuts some say]. Monthly meets and usual stuff, most of us are also in Club Lotus and LDC but not compulsory. We have most Lotus models in the club with the Elise shortly to take the lead over the baby Elan I think. Keep loyal to the M100!We've got five in the club with one guy just defected to the inevitable. Cheers all.

Oct 3, 1999 - 15:51 - From: Geoff
Title: Short throw gear shift
Message: Does anyone out there have any experience of the short throw gear shifter that Isuzu Performance do for the Elan. It sounds like a worthwhile improvement - the gear shift has quite a long throw for a sports car. It would be good to hear from someone who has fitted it. Particularly ease of fitting and any perceived drawbacks. Geoff

Oct 4, 1999 - 08:57 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Shift kits and other stuff
Message: I'll leave the subjective review to some other people, but I'll comment that the biggest problem with the shifter kits right now is that I can't keep up with demand for the product and have a big stack of backorders sitting here to fill. I introduced the product in June with a small production run and was pretty disappointed that the incessant inquiries before release had not translated into sales. About six weeks ago, I found myself suddenly deluged in orders from Elan owners well beyond what I had in stock. I've been busting butt to get another production run finished so that I can fill orders and it looks like I will run out almost as soon as I have this batch ready to ship (waiting for the case hardening and cad plating to come back). Meanwhile, I'm working on a few other things for the Elan like stainless steel brake hoses, urethane bushings, and possibly custom lowering springs and performance brake parts. - - - Bill Luton

Oct 4, 1999 - 13:57 - From: MartinC
Title: Things and not working things
Message: Just had a look at the live chat room bit. Nice work Doug. Any ideas when your planning to organize times for chats? Unfortunately my list of things to do got longer over the weekend. It is the second time in two weeks that its happened.....my fuel gauge has packed up. It permanently shows empty although it moves a bit so that the fuel low light is not always on. There are a few dials I can do without but this one is a real pain. Any ideas ?? Is there something stuck that I can try and free up? Has anyone else had and solved this one? Also my driver side (UK car) wing mirror seems to have become detached from the electric arm that moves it around. It moves a bit but then flops pointing down (!!). I am sure this is just a case of reattaching the mirror to the arm but how the hell do you get in behind the mirror without prising it off? By the way I found a guy to fix the small hole in the roof. He said he will do it for £40. I'll let you know if it was worth it and what he uses when ever it is dry enough to see him with a dry roof! (By the way his main role in life is to replace plastic rear windows in convertible cars so I will ask him what he would charge for an Elan).

Oct 4, 1999 - 20:38 - From: randy
Title: rear struts
Message: The left rear is starting to leak. I plan on replacing the both the rears even though the right seems fine. Any ideas on replacements, or other relevant thoughts?

Oct 5, 1999 - 14:27 - From: Bill Luton
Title: struts
Message: I called my AVO distributor this morning and should have prices on the AVO adjustable struts for the Elan M100 tomorrow. _ _ _ Bill Luton

Oct 6, 1999 - 10:48 - From: Jason
Title: Heater distribution control.
Message: The switch that distributes airflow from the heating system is having no effect - i.e. it only blows from one of the vent positions, no matter where you turn it. I've had this problem before, and the dealer fixed it in minute, a "vacuum" line became detached (that's why it makes a sucking sound when you turn it normally). I live about an hour from my dealer & can't be bothered to drive there for such a minor problem. Can anyone tell me where abouts I'm likely to find this vacuum hose. Thanks.

Oct 6, 1999 - 12:30 - From: Doug
Title: things
Message: Jason, there are a bunch of vacuum hoses going to the distribution unit. It is a visual thing so I recommend seeing if there is a good schematic on Charlie's site in the parts manual. You will need to get yourself into the footwells and reach up behind the center console with a flashlight in your mouth and hope you can find it--good luck!! Bill, you go there about those AVOs!! How about finding some replacement front rotors like the EBCs??

Oct 6, 1999 - 19:57 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Struts and parts
Message: The AVO struts look to be priced at $279.00 per strut for the fronts and $237.00 each for the rears. I'll try to get more details like how many settings they have for dampening adjustment tomorrow, I was out when the call came in from the distributor. _ _ _ I didn't get a chance to go over to the Lotus dealership this afternoon as I had planned. I was going to order the brake hoses to ship to SMC for prototyping and price out the bushings, brake pads, rotors, and springs for samples to prototype urethane bushings, race pads, crossdrilled rotors, and lowering springs. _ _ _ I have located a local Elan owner who has agreed to allow me to prototype a cold air intake system on his car. The performance magazine dyno tests show .2-7 HP from hot air intakes with the hood up (hot air means that the cone filter is in the engine compartment and pulls in all hot air), cold air intakes dyno at 9-13 HP. Had they tested the cars with the hoods down, some of the hot air intakes would likely have ended up in negative numbers and none would likely net more than 4-5 HP, while the cold air intakes performance would be unchanged. We're seeing 12 HP on our non-turbo Isuzu cars with our cold air intakes. I'll work on getting something going on that in the next couple weeks. _ _ _ Bill Luton

Oct 6, 1999 - 20:25 - From: Doug
Title: Intakes
Message: This is NOT to set up a controversy but just to keep others from freaking at the above. I fully understand what Bill "means" about the intakes but want to input some more. First, I think a "cold air" intake sounds like a Great Idea! The intake I and others have I would not consider a "cold-air" nor a "hot-air" system. The Elan body is fiberglass and thus has excellent heat properties. Let your car get to the hot mark, open the hood, put your hand where the filter is (even touch it), and you will be surprised that it is not hot! This is one reason I anxiously await the ALDL program from Ian so I can see what the actual intake temps are! Also there is plenty of air exchange thru the engine compartment and the filter sits on the previous cold-air intake pipe so can draw air from there. Yes, if the car is stuck in a small dyno box and NOT in motion then the air will be hotter and the dyno will not be testing actual running conditions. Perhaps there will be an advantage to a frontal "cold-sir" system or perhaps the air is cool enough and the intercooler is efficient enough so there will be NO difference. It would be nice to know this but we probably never will.

Oct 7, 1999 - 15:51 - From: Colin UK
Title: Curious about upgrades....
Message: If you put all the upgrades on one Elan, i.e. Superchip, Bypass valve, open-ended air filter, manual boost control (turned up full), fuel regulator, high-performance exhaust, go-faster stripes etc., with the engine tuned up to the dogs.... what BHP would you exactly get? (Not that I'm a speed freak or wanna get some where quick!!)

Oct 7, 1999 - 16:57 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Upgrades
Message: Colin, you're going to have to be more specific about "all", because there is a lot more out here than what you mentioned. With the list you mentioned, the boost, intake, exhaust, etc., the stock IHI turbo peaks out at 220-240 HP and the stock fuel injectors peak out at 230-240 HP (no matter how high you run the fuel pressure). Upgrading the IHI turbo (it is the second largest IHI available) to the largest IHI (the one used on the Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe) would push the turbo's ability up by 10-20 HP, not a lot. However, the Garrett T3/T4 highbred conversion, with intercooler upgrade, by Speed Designs, which includes piping and upgrades to the fuel, ignition, and computer systems, pushes power up into the 300-350 HP range, depending on if you desire tuning for widest power band or peak horsepower. Quarter mile acceleration drops into the low 12's and high 11's with full interior. _ _ _ Bill Luton

Oct 7, 1999 - 19:05 - From: Jade
Title: Turbos
Message: First, Doug it was great to meet you and the car looks great. Bill is that Garrett T3/T4 the same turbo as in the Buick Regal Grand National. If so we can probably pick those up cheap because all the GN drivers want bigger ones. Just a thought. Jade

Oct 7, 1999 - 20:56 - From: Tony V
Title: leaking antifreeze
Message: Hello all... My new M100 is leaking antifreeze at the rear of the engine..it is coming out under the transmission... Can's see where it is coming from... Any ideas? I recently increased the boost....anybody think I blew a head gasket...? where does the overflow come out....? I t continues to leak when I shut off the car...for about 15 min,,,,, Help needed Tony Vaccaro

Oct 7, 1999 - 21:09 - From: charlie
Title: 300+bhp
Message: Drool .......

Oct 7, 1999 - 22:12 - From: Doug
Title: Coolant
Message: Tony, hopefully it is just overflow! That area sounds like from the spillover drain. If the coolant reservoir is empty, then you have a sign there may be a leak as the level is dropping--if the reservoir is full or somewhat full then an engine leak is unlikely or it would be drawing the reservoir dry. It may just be overflow from when the car gets hot after driving and the coolant expands a bit.

Oct 7, 1999 - 22:45 - From: Tony V
Title: coolant
Message: Doug....the coolant reservoir is not empty...is right up to the top seam....I put some in last week as is was just below the top seam...hopefully you are right... I will carry some antifreeze with me...and watch for it to go down.. What is the level normally....cold/hot by the way...I increased the boost by shortening the rod that actuates the wastegate...it is now just a hair over the 3/4 line...I ordered a blowoff from the Top End guys...should get it tomorrow... will let you know....

Oct 8, 1999 - 05:01 - From: Ian Levy
Title: Re: Heater distribution
Message: Jason (et al), the vacuum hose for the heater distribution control is just behind the throttle body in the engine bay. It's a 1/4inch (or so) black rubber hose (which is unfortunately exactly what the rest of the stuff round there is). It really is easy for it to get pulled off. Similarly, it's dead easy to get it back on ;-> Cheers Ian.

Oct 8, 1999 - 13:53 - From: Doug
Title: Coolant
Message: Tony, sounds like your coolant is overflowing when the engine heats up. the reservoir does not need to be kept full--as long as there is a bit of coolant in it with the engine warm that is enough! You shouldn't need to add coolant ever.

Oct 9, 1999 - 12:26 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Tyres and window
Message: I am about to change my tyres, have any body had any experience in tyres I used a Goodyear gsc and found it noisy (was given when I bought it) change it to continental and it was less noisy are there better tyres. I am considering Goodyear gad/Bridgestone s02/Michelin mxx3/Michelin pilot hx/Yokohama ...../Toyo proxes.... which is the best? price/performance/noise Michelin mxx3 seems expensive s$500 Bridgestone s02 s$280 Toyo proxes s$230 any advice??? Pirelli p-zero s$400 heard that Pirelli ain't that good??? I have decided to order the clips from lotus and the window regulator unit from kia(s$75) including the lip just in case my repair plan fails will update if anyone's interested to see how the kia window regulator goes.

Oct 9, 1999 - 13:12 - From: Dan
Title: Elan Headlamp Pod Lift Module
Message: Hi all! I've deduced the problem with my M100 headlight pods not raising -- the culprit appears to be the Pod Lift Module located under the hood on the right side of the firewall. Using the schematic from the manual Sheet 6, I highlighted the circuits I knew were working; based on info of operation in the manual, when you turn the light switch on, it delivers 12v to pin 6 of the Pod Delay module, which output 12v to pin 9 which connects to contact A on the Pod Lift Module that feeds the electric motors (this would make a whole lot more sense to you if you had the schematic here); I wasn't sure if the problem was the Delay or Lift module, but it was easy to remove the 5 contact plug from the right side (while facing it from front of car) of the Lift Module and read the voltages. I deduced that if I had voltage at ABC & E that the Lift module was defective(also confirmed good Ground at D); lack of voltage at A would have meant that the Delay Module was bad. With engine off I read 9.5v at A and 10.2v at BC&E running I got 13+ at A and 14+ at BC&E. Any advice on a parts source for the Pod Lift Module? Is it a "Lotus only" part or something they grabbed from the GM parts bin? The old one did have a "REPLACE ONLY DO NOT REPAIR" and Made In USA sticker on it(so I naturally opened the sealed back up & inspected the circuit board, but its nothing obvious, like a burned resistor or other component). I'd appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanks!

Oct 9, 1999 - 13:29 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Clutch,LSD
Message: Has anyone fitted a clutch and lsd and could tell me of any difficulties involved and their total cost. Where does the original clutch come from Isuzu from that same engine as well or from Renault as I heard that the gear box from Renault. Doug could you tell me of the total cost of your 200 bhp conversion excl. rims etc...What's the total cost of the uprated clutch and lsd and the time involved in fitting. I might fit an original clutch so should I order from lotus or Isuzu or get an uprated one....?

Oct 9, 1999 - 15:02 - From: Bill Luton
Title: Drivetrain
Message: Peter, if you're going to go in and have the clutch done, this will be a very good time to go ahead and do the differential as well as an aluminum flywheel while you are at it. All of these require removing the transmission from the car and it is best to pay the labor once as opposed to paying the labor three times. Labor for removal and installation of the transmission on the GM vehicles with the same Isuzu 76 mm transmission is listed in the labor book at 7 1/2 hours and labor cost will range in the $300-400 area. Removal, installation, and complete rebuild labor combined will be in the $400-550 area. This is from a general transmission shop, I would assume Lotus or Isuzu would probably get a lot more, and the removal and installation of the lower raft on the Elan may add some to the time. Aside from the concern of the raft, this really isn't something that requires a Lotus technician to do, the Isuzu 76 mm transmission is one of the most common on the road in the US today, being used in almost every GM four cylinder, manual transmission, front wheel drive car since 1985. I mentioned the price of the total teardown on the transmission, because installation of the differential requires this, but, this will include servicing the clutch and flywheel. One other thing, if the car has over 100,000 miles on it or has been driven hard, consider doing the synchros and possibly the bearings while you are at it as opposed to having to pay that labor again when those pieces do go out. _ _ _ With regard to selecting a clutch, I would stay away from an aftermarket OEM replacement (non-performance). I had one of those put into my Stylus (Isuzu FWD sedan with same non-turbo engine and transmission as the Elan), and it lasted about eight or nine months. Granted, this car gets raced at the local drag strip on Wednesdays and Fridays and autocrossed one Sunday a month, but less than a year was rather upsetting. I went with a Broward Pro Street clutch (kevlar on one side and ceramic on the other) with a Mueller flywheel (five pounds lighter) and am now in the process of breaking it in. It grabs rather quickly and should last many times the OEM clutch. The Broward Twin Friction is ceramic on one side and organic on the other and grabs a little less. The Twin Friction is comparable to Centerforce's Dual Friction, but all of the Broward clutch kits cost much less than Centerforce. Centerforce has a rather spotty reputation as far as failures (on muscle cars) and shipping the wrong parts in the box. If you're looking for pricing on clutch kits, check: http://www.isuzuperformance.com/bills/driveclutche.html . _ _ _ Bill Luton

Oct 9, 1999 - 18:17 - From: Doug
Title: Headlight pods
Message: Dan, good job! I looked at the schematic and figured it might be the controller. It is probably a GM part and I would look into the corvette controller if I were you. You could probably get one for dirt cheap from a wrecked corvette if you were here in the US.

Oct 9, 1999 - 23:24 - From: Andy Y
Title: Lift module
Message: Hey Dan, you must have a lot of time on your hands...or maybe you're like me...like to know how it works..eh? Anyhow, you're the first with this problem...considering it's not a common problem and it's electrically related...Lotus will probably want a fortune, but it wouldn't hurt to check...I'm amazed how cheap some parts are! If it cost too much, how about building one? From your diagnosis..is it a timed unit or is it more complex?

Oct 11, 1999 - 08:12 - From: JJ
Title: switchgear
Message: Seem to remember someone posting something here or on Randy's about shared cockpit switchgear with one of the Vauxhall models. It was probably a mid 80's model but does anyone know whether it was Nova/Astra/Cavalier/Carlton/Senator and approx which Year? I'll have a delve through the archives when I get a mo' but if anyone remembers it would be appreciated.

Oct 11, 1999 - 09:39 - From: JJ
Title: More info
Message: P.S. it's the hazard/rear fog/Air con switches that I'm interested in, and Vauxhall is the UK arm of GM. TIA JJ.

Oct 11, 1999 - 09:45 - From: Dan
Title: Lift Module
Message: Doug - sorry I'm not in Southern CA, but Ohio is still in the States! so I will pursue the wrecked 'vette lift module. I will try to locate the GM part#(Fiero maybe?) and let you know so that you can post it on the site somewhere... a "Parts Cross-Reference" page would be a great addition to your site and may save others needless expense and/or timely delivery of parts(I know, just what you need...another page to maintain!).

Oct 11, 1999 - 09:52 - From: Dan
Title: Lift module
Message: Andy - I really do like to figure out how things work, and I enjoy maintaining my cars(and competent repair shops are hard to find), but I certainly don't have too much time on my hands. Regarding the lift module, it looks more complicated than just a timing relay(it has what appears to be a relay in the center of the board) -- also has a couple of IC chips and a complex printed circuit board with a bunch of resistors....I can track a schematic to understand circuits, but building one is well beyond my electronic capabilities! I'll post back with an update when I find one(from Lotus or otherwise).

Oct 11, 1999 - 10:29 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Parts/price list
Message: I noticed that a number of elan owners are figuring out where their parts came from and avoid going back to lotus. I was thinking of making a parts list/ price comparison e.g. cam angle sensor Isuzu lotus price : us 92 165 wipers ...... etc .... I might make in two months time

Oct 11, 1999 - 12:51 - From: MartinC
Title: switchgear & fuel gauge
Message: JJ, I'm pretty sure the switchgear is from the Cavalier, as I am afraid to admit that I once had the pleasure of owning one. Certainly that goes for the stalks off the steering wheel although I can't be 100% sure about the centre console switches. I wouldn't have thought you would have too much bother ordering these parts as the Vauxhall cars are plentiful in the UK. I also mentioned not long ago that my fuel gauge had packed up, well apparently it is the fuel sender unit that might be dodgy. Has anyone any experience of fixing problems with these? Is it a DIY? Thanks.

Oct 11, 1999 - 13:41 - From: charlie
Title: parts xref
Message: there already is a partial parts xref on the golden gate louts page amongst others, its not got much in it though.

Oct 11, 1999 - 14:44 - From: AndyV
Title: Track days
Message: Hiya all! Anyone got experience of taking the M100 on a track day? I am going in early November to the Goodwood circuit, UK - there's only so much fun you can have on the open road ;-) I'll be getting all the details within a few days, but I'm told it'll set me back about 100 UKP. Specifics I'd like to know in preparation are things like tyre/clutch/brake capabilities (note this is a stock 1991 M100 with all the above in excellent condition). JJ, I agree with Martin on this - the stalks are definitely off older (pre H-plate) Vauxhalls such as Senator and Cavalier. The switchgear on the consoles I don't recognize from any of the older Vauxhalls. Martin, I've had a little experience in the past with fuel senders, and the sensor in the fuel tank is certainly a near impossible item to fix yourself. Most still operate on the old float transducer system, rather than the later electronic senders (M100 included, I bet, since it's relatively inaccurate). Have you removed it from the tank?

Oct 11, 1999 - 17:11 - From: Doug
Title: Updates
Message: First, Andy V, write to Steve P as he and some other Brits are veterans of Goodwood! FYI--there is an article on the Elan in the current (October '99) edition of "Classic and Sports Car" (an English mag). It is nothing earth shattering, but it's always fun to see the Elan in magazines--of course, they couldn't stop praising the car! Also I just gave my wiper assemblies a needed overhaul--nothing some fine grit sandpaper and some low gloss black paint couldn't make look brand new! And for those who keep asking, I found some wiper blade refills that fit perfectly. They are "Trico" brand, model #45-245--they are 600mm long, so you have to trim a touch off the end (originals are 23inches). They were $2.99/each, minus a $1/each rebate--maybe I should buy a gross to ship around?!? Also I put some Magnecor wires in my car yesterday, not too difficult--had some fun and cleaned the engine up a bit. The coil pack has numberings on the contacts and that is re-assuring. No real performance change noticed today, but I figure I may see a bit rise in fuel economy--will keep you posted. The reason to mention this is to say that I replaced the 6 screws that retain the plate over the wires--and it was easy!--(they were getting rusty) They are "hex-head, end cap screws" measuring "M5 X 10mm, with 0.8 pitch"--you can get them at probably any hardware store. Also I replaced one of my "third brake light" lights which is Replacement Bulb Number "891," a tiny two metal-prong halogen light--and it's $10/each! ;-)

Oct 11, 1999 - 17:28 - From: Paul
Title: gearbox noise
Message: has anyone ever changed the clutch release bearing as my one is getting noisy well I assume that it is the clutch release bearing because it only makes a noise when I push the clutch down , after looking at the service notes it does not seem to be a difficult job the hardest part I think would be getting the gearbox out which doesn't even seem to be that difficult if I do attempt this job I will try to take pictures so that they can be put on this web site I think while I am at it I would replace the clutch any guidance on this matter would be appreciated, by the way does anybody know if you can repair the wheels as a friend put a dent in one of mine! thanks Paul

Oct 11, 1999 - 17:29 - From: Paul
Title: gearbox noise
Message: has anyone ever changed the clutch release bearing as my one is getting noisy well I assume that it is the clutch release bearing because it only makes a noise when I push the clutch down , after looking at the service notes it does not seem to be a difficult job the hardest part I think would be getting the gearbox out which doesn't even seem to be that difficult if I do attempt this job I will try to take pictures so that they can be put on this web site I think while I am at it I would replace the clutch any guidance on this matter would be appreciated, by the way does anybody know if you can repair the wheels as a friend put a dent in one of mine! thanks Paul

Oct 11, 1999 - 17:52 - From: Geoff
Title: Sheared exhaust
Message: Driving along today when the car suddenly started sounding like a tractor. Subsequent examination showed that the exhaust had sheared off right behind the flange where it bolts onto the exhaust manifold. No sign of corrosion. Must have been metal fatigue caused by vibration. Has anyone else experienced this? I think I will go for a replacement Janspeed exhaust - unless anyone has any other recommendations.

Oct 11, 1999 - 18:10 - From: David
Title: exhaust
Message: Geoff you should check out Bill's Isuzu page they just had a complete custom exhaust designed on an Elan platform about a month or so ago.

Oct 11, 1999 - 18:23 - From: David
Title: air intake
Message: As I was messing with my boost this weekend I decided to do a little experiment with the topend K&N air intake that I put on the car a few months back to see if it was drawing air from the old cold air intake piping. It seems that with a little duct tape, coat hanger, and plastic whistle(suspend the whistle in the cold air intake) you can see(or I should say hear) that the K&N does seem to be drawing on cold air with the hood down. Now Doug and Bill were discussing the pros and cons of hot air cold air last week which made me wonder if there is a way to optimize this setup, Any ideas guys? is there a way to measure air draw under the hood?

Oct 11, 1999 - 19:17 - From: Doug
Title: Intake Input
Message: David, I like your thoughts but don't get too carried away. The difference from a normally aspirated car and turbocharged one should be addressed when discussing intakes. With a cold-air set-up you can get cooler, denser air into the throttle body to get more O2 for sparkburn! In our car you have to consider the air is under turbo pressure and is being cooled by the intercooler. Our ECU knows how much fuel to put in for the specified pressure. Decreasing the air temp as it goes into the throttle body will help but you are talking about "diminishing returns!" Consider the throttle body is going to be warm. You could cool the intake pipe, turbo, engine, or throttle/intake more and get the same effect! I just don't want people thinking there is going to be that big of a HP increase from a few degree difference--there are many factors to consider! David, how about getting a thermometer with a remote readout in the cockpit--then you can place the sensor in different area to see the temp of the air in the engine, in the stock cold air tube, and at the front of the car to see if there is a difference. If you check them driving on a cool night you will likely get no difference, but if you idle in traffic on a hot day there will be the biggest difference. Geoff, be sure to see if you need new bolts and studs at the downpipe as mine were a rusty display--and see if the pipe can be welded as it may be a cheaper fix--but everyone says the Janspeed sounds nice on the Elan.

Oct 11, 1999 - 21:32 - From: Bill Luton
Title: intake
Message: I'm going to have to disagree with much of what has been said about hot air intakes and I'd like to point out a few things. We've measured under hood temperatures on non-turbo cars above 200 degrees. The thermostat in the cooling system is set at 180 degrees which means that all of the air that passes through the radiator on its way into the engine compartment is conveniently preheated to that level. Combine that with the heat radiated off the head, block, exhaust manifold, etc., and 200 degrees is a lot less than you would expect in an ambient underhood temperature. Now, take into consideration that a turbo car has a nice big heat producing turbocharger and all of the associated heat of a pressurized exhaust manifold, and an engine running hotter because it is on boost, and the underhood temperature of a turbocharged car is understandably higher. Most cars at least have steel body work to conduct heat away from the engine compartment (ever felt a hot hood), but the Elan has lots of fiberglass, which is an excellent insulator, to hold in heat and keep things nice and toasty in the engine compartment. Also, consider that intake temperature is even more important with a turbocharged car that has an intercooler because every single degree you can lower the intake temperature is a degree that you don't have to lower with the intercooler, and one more degree cooler that the intake charge will be, leading to an overall lower intake temperature, more power, and the ability to run even more boost without detonation. This is the reason that people upgrade to larger intercoolers to get more power. And with regard to air blowing through the OEM intake piping into the engine compartment, air that is not either under pressure or vacuum does not go anywhere. The area beneath the fender where the air pickup is located is a low pressure area, meaning that nothing would "blow" from this area through a duct unless you had that duct attached and sealed to the intake tube (like the OEM filter canister) or there was a fan over the end of the duct. Here's an example, stand six feet away from an open doorway (no fans or windows open, totally still air) and try to breath only air from the other side of the doorway. There is no way to magically cause the air to go from the other side of the doorway and into your lungs unless you lay a hose through the doorway and pull the air though the hose and into your mouth with a totally sealed system, just like the ducting on a cold air intake system. Now, I'm not trying to be a butt-head about this but I deal with so much misinformation on a daily basis and having done a great deal of research on intake design, I hate to see so much inaccurate information out there. I feel strongly enough about this that we don't make any hot air intake systems and there are a number of vehicles that we simply don't offer intake systems for because they can not be fitted with a cold air intake system without cutting holes in the engine compartment. My feeling is that short of a full, high flow, cold air intake system, the lower flowing OEM cold air intake system is better than a hot air intake system. Hot air intake systems look shiny and make neat noises, but underperform when tested, and prove the axiom "Just because it's louder, doesn't mean it's faster". Never use your ear to measure performance, that's what your stopwatch, accelerometer, the Compulink Startrak at the local drag track, and the Dynojet chassis dyno are for. _ _ _ Bill Luton

Oct 11, 1999 - 23:18 - From: Tony V
Title: Blow-off and Air Filter setup from TE
Message: Hello all... just thought I would tell you all that I just installed the Blowoff valve from Top End...worked great and it appears to do what it is supposed to... Now I was also going to tell you that I also installed the Air Filter setup...$125 or so....but after reading Bill L. message...gee...I am sorry I wasted the money...but it is already installed and since I had to use part of the hose for the new setup..i am afraid it is going to stay... What is the feeling of you all...how much HP am I losing...by inducting hot air...am I doing any harm to the engine....?

Oct 12, 1999 - 00:09 - From: Doug
Title: ding, ding, ding
Message: As I said before, the only unbiased referee here is the Mass Air Temperature sensor (MAT)! Only when we can get a program to read it from the ALDL "real-time" or if we can steal a "Tech-1" can we know the real air temps.

Oct 12, 1999 - 01:14 - From: David
Title: hubbub
Message: Bill's example about standing in a room and trying to breath air from the other side of the room might be applicable if you never put your car in gear or left the garage, but the fact of the matter is that you do drive the car and it seems that there is plenty of air available to blow a whistle and keep the temp under the hood at the quarter mark or below. MY QUESTION WAS is there a way to optimize the flow to the K&N's? Fans seem like an interesting way to boost the cold air flow but would it make a big difference?

Oct 12, 1999 - 11:02 - From: Tony V
Title: Doug's Instructions
Message: Just to let you all know....if you buy a Top End Blow off valve....Doug's instructions are bang on.... It makes the job a 15 min operations and it is really simple.. I routed the sensing tube behind the manifold...then through the little circular thing to the vacuum hose where I spliced it in... worked great.... now if I can just get over feeling like I did wrong by putting in the Air filter setup....I hate to waste money...but I hate more to waste HP..... Well..what is done is done and I think the K&N is giving more air to the manifold..so maybe that will make up some of the difference.... Just bought the last set of 205/50 16 AVS Intermediates that Tire Rack had in Stock...they are supposed to be discontinued...now I have to find a place to put them on..as National Tire and Battery (NTB) went out of business in our area...having a hard time finding somebody to take on the liability of the Lotus wheels...

Oct 12, 1999 - 13:53 - From: charlie
Title: woowee!
Message: aha so we can fight about air temp but not speed ;-) strangely the docs refer to the MAT as both the manifold air temp sensor, and the mass air temp sensor. and you can measure it with a relatively cheap DMM that can measure ohms. connect +(R) from a DMM to the ECM connector C12(UB) and -(B) to D2(BW) and take a reading. now its gets complicated 8-) you need to calibrate the sensors resistance to a C/F temp, well you need to leave the car until it reaches the ambient temperature (i.e. the temperature of its surroundings) best in the early morning before sun up, read the resistance with the engine off and ignition on, take a note of the voltage, take a note of the ambient temperature in the engine bay, use a digital thermometer, leave it in there for a few minutes take both readings as close together as you can, take the ambient temperature of the car every hour or so and repeat the above, i.e. take the ambient temperature, and the resistance reading, with enough readings you'll get a scale , its just like those IQ tests where you guess the next number. its important to make sure the cars temperature is close to the ambient, enough initial readings will give you a better result.. after you ought to be able to run the car around with a DMM that can record max settings(unlikey for ohms), or a helpful passenger. and then calculate to resistance to temperature.. barring all of that just use this simple chart 8-) 210F=100C=186ohms, 160F=70C=450ohms, 100F=38C=1800ohms, 70F=20C=3400ohms, 40F=4C=7500ohms, 20F=-7C=13500ohms, 0F=-18C=25000ohms, -40F=-40C=100,700ohms ---- just for clarity the first figure is farenheight, the second centigrade, and the third the resistance value in ohms. now make sure you use a DMM that doesn't alter the resistance, i.e. can work `in circuit` I'm pretty sure most DMMS won't but you never know.. I haven't tried this myself as I'm working on the aldl thing but theoretically it ought to work barring resistance changes, if the readings see way off recalibrate your own as I explained.

Oct 12, 1999 - 15:53 - From: Doug
Title: say what?
Message: Charlie, I understand you, but I think you must be preaching to yourself--you and Ian are the only ones capable of doing this from what you both have said in the past. Maybe F-Los Gatos will let you borrow the Tech-1 for a while and you can check the MAT temps for the stock and open-end filter set-ups under the same (as close as possible) conditions?? The other thing to consider is restriction of flow in the intake. Likely the open filter gives all the flow the turbo needs/wants at all times--the stock configuration may work for stock boost, but at higher pressures there may well be a flow pinch/restriction that limits the turbo's responsiveness--and this would be hard to show proof without a full lab set-up.

Oct 12, 1999 - 16:28 - From: charlie
Title: filter
Message: I have the stock garbage can with the k&n filter anyway so I can't compare.

Oct 13, 1999 - 03:32 - From: Martin l Burhouse
Title: Sex
Message: Does anyone know how to relatively comfortable sex in a Lotus Elan??

Oct 13, 1999 - 13:32 - From: charlie
Title: safe sex in elan
Message: yes

Oct 13, 1999 - 15:20 - From: Kip C. Anderson
Title: Intro - Boost Controls etc.
Message: Hi, I'm the owner of a 91 Impulse RS and have been involved with the tweaking and tuning of these motors on a budget for the last 2-3 years. There seems to be allot of conversation about boost controls and aftermarket goodies to enhance the system - most of it oriented toward spending money on items that may or may not be necessary for the amount of performance desired. I'd just like to make the point that you don't need to hand over a large sum of money to anybody for a moderate 40 or so extra horsepower if you understand how the boost control system works and how to manipulate it with inexpensive valving and electronics. If you don't have a manual, GET ONE! The Impulse RS manual is very detailed on it's systems descriptions and I have been told that the M100 manual is equally well written. Anyway, I'm always willing to answer questions about what I know, though I won't be reading this message board on a regular basis. Feel free to e-mail directly and I will tell you what I know, and dissent from what I don't. TTYL, Kip C. Anderson kipa@clipper.nospam.net

Oct 13, 1999 - 17:25 - From: Dan
Title: Sex in Elan
Message: While driving or parked?

Oct 13, 1999 - 20:42 - From: Doug
Title: Goodbye AOL !!
Message: It's Official!!!! Lotus Elan Central has moved to www.lotuselancentral.com !! My email address has changed as well to av8ndoc@home.com !! During the rest of October the site will slowly be re-linked and moved to its new home. Bear with me if some links go dead or things get rocky. The message board will remain untouched until I find and load up a suitable alternative. This move is for the benefit of us all!! Try out my new email and send me any comments/concerns/etc. ;-)

Oct 14, 1999 - 00:39 - From: Andy Y
Title: Sex Advice?
Message: Martin I, are you merely bored of the current topic or are you serious? If you must know...here it goes: Find a secluded parking lot, take the top down, adjust the passenger seat as far as it goes w/o scratching the seat guard against the frame of the top, w/ girl on top (I'm sure it also works for non-hetero. sex), scoot down really low (kinda like the gangsta lean), direct your partner to put her/his knee on the pad of the center console the other knee goes on the plastic door edge guard (w/ the door open of course)...be a gentleman and take off your shirt, folding it neatly and place under her knee. This is the only reasonable position because who in their right mind would place a partner on the hood/trunk of this precious car!!! My apologies if I have offended anyone. Just trying to have fun!

Oct 14, 1999 - 02:12 - From: david
Title: Easy Fellas
Message: Be careful guys we don't want the NetNanny software kicking in

Oct 14, 1999 - 04:10 - From: MartinC
Title: relief
Message: All this erotic stuff must have done the trick....my fuel gauge is now working again! All you have to do is book you car into the dealers to get it fixed and then the problem simply goes away before you get it there! My guess is that there was a vacuum being created in the tank maybe due to me filling it up to high and this might of had some effect on the floating thing in the tank ?? On the subject of the floppy wing mirror, apparently there are some clips onto which the mirror attaches and if the mirror gets a big knock they can break quite easily. Has any one managed to get any of these before and how easy is it to get the mirror off (as you have to prise it out)?? I understand if no one responds soon as you will probably be trying AndyY's position of the week!

Oct 14, 1999 - 08:13 - From: m.burhouse
Title: Andy Y....de mann
Message: Andy, you're a star!!!!!!! I shall try your routine shortly and make further suggestions if necessary. I shall also ask Sarah my girlfriend for a woman's point of view... Clearly, everyone needs to stop worrying about their CAS and try and get their money's worth out of their Elan. You can get more horse power out of an Elan without modifying the engine!!!!

Oct 14, 1999 - 11:48 - From: Tony V
Title: Floppy mirror
Message: If anyone does get the mirror off...post it ... As I am having the same problem.... mine flips around also...I have temp fixed it by putting foam behind it to keep it stable..but in just one position.. I was told that the mirror just snaps off..but I have not been brave enough to do it...

Oct 14, 1999 - 18:59 - From: Jade
Title: Stench
Message: I need some help. I am getting this awful smell (sulfur) when I get into the upper RPMs. I have been told it is extra fuel getting into my cat and burning it up. How do I stop this. Could it be the O2 sensor, if so where is it located. Doug you were going to show me but the Meter Nazi was heading our way and we forgot. Good job with the www. your now in the big leagues. If any one can help with the smell it would be greatly appreciate, I can only blame the dog for so long. Jade

Oct 14, 1999 - 21:33 - From: Jim Dodds
Title: replacement windshield
Message: Boys: Where can you obtain an original equipment windshield. Probably a stupid question because I doubt there is enough demand for another vendor besides SECURIT to make the glass. Thanks Jim

Oct 14, 1999 - 22:04 - From: Jamie
Title: Re: Mirror
Message: Martin and Tony, I see you guys have the same problem I had. Don't worry it's really easy and inexpensive to repair if your joint clips,as Martin mentioned, are not worn out. There are five things that hold your mirror into you mirror housing, three joint clips and two wires for the heated mirrors. I will try my best to explain how to perform the repair, but you know the saying "Pictures are worth a thousand words". Well here it goes. The tools and supplies/parts required are: 1. A flat head screw driver. 2. A small Paper clip. 3. Wire cutter or an applicable tool that can be used to cut the paper clip. 4. Glue - Exopy is preferred To remove the left mirror from the mirror housing you must: 1. Move the mirror, via switch, to the left as much as you can. 2. If your mirror does not move left or right via switch, then apply pressure to the left of the mirror while using the switch. 3. Now move the mirror all the way down using step 1, above, and 2 if necessary. 4. Note the above step do not have to be preformed. They just help reduce the wear of the joint clips. You can simply apply pressure to the bottom or left of the mirror to more it, although you will hear an awful sound. 5. Now you should have a gap between the upper right corner of the mirror and mirror housing. 6. Now comes the scary part. The clip in the middle of the mirror must be removed. To do this carefully use a flat head screw driver place it through the gap noted above to unclip the middle joint/clip. Pull the mirror back with your hands if necessary. 7. Once the middle clip is removed follow steps 1 through 4 again to remove the mirror. 8. Once the mirror is removed from all the joint/clips, unplug the two wire used for the heated mirror. When reinstalling the mirror, it should not matter how the wires are plugged in. NOTE I CAN BE MISTAKEN. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG. I do not own a manual. 9. Now that the mirror is disconnected you should be able to figure out how the mirror operates. Assuming all the parts are okay and the only problem you had was a disconnected joint. Place it back into the mirror and perform steps 5 through 1 backwards. 10.If you have a broken joint/clip like I did, read on. 11.Drill a hole (equal to the size of the small paper clip) into the ball part of the joint. 12.Cut a straight piece of paper clip approximately 20MM in length. 13.Insert the paper clip though you nicely drilled hole leaving a equal amount of overhang on both sides and glue it into place. You have now repaired the part. 14.Follow step 9.

Oct 15, 1999 - 01:43 - From: Doug
Title: New Site
Message: The new site is now uploaded. Boy, I have plenty of space for pictures---hint--hint!! Nice input, Jamie--I hope you don't mind if I convert it to a write-up for you--I will try to add pertinent pictures.

Oct 15, 1999 - 16:38 - From: T Vaccaro
Title: Tires for M100
Message: Need 2 original tires....the Goodyears... anybody have some with good tread that they want to sell...?

Oct 16, 1999 - 09:23 - From: Davy Neill
Title: Probs. with emissions
Message: My '91 Elan has just fail it's U.K. M.O.T. because its C.O. reading is too high (9% instead of 1%). I've spoken with my local friendly mechanic and he said that there is a potentiometer behind the dash which, if replaced, normally cures the problem (everything else is factory set). Anyone know or heard about this before?

Oct 16, 1999 - 18:20 - From: Dan
Title: Headlamp Pod Control Module
Message: I've done some research and talked to a few GM Parts guys who helped cross-reference the now-defunct part #16509097(from sticker on my bad control module); one guy told me all Firebirds and Fiero's use the same module; another x-ref'd the number to the current active part#16525685 and concurred that they all used the same thing. Lotus wanted $186 for this module, Pontiac $140-173 depending on part. I went to the local junkyard...oops I mean "auto recycler"...and paid $10 for one from a '94 Firebird that lost a one-punch battle with a phone pole. It had part #16521278 on the outside sticker. as the outside case was pretty crappy, I popped it open and re-used my Lotus case; the circuit board was quite different(less components, only 1 IC chip and what appeared to be the same relay). I also got the e-mail address thru my Lotus Ltd contacts of an engineer at GM Detroit who worked on the M100 project....I will contact him and ask that he check out this site and contribute any insights he may have. By the way....problem solved! the Pontiac part works just fine...if I have any subsequent problems related to this I will post them here. How about that "Parts Cross-Reference " page Doug? Please feel free to add this info

Oct 16, 1999 - 18:23 - From: Dan
Title: Headlamp Pod Control Module
Message: Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that the module is located below and behind the left headlamp under the hood of the Firebird...happy bone-yard hunting!

Oct 17, 1999 - 08:13 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Aircon compressor
Message: Could any one tell me the brand of their air con compressor/part number as I will be replacing it as I think that there is a leak.

Oct 17, 1999 - 13:24 - From: Doug
Title: CO Potentiometer
Message: Davy, I posted a page for you, "lotuselancentral.com/co.htm" This will tell you how to adjust the CO to make the car pass. There may be something more wrong than just that though so be sure to check it over well.

Oct 18, 1999 - 03:31 - From: Martin Burhouse
Title: insurance
Message: Does anyone know of a good, decent insurance company that will insure a 27 year old with a 3 week ban in 96 (from my Alfa days). I obviously want to insure my 92K Elan. The company I am with (Privilege) wont lower the excess less that 400 squid!!!!! I'm knackered unless anyone can help me!! Yours Elan virgin

Oct 18, 1999 - 05:39 - From: Jason
Title: Insurance
Message: Try Bennett's Elite, I'm 27, Full Protected NCD, I pay 460, 200 excess if my fault. Don't have the number sorry

Oct 18, 1999 - 07:06 - From: Andy H
Title: The return of Nelly
Message: Hi All I was almost seduced by the dark side while my Elan 'Nelly' was under repair. This year has been a little testing on my patience with numerous small (but expensive) problems with the car and in my 5 years of owning her I really thought it was time to get something 'sensible.' 1 quick visit to the local Merc dealer and the SLK deal was almost in the bag. However I get the Elan back Saturday afternoon and I just can't do it. I LOVE THAT BLOODY CAR ! Which leads me on to... I have had to de-chip her as the Engine management system was doing all sorts of weird stuff. As someone who knows sod all about how an engine works, can anyone advise me the quickest, simplest and not to expensive way to get her back up to the 200bhp+ level. God I'm missing the power already! A simple guide would be great. Is the chip necessary because I get the impression it isn't? Thanks all and happy motoring. Andy H (pictures coming soon!)

Oct 18, 1999 - 08:33 - From: Rob Edwards
Title: Blowing a little smoke
Message: Drove back to Wales at the weekend and as I was giving it major revs at the toll booth I noticed a big puff of smoke - Anyone got any ideas why, I spoke to the garage and they said that the car doesn't normally do that. Being a complete non-starter in the mechanic states does this indicate trouble ?

Oct 18, 1999 - 09:46 - From: Rod Little
Title: Chat Room
Message: I really like the idea of the chat room, but I'm having trouble getting reliable access to it, and when I do it times out if you don't type anything. How about finding a public IRC server and people just using an IRC client of their choice ?

Oct 18, 1999 - 12:57 - From: charlie
Title: Electrical Service Notes
Message: Are online at http://www.charliex.net/toppage1.htm Also Dan, is there any chance you could send me the defunct pod unit you replaced, I'd like to take it apart and do an autopsy on it, as well as see if I can do a repair sheet for it..

Oct 18, 1999 - 13:03 - From: charlie
Title: brakes.
Message: My cars in the shop *again* 8-) brakes *again* this time I'm having the rotors, pads and calipers changed on the front. I've gone through a set of lotus pads in 2000miles, which is partly due to the stuck caliper I had, but partly due to the sucky lotus pads, unfortunately it was yet another opportunity for me to fit the slotted rotors and metallic pads, but Steve was out of stock for the rotors with a 1-2 week lead time, and the lotus calipers come with pads come already loaded. So I'm stuck installing crappy pads again, still I'm having my calipers painted before they go in. Cost of getting new calipers, pads and rotors with labour is approx $1100usd, to give people a rough idea. rotors are $160 each, calipers around $250 (with pads). the slotted rotors are cheaper and I'm told better, the metallic pads are 1/3rd the price of the lotus ones, and considerably better. The dealer tells me the slotted rotors will cause faster wear ( faster than 200miles ;) ) topend say slower wear,. Also Steve recommends against putting in kevlar pads on a road car, best to go for the metallics. no doubt I'll be putting in a new set in another month. At least this will get rid of the `shimmy` or violent shaking as I like to call it at 55mph+, I hope !

Oct 18, 1999 - 13:10 - From: charlie
Title: and lastly, windshield/screen
Message: The screen is only available from lotus, it costs $500usd and about $250 to fit it, its a specially curved screen and the costs of setting up to make replacements would be considerable. There are three types depending on the country you live in, basically either green or bronze tint, or no tint at all (Australia). It generally requires that the seals and rubber fixtures around the windshield are replaced. the windshield is bonded to the car and actually lends to stability, as anyone who saw my busted screen go from a 12cm crack to about 3m in about two hours could plainly see 8)

Oct 18, 1999 - 13:17 - From: charlie
Title: ok I lied, not the last. Chip and EM
Message: Its really weird that the chip would cause engine management problems, presumably they went away after you changed it, however that's not a guarantee that the chip was causing the problem , as replacing the chip would have reset the EMC too. According to various sources the chip only modifies the boost limiter, so unless you're actually going above the 9bar previous limit the EM should see no difference. Its possible that the chip is faulty or badly programmed, but it seems unlikely. what kind of problems were you having ?

Oct 18, 1999 - 13:23 - From: charlie
Title: on a roll. headlamp pod.
Message: the headlamp pod just seems to be a delay module to stop the user oscillating the headlamp motors too much, I know there was a design change that stopped some sort of dazzle when the lamps were popping up in earlier models that's possibly why the circuit is different. the relays control the lift motors it seems. I doubt they contain any esoteric parts. Like I said before I'd really like to take apart the busted one you have Dan. email me about it if you've still got it and don't mind giving it up.

Oct 18, 1999 - 15:30 - From: Dan
Title: Headlamp control module
Message: Charlie -- shoot me you address in an e-mail to "L23S10@AOL.COM" and I'll send you the busted part(if I can get it away from my 6 yr-old's Star Wars play area -- he thinks it's cool! Maybe he's got a future....I've had 2 people tell me he's a dead ringer for Anniken -- M100 Pod Racer?) Lotus part has a bunch more resistors/capacitors and 2 IC chips on it...the '94 Pontiac part was considerably simpler. I believe the circuits are designed to swap hot & ground to the headlamp motors and sense when they've reached full throw, then shut off. I'm not sure how much repair effort is warranted if you can grab one from the bone yard for $10, but I'd be interested in your findings. Dan

Oct 18, 1999 - 15:49 - From: Bill Luton
Title: rotors
Message: Slotted rotors are really a race only item. The slots shave the face of the pad each time that the slot passes the pad while the brakes are engaged. The idea is to always have a fresh pad surface to avoid glazing. The drawback is that they literally eat pads and this is why they are not well suited for road use unless you can change your own pads once a week. Cross drilled lead to a lot less pad wear and is a lot more like what you would want to use on the street. Keep in mind that if you put on metallic or endurance pads that do not wear as quickly, they will also eat rotors, as one of those surfaces must wear some each time you press the brake pedal. Most often, pads are cheaper than rotors and people opt for a softer pad so that they do not have to change rotors as often._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 18, 1999 - 16:00 - From: Doug
Title: stuff
Message: Bravo Charlie! Thanks for scanning the notes! You keep it up and I will too! Re: Brakes; maybe you can dissect your old calipers and overhaul them?--or I could. I think if your new brakes aren't marvelous then there is a problem! I can vouch for the Top End metallic pads being very good, and I have had them for 18 months and I checked the wear 2 days ago and was amazed to see they have plenty of wear remaining--since I plan on getting the EBC rotors I will need new pads to go with them and was surprised at the pad material remaining! This is after probably 15K miles too! I was at the USAF shop with Carl doing my oil change and the USAF "resident mechanic" and I were looking at the front calipers--he was amazed to see the lousy design--"single caliper with the inner brake shoe FIXED in position"--I apologized for Lotus' design. We have to be real careful putting the Elan on the lift due to its low stance and short wheelbase. Carl and I were surprised that the car was actually sitting on ONLY 3 of the 4 jack points due to them not being level! This confirms my continued awe with the cars rigidity and must be what they mean by "The resulting hybrid composite-steel-aluminum chassis is very rigid torsionally. Stiffness measures at 6600 lbs-ft per degree." Also I checked my timing and found it to be 3 degrees off--I had the timing checked about 2 years ago and even had a new timing belt placed earlier this year. The car runs very smoothly now, and it is much smoother in higher RPMs now! So my point is that you should check your car's timing probably pretty often--it's simple as I detailed in the write-up. Also I wonder if they bothered to check the timing after putting the new timing belt in??--I doubt it, and that just makes me happy that I trust noone and like to do it myself!! Hey, Charlie, where did your digital camera go??--send me some artful Elan shots.

Oct 18, 1999 - 16:28 - From: charlie
Title: calipers
Message: the dealer is doing the work, I'll ask them for the old calipers 8-) I thought they might offer to overhaul but Ferrari dealers probably don't want to get too dirty 8)

Oct 18, 1999 - 17:17 - From: Bill Luton
Title: brake parts
Message: The local Lotus dealership faxed over my parts price request that I dropped off last week. I've never heard of brake pads being $123.77 per set (rears) or even $97.78 per set (fronts). The rotors aren't too terrible at $155.78 for the fronts and $166.80 for the rears, when you consider the price of the pads. If anyone has a old set that they can lend or sell, let me know, I'd like to send them out to SMC and see if Steve can match them to something a little higher in performance and lower in price._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 18, 1999 - 19:30 - From: charlie
Title: pads!
Message: $97 !! Ferrari los gatos charges me $150 for a front set 8-) I presume that's $97 for both sides *) which dealer is that ? I have one pad off the front lying around, its pretty badly gouged though, there's no actual pad on it, you can have it if you want it. its probably GM

Oct 18, 1999 - 21:07 - From: Jamie
Title: Brakes
Message: Charlie did you take your car into the dealer already?? If not I can save you some money (Labor costs and possibly parts). I can help you change you calipers, rotors, and pads or help you overhaul your calipers. It's not a difficult task, just time consuming. I have all the tools at home. Let me know. Also for $1,000 you should consider upgrading your brakes to 11" or 12" rotors. I called Baer Racing in pricing some two piston upgrades. They don't have an upgrade for our car, but they can custom fit some. I know for two piston caliper set up with 11" rotor go as low as $850 for some cars (Hondas). The most expensive custom fab work for our car will be the caliper brackets. I couldn't imagine it being over $1,500. But I can be wrong.

Oct 18, 1999 - 22:03 - From: Bob Layman
Title: Brake Rotors
Message: Sorry Bill, but with tons of experience racing and OEM design to call on, I take exception to some of your brake rotor comments/recommendations. The primary purpose of slots is not to cut the pad face (which they do to some extent) but to vent gas from the rotor/pad interface. As to cross drilling, it also does this to an extent and it lightens the rotor. However, cross drilling almost always compromises rotor longevity (stress cracks at the holes) and actually can reduce braking capability (less mass for heat absorption/storage). Possible additional benefits to X-drilling are that it: 1)looks very cool, and 2)it sometimes seems to mitigate rotor warping (warped or not perfectly cut rotors cause the disturbance we feel as brake shudder and also pad knockback which is felt as a "long" pedal). Obviously, I favor slots (as does my race car) but admit that sometimes cross-drilling can be an effective (and cool looking) band-aid to brake problems.

Oct 18, 1999 - 23:48 - From: Bill Luton
Title: brakes
Message: It seems I may have given the wrong impression on the brake discussion, I was commenting only on what had already been brought up and did not expand on the subject. Most of my brake experience comes from working directly with two of the larger brake manufacturers in North America, SMC and KVR. I'd start off by saying that I have never in my life experienced brake fade and drive with bargain brand pads on everything that I own, and would not put on anything that stopped shorter, Isuzu's stop way too short to begin with as is evidence by not less than three times that I have been rear ended by drivers of cars who could not stop as short as the Isuzu I was driving. These cars already stop dangerously short if there is anyone behind you and I would prefer not to have to replace all the panels behind the door striker plates on another one of my cars. I was told flatly not to sell slotted rotors to anyone with a car that they intend to drive on the street, because they eat pads. If someone is going through a set of pads in 2,000 miles, slotted rotors is going to make a bad problem into a nightmare, based on what I was told by the manufacturer. As far as cross drilled rotors, I was told by the manufacturer that they are mainly cosmetic, but that they do not eat pads like slotted rotors, making them more suitable for street use. As far as shorter stopping distance, the manufacturer stated that this was negligible, and that possibly the biggest difference would be that the pad would be able to clean water off the rotor more quickly in wet weather (now I have experienced this on several occasions). I've never heard of cross drilled rotors cracking from use (I've sold quite a few and never heard anyone bring this concern up), but I have heard that if you try to cross drill a used rotor, the tempering from the heat of use will make it just about impossible to drill without cracking the rotor. What are both slotted and cross drilled designed to do? Yes, they are designed to vent gas and evacuate dust through the slots or holes, which I assumed was common knowledge._ _ _Now that's the sum total of everything I know about performance brakes. The little information I've tracked down specifically about the Elan is that someone stated the pads are from the Pontiac Fiero, something I'd like to double check before accepting as fact, because there ought to be a ton of pad options for the Fiero._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 19, 1999 - 03:06 - From: Kevin Toon
Title: Pads and Discs (rotors)
Message: I have just bought new pads, discs (slotted & spotted front) and braided hoses for front and rear from Chris Neil's (UK). The prices mentioned on previous messages seem a tad high! Ok these are UK prices - rear pads from Lotus are GBP 60 (a wheel!), I paid GBP 34 for a full rear set, and about GBP 20 for front set (plus tax). The rear discs seem to be Lotus specific, include the hub - I couldn't find an alternative (Lotus parts are ~ GBP 90 each +tax - you should also replace the bearings while you at it). The front discs from Chris Neil's were half this. I was just going to replace the fronts, but found the rear worn after 52K miles - I though our rear brakes didn't get much wear, anyway... They are EBC Green Stuff - for anyone that wants to check that out. They claim good braking from cold and a higher "friction factor" (0.46 vs. typical 0.25 to 0.35). I have their leaflet included with the pads, so I'll scan it if someone wants to put it on their WEB site or wants a copy. Obviously I don't know what the wear will be like yet. I will not be able to tell if its the pad, disc or line change, but I'll try and let you know what the new brakes are like. I was going to fit them myself, but now having a Lotus specialist (Lakeside Engineering) fit them, as its also time for the big B and C service, and I broke a gear shift cable (didn't see the BMW 528 again, even with just 1, 3 and 5th - OK so it was a twisty road)

Oct 19, 1999 - 11:54 - From: jason
Title: Brake Info - Read This
Message: Folks, You all know I had my brakes upgraded to the EBC pads/ Rotors & the Goodrich braided hoses. Well, The former are great, but on my way in to work last week my brakes failed!. Apparently the goodrich hoses are too long. The passenger side (UK) hose popped out of the hose clamp and began to rub against the rim. This wore through, leaked fluid in 1 press and luckily for me happened at the slowest part of my journey. 5 mins earlier & I'd have been driving along at 70 mph! Therefore I'm gonna contact Chris Neils to see what they say. I will keep you informed. The dealer who fitted the disks etc told me "ah - we thought they were too long". So I said why the hell did you fit them! Anyway, to their credit, they have fitted Lotus hoses in their place at cost to them, but there may be a wider issue!

Oct 19, 1999 - 12:23 - From: charlie
Title: jamie!
Message: thanks for the offer, but I should be getting the car back today or least they'll fix it today. ( yeah right 8) ).. the trouble with Ferrari service depts. is that they're all driving around in the cars having too much fun to do any work 8-) Bill, do you want that spent pad, I too have heard its a fiero pad..

Oct 19, 1999 - 12:33 - From: Colin
Title: More Brakes
Message: Thought I'd have my twopenn'orth. I have EBC grooved discs and green stuff pads. The wear seems OK to me although I've only done a couple of thousand miles. It seems to me that from my experience the originals were pretty poor and even if the wear rate is higher that staying alive is worth the low price of more frequent pad replacement. When I changed the discs and pads I did no other work on the system, so the problem was definitely in the pads and rotors (fluent American). My insurance is 319 GBP with full no claim and no excess. But then I live in Suffolk and am old. Its with Norwich Union, headed "Private Car Club". It seems to cover everything including glass and "no claims" protection. 'Major revs at a toll booth'?? I normally just sit there and pay. If you were waiting on tickover for a while, you can get a build up of crap which then clears with some revs, but I can think of no other reason for a one off occurrence. Colin

Oct 19, 1999 - 14:54 - From: charlie
Title: interesting news
Message: I'd forgotten about this, the new elise is going to be available in the USA for the first time. When exactly I'm not sure but within the next two years I believe. Even CA

Oct 19, 1999 - 19:56 - From: Carl
Title: About Doug & More Lessons Learned
Message: It's always a pleasure hanging out with Doug and getting in some shop time on our Elan's. You have to remember though that if you let Doug have the lift first, you are probably not going to get onto it that day. I swear Doug's underbody is cleaner than a new baby's butt as he spent half the afternoon polishing it. And he is slowly replacing every rusty nut and bolt with stainless which I am about to tackle next. Someone should pre-package a stainless kit presorted with every combination necessary - I know Doug would be the first buyer and myself the second. For those of you who know my silver Elan, it has an aftermarket set of front "off road driving lights" mounted in the front air opening (it looks pretty cool with all six headlights on). I finally replaced the Mickey Mouse on/off switch with a stock Elan fog light panel switch used on the English cars. It looks just like the AC switch with the yellow telltale indicator light except that the snowflake is replaced with a headlamp sideview. Dave at Platinum Motors in Santa Ana, CA ordered it for me for around $37. The Elan electrical manual diagrams the wire layout with very tiny numbers which match the back of the light switch (hint). The blank panel switch blocks individually pop out when pried out from either top or bottom. Doug also suggested that I share the following about the secret compartment in the trunk (boot). There's a small storage area in the far right corner of the trunk even further right than you could imagine and below the tail lamps with a lip that keeps things in place that end up in it. It seems like a few months ago I was one cantaloupe short of the three that I thought I had purchased. Doug enjoyed watching me remove the still bloody remains so much he suggested that in some corners of the world I could be a qualified surgeon. Also added a Kenwood KRC-7011 CD stereo ($299 at the Good Guys) with the mask front display face. When you turn off the engine the front face flips over and all you have is a blank black plastic face where before there was a radio. It may not fool the pros, but then again I don't have to fool with the removable faceplate everytime I stop and want to leave the top down. Enough!

Oct 20, 1999 - 02:27 - From: David
Title: Speedo errors
Message: Does anybody know if there is any documentation on the speedo error in the Elan? Mine seems to be wildly variable in both directions, this makes it very difficult to get along with the CHP. Is there a fix?

Oct 20, 1999 - 12:49 - From: charlie
Title: speedo
Message: its been reported about 5% error, I forget which way. Ignore the speedo learn to do what most racers do, use the rev counter, get yourself into the habit of reading the current gear and current RPM to tell you the speed, (most sports cars have a much more visible RPM gauge than speedo, as the speedo is less important. The rpm dial is much more accurate. Of course the problem is for the elan you need to know what revs go with what speed, its possible to calculate it from gearing, wheel size etc. if yours is stock then you can probably use the speed calc on the gglotus page. the other thing you could do is get a secondary digital speedo and hook that up instead.. it`d be pretty easy to do..Doug wrote a report on his findings with the speedo and a GPS a while ago. its still around somewhere on here.

Oct 20, 1999 - 22:03 - From: David
Title: speedo stuff
Message: I cant remember where Dougs writeup is located, any help? I remember some time back that it was ten percent off, but mine seems to be off in both directions and to wide degrees at different times.

Oct 21, 1999 - 20:29 - From: charlie
Title: grrrr!
Message: lotus delivered two right calipers one with no pads, instead of a left and right one with pads, outcome no lotus on the phone till tomorrow, no parts at least till next monday, yet another week with no car 8( and I can't even use the time too have the windshield replaced since Jim bought the only one they had 8-) in stock.. oh well.. bitch moan etc

Oct 22, 1999 - 01:42 - From: Jim Dodds
Title: I am truly scum
Message: BOYS AND GIRLS: I didn't know it was Charlie's windshield. I am truly sorry. Stockton Auto Glass ordered it direct from Ferrari of Los Gatos before I saw Charlie's' message. The dealership said they ordered several from Lotus in Atlanta. I will never forgive myself.

Oct 22, 1999 - 02:13 - From: David
Title: Brakes, Bastards, and Speedo's
Message: Jim you Basstarrrd, how dare you steal the windshield that Charlie's' been threatening to replace for three months now. Charlie, have you thought about getting any of the supped up brake parts instead of the Lotus originals now that you have to wait for the right stuff to come in? I think it was Jamie that did a big brake project recently and at a good price as I recall. Any recommendations on the digital speedo idea?

Oct 22, 1999 - 08:05 - From: Rod Little
Title: Vauxhall Elise
Message: Charlie, guess you may not be aware of a Vauxhall ( GM ) plan for a small two seater that is actually an Elise. The body work is almost identical ( rear lights are difference and so are side air intakes ), and think they may be planning a GM engine for it. You may have more chance of seeing this that the actual Lotus version perhaps ?

Oct 22, 1999 - 08:46 - From: D.Moore
Title: Gearshift Knob
Message: Can someone tell me how easy it might be to replace the leather gear shift knob in my Elan with a new one? Does it unscrew or pull straight off? It seems to just spin around when I turn it. Thanks in advance. David

Oct 22, 1999 - 09:57 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Parts for lotus(windshield)
Message: I believe that some parts are hard to get such as windshield. I was thinking that the windshield used on Kia Elan should be the same. It might be cheaper and faster to get one from Kia.

Oct 22, 1999 - 12:27 - From: charlie
Title: windshield
Message: as I emailed jim I was just joking 8) I tried to get the rotors etc, but the lead time was two weeks, which turns out not to have mattered in the end it seems, *but8 I'm getting a lot of messages one way or another about the slotted rotors, I personally haven't had the problems with the brakes that most have, but I engine brake a lot, (except wear) it seems that slotted rotors won't help much, and overall wear will probably be faster, probably bigger calipers are the only real thing, but does the car really need it ? You can get the current Elise in the USA for road use, not just track, and the Elise2 will be in the US too.

Oct 22, 1999 - 14:40 - From: charlie
Title: knob
Message: it twists off, the shaft is threaded. it took me 5 minutes to change to a momo

Oct 22, 1999 - 15:36 - From: Dan
Title: Elise
Message: Charlie -- you stated that you can buy an Elise for road use in the US....is this correct? I thought that any imported Elise was for "off road" only. Has there been new legislation? I know at one point Lotus was trying to get a "waiver" to bring in a limited number of road cars, but I think their request was shot down. Please advise.

Oct 22, 1999 - 16:56 - From: charlie
Title: elise in usa
Message: I don't know all the details, but g.wigglesworth? is claiming to be able to import them to the US, and has done so. he has a minimal web site about it. http://www.g.wigglesworth.dial.pipex.com/ but basically it all it says is to email for details, hes on alt.cars.lotus often saying he can and has done it for road use. I'd imagine there's some loophole in the law as usual, from what I understand the only real hard part is getting insurance.

Oct 22, 1999 - 19:18 - From: Tony V
Title: oil filter
Message: OKAY.......If I could get the guy that forgot to engineer access for the oil filter......... I give up....took the Elan to 3 oil change places...they all threw up their hands... no dice... How the heck do you get to the filter...even taking off the wheel and it looks tough There must be an easier way....please inform me

Oct 23, 1999 - 11:56 - From: Rod Little
Title: Oil Filter Access
Message: Changing the oil filter has come up before, it may take you a while to find it in the archives. The two things I remember are that you need to get the car well off the floor, get the front wheel off and there is a Tool ( available from Lotus ) to make it a little easier. I am sure one of the guys here that has actually got their hands dirty will chip in though.

Oct 24, 1999 - 10:00 - From: Joe S.
Title: New to North Carolina
Message: Anybody familiar with any NC Lotus clubs and events, and good shops for difficult work ?

Oct 24, 1999 - 10:44 - From: joe s.
Title: Great Info.
Message: I just had a new timing belt installed and noticed that the car had lost a bit of the zip I had come to love ? I called the Lotus dealer and even asked - was there a need to recheck the timing ? He said "NO". Hopefully, a check and adjustment will return the car's punch I so miss. Great Info. - thank you.

Oct 25, 1999 - 03:32 - From: Martin Burhouse
Title: Head light bulb!!!
Message: How the hell are you supposed to change the head light bulbs on a Lotus Elan??? It was a typical day in Yorkshire yesterday when I was crouched down trying to get to my head light, raining and windy. I got myself into the same state as Basil Fawlty when he beats the shit out of his car. Can anyone help or is it a case of paying an hours labour to change a head light bulb!!!

Oct 25, 1999 - 04:10 - From: Rod Little
Title: Headlight Bulbs
Message: Martin, do not despair, the three times I have had to do it all got me in the type of state you describe. But I managed it in the end, and once was a dark wet night. Just try and keep cool. Obviously you need the pod up and just take your time. If you are really at your wits end, drop me a line and I will take a look at mine tonight and try and recall any special technique.

Oct 25, 1999 - 15:25 - From: Kevin Lewis
Title: Chip Upgrades
Message: Congratulations on the site Doug - How's Seamus by the way. Serious M100 query - I've decided a chip upgrade is required. Any recommendations - Personally I only know of Superchips and BBR. I am in the lucky position of living only a two minute walk from BBR (if it's Brodie Brittan Racing) and a two minute drive from Superchips so they are both literally at my fingertips. All suggestions welcome.

Oct 25, 1999 - 15:56 - From: charlie
Title: changes to my web page
Message: I've added another manual, arguably the most useful of the electrical service notes with troubleshooting flow charts you'll find it at http://www.charliex.net/ under main / Service notes & Electrical Notes note these are large archives, the zip files alone are 11mb so don't be surprised if you wait a long time for the downloads. if you link either link to the root address, or at least the main page, as I'm rearranging things quite a bit at the moment. I have one more manual to add, its about the same size as the parts manual, possibly bigger..

Oct 25, 1999 - 16:02 - From: charlie
Title: chips
Message: superchips are fine, BBR are a good shop too, at least BBR are closer. I doubt there's anything in it, go with the closest shop 8) I wish BBR stuff was more available over here !! they don't even have veroboard for gods sake 8) technology center my xxxx.

Oct 25, 1999 - 16:48 - From: Bill Luton
Title: chips, or rather computer upgrades
Message: I would highly recommend against Superchips. My experience with their products for Isuzu cars is enough that I would not recommend them even to someone I really don't like. Right off the bat, they charged $400 over what the quoted price was. Then, their chips for Isuzu cars cause the engine to run extremely rough, heavy smoke to emit from the tail pipe, and the engine will not rev over 4,000 RPM. I'm in serious doubts that the car would pass the emissions tail pipe test, much less visual inspection (with all the smoke). Heaven help you when you try to return the product and get them to honor their warranty. I fought with them for about six months, through the credit card company. Every time I submitted the return shipping receipt to the credit card company to prove that the product had in fact been returned, Superchips issued a new charge for $800+. Five times they did this until I closed out the account so that they could not continue their little game. Their warranty and satisfaction guarantee aren't worth the paper they are printed on, and their word is worth less than that. Superchips products always test below claims, often below OEM, when reviewed by the Australian and UK magazines (US magazines lack the courage to challenge their advertisers). Check the archives for two or three months ago, an Elan owner had some pretty negative things to say about Superchips after he downloaded their programming from his computer and found out that they made the wrong changes to his computer._ _ _Jones Electronic Technologies (JET) does computer upgrades for the Isuzu cars, as well as the Delco GM cars, and could probably do the Elan as well._ _ _BBR is the best in the business and always test out at or above their claims. I've contacted them before and made arrangements to import reboost kits but whenever I had mentioned this, I have always received a very cold response from my customers. If a bunch of you are really interested, I can contact them again and get some current pricing, but I would need something like four or five committed sales to put anything together._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 25, 1999 - 17:16 - From: Kevin Lewis
Title: Thanks
Message: Thanks Gents. I will take a walk to BBR tomorrow. I hope it's the same people otherwise this could be embarrassing. One thing I do know they have produced is a 300 BHP Elise, for Adrian Newey one of the head designers at Mclaren F1. I can guarantee you that it is probably one of the fastest cars you will ever see. I know to my own ridicule!!

Oct 25, 1999 - 17:27 - From: Carl
Title: oil filter - Tony V.
Message: This question keeps popping up all the time - so I guess I'll have to write the repair article. It's actually well described in the Lotus shop manual. Save some real money and buy one for all your problems and questions. Doug and I change our oil all the time. The two big helpers are a wheels free lift which raises the car by the four authorized side body jacking points allowing the right wheel to droop enlarging the opening to reach the filter. Next choose your favorite brand oil filter (there are at least 4 brands made) and buy the specific filter cap wrench for it (all the filters are a different size except for two of them). The filter wrench is just a big wide socket designed to be used with any standard socket wrench. You can also buy a miniature standard clamping filter wrench, but it is much more difficult to maneuver. With the car up on the lift there is one and only one opening above and in front of the right wheel drive axle that you can reach up and grab hold of the filter. With the cap wrench the filter comes off easily. Now that opening is easily big enough (with a little slop) for my 15 inch forearms to fit through. The first time I changed the darn thing I used a regular lift which lifted under the wheels - now that was more difficult but still do-able and required a cool engine as my forearms were really snug against the engine. So if 3 oil shops couldn't change your oil, it's probably because 1) they didn't know how or want to; 2) didn't like the additional 5 minutes spent over a standard oil change; or, 3) didn't have your filter size and a wrench for it. So if you can't do it yourself, at least know how its done and carry your own spare filter and cap wrench and show them how to do it - they'll love your return business (every 3000 miles) and that of others.

Oct 25, 1999 - 17:41 - From: Kevin Lewis
Title: Being Slack
Message: Sorry Gents - but I'm being slack, I know I should trawl the archives. I also need a full tyre replacement soon on an S2. I vaguely remember a problem with the supply of the recommended Michelins. Last time (approx 18 months) I purchased a couple of Good Year F1's on the recommendation of my friend, a Corrado VR6 owner, unfortunately they have proved to be very disappointing in terms of both grip and wear. Again, recommendations are welcome.

Oct 25, 1999 - 18:08 - From: charlie
Title: tyres
Message: oops F1`s are not doing so good? glad I saw that I was just about to order some 8-) I usually stick with the Eagle GS- D+ they usually need a 3 day shipping and cost a lot -8) don't believe any Goodyear shop that says they can't get them, they're lying. I have one next to my house I've been in a couple of times, first time no such tyre, second time (even after I'd been to the next Goodyear place and bought the tyres) saying they can't get them. They can.. People seem to like the yokies, though they can wear real fast depending on which you get. I actually had to take the guy out to the car to prove the tyres existed, at which point they strangely appeared in the catalogue. I like the GS-D+ fine I was going to go with F1s because that's what people are saying are the equivalent replacements.... Which F1`s did you get?

Oct 25, 1999 - 18:15 - From: charlie
Title: chips
Message: Yeah bring BBR stuff in , I'd be happy 8) though since I already have the superchips 8-). I'd been real interested in a hex dump of those chips to see the differences ;) oxford road, brackley, northamptonshire NN13 5DY it is brodie racing, that's the last address I have for them they do lots of mx5/miata stuff too. in fact IIRC Mazda actually got them to do an upgrade for the mx5

Oct 25, 1999 - 21:34 - From: David
Title: Chips
Message: Bill I would be interested in the BBR chip, are there any published stats for our cars?

Oct 26, 1999 - 03:46 - From: Ron
Title: Pics from below
Message: Hi there, does anybody have pics or even better drawings of the Elan's underside? Ron.

Oct 26, 1999 - 05:44 - From: Rob Edwards
Title: Whistling over 3500 rev's
Message: Does anyone else's car whistle when the Turbo kicks in, I had mine 'B' serviced yesterday and before I go back to the garage and make an arse of myself about it, will someone either say that its either normal or not for it to do this after being serviced. It didn't do it before and its a bit annoying now. Sorry to keep pestering people about my cars problems but hey if you don't ask then you won't know. Cheers to all.......Rob

Oct 26, 1999 - 15:22 - From: charlie
Title: whistling
Message: Mine doesn't perhaps you ran over roger whittaker or yani on the way home from the dealship and he's stuck in the front bumper, and using a cunning form of whistling morse code to alert you to the situation.. ron I have the pictures on my web page, I got my car back with its nice new yellow calipers! only $1208 for calipers/rotors/pads and install.

Oct 26, 1999 - 19:05 - From: Carl
Title: Sumitomo Tires
Message: Does anyone have an opinion or experience on running 225/45/16s in place of the stock 205/45/16. I talked to TireRack on the Sumitomo 225's. They could only say good things about the Sumitomo, but also said that Sumitomo recommends a 7 1/2 inch rim. Since putting in my turbo bleed valve, I get a lot more wheel spin off the line. The selection of 215/45's is pretty thin and mostly too pricey.

Oct 26, 1999 - 19:56 - From: Bill Luton
Title: tire sizes
Message: You're probably going to want to go with a shorter aspect ratio (the second number) if you go with a wider tire. Aspect ratio is not a direct measurement of sidewall height, it is a ratio of sidewall height in relation to tread width, so a 225-45-16 is taller than a 205-45-16, and this will throw your speedometer way off, by 3-4% or more. Check the tire size calculators at http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/index.html , http://mr2.com/FORMS/tire.html , http://www.dsm.org/tools/tiresize.htm , http://www.damocles.com/~kronvold/tiresize.html . Maybe a 225-40-16, though I haven't checked that. As far as tire slip, you might try a limited slip differential. Bill Luton

Oct 26, 1999 - 20:31 - From: Tony V
Title: whistling and tires...
Message: My turbo now whistles when it kicks in also...I just did a turbo boost upgrade...it also makes a kind of PLINK Plink like a muted door bell when I just touch the gas.. Might be the new aircleaner I put on as well.... kind of weird...but the extra power is worth it... I just put 205/50/16 on my car....almost the same price as the 45's....AVS yokos...but I think the Tire Rack is out of them. somebody should try the 205/55/16 .....they are 50 bucks cheaper...I measured them up to the side of the car when I got them.....it would be close... but I was too chicken to try... I sent them back... I thought that they would hit on hard braking and turning...a friend of mine that has an Elan said that he spoke to a guy at LOG 19 (lotus meet) that was using the 55's and did not have a problem...(that is why I bought them from the Tire Rack)...but it looked too close for me and after you drive on them...you've bought them..

Oct 26, 1999 - 21:22 - From: Doug
Title: stuff
Message: So I just returned from a business trip and got into my Elan. I hadn't been in any car really for the last 5 days. It was a welcome site to see my daily driver and I was admiring her curves with some yearning. When I drove her I was refreshed by her power and agility that had diminished in my memory. It was nice to realize the appreciation I have for my Elan. Time to answer your queries: David, the speedo error on my Elan is about 5 MPH fast and stable thru the speedo range--It is probably related to a different tire circumference than originally planned for our US Elans. I wrote about my GPS fun on Randy's earlier this year. Charlie, send me some pictures! David M., I think I remember there is a small set-screw that needs to be released--pull the leather boot upwards and look for this screw at the bottom of the knob. Tony, definitely worth reading is this online oil filter study at http://minimopar.simplenet.com/oilfilterstudy.html !! I rec the Purolator PureOne and find the wrench that fits it. Carl's info is right on. I struggled to do the change myself to no avail until access to a real auto lift was available (thanks to Carl). I don't rec crawling under the car as it is very low and impossible to raise up high enough with mere jacks. I've heard unconfirmed reports of changing the filter by removing the right front wheel and jacking her up high. I found a local quick-lube shop that used to do it---It's a "love/hate" thing for them, and they liked the challenge. Joe S., I'd bet money the timing is a bit off--as was mine after the new timing belt. Remember the smallest change in the belt will change the timing and likely the different belt tension moved the timing a few degrees. I think a good shop should just check the timing to be sure, but then I though the shop that did mine was good too. See the published write-up--it's a good investment in the tools if you need to and you will be glad you checked it! Martin, the headlights are just a pain to change, and be sure not to let your battery run down as changing requires them to be "on" to keep them up. Kevin, I think we have proved a chip is NOT necessary, so make them tell you what they do to the chip and exactly WHY you need it (they should be able to provide detailed info if they really change anything!)--let us know what you find out, and direct them here if they want to be heard! Charlie, great job with the scanning, but where are the Service Notes? (I'm insatiable, ;-p) Ron, why are you interested in the Elan's bottom so much? Rob, check all the plumbing connections and the air filter clamps for leaks too. Carl and Bill, George S. has 225/45-16s so write to him--yes they are a hair larger circumference but it corrects the speedo error a bit in the right direction.

Oct 27, 1999 - 10:15 - From: Martin Burhouse
Title: window/roof seals
Message: Does anyone know of a cheap supplier for the amazingly expensive window/roof seals. Does anyone have any good second hand ones. How much is a hard top?? new or second hand, that would be nice.

Oct 27, 1999 - 12:17 - From: Ron
Title: deep under (pics from below)
Message: Since several months I'm working on a (virtual) 3d Elan. To make it easier for me I was wondering if anybody has something like a plan from the underside of the Elan. The final project will certainly be shown on this site but the detail depends on the reference material. Working from pictures would be another possibility but if there already are plans, this would help much more.

Oct 27, 1999 - 12:25 - From: mark h.
Title: oil filter change
Message: I changed my oil filter as described by Doug. I jacked the car up as high as the stock jack would allow and removed the tyre to get better access. I put a jack stand under the car for safety but did NOT let the car down on the jack stand (to avoid damage to the undercarriage). In a pinch you can also carefully slide the removed tyre under the car in place of the jack stand (be careful not to scratch the wheel finish). A good floor jack would be the best way but I don't have one. Never jack up an Elan without consulting the manual, it's a delicate car in regard to the jacking points. The filter socket is a must in most situations although I removed my filter with this great big paw I have as stock equipment on my left arm. Most filters are not tightened down really tightly as that can damage the o ring seal. I did use the filter socket to install the new filter but it only fit my new filter not the one I had on the car. Hope this was a help. ~mark~

Oct 27, 1999 - 13:16 - From: Colin
Title: Hardtop
Message: Last time I asked, the hardtop was 1,500 gbp fitted. Including VAT. It has a heated rear screen and the door windows are fixed to drop 1 inch on opening the door as per a Beemer. Colin

Oct 27, 1999 - 16:18 - From: charlie
Title: service notes/service prices/calipers
Message: doug, if you mean the electrical service notes, they are one there. if you mean the big thick purple manual, they're not yet, I tried getting in contact with david a few times, but I doesn't seem to be getting my mails, and I don't have his number anymore *) it takes about two-three weeks of nightly scanning to do the big manuals, I just don't have the time at the moment.. Here's a warning to those who use FLG for service, I told them I was getting shimmy from the front wheels, we both agreed it was the calipers causing it, however they still charged me $150 for a `road test` to see if it was still doing it *after* they'd been replaced, I also asked them to check the timing, which was another $100+, which seems pretty expensive. Also the OEM calipers are French Delco parts, which means the pads are too, since they come loaded from the factory. The lotus pads *really* suck for wear I checked mine , that I replaced not that long ago and even though I've been getting excess wear there was nothing left of either of the offside pads, after about two months of driving (possibly less) that's approx 3000miles for me the inside pads are pristine.

Oct 29, 1999 - 08:41 - From: Kev
Title: FYI
Message: Don't know if anyone is interested, but I've just been told that Bell & Colvill, an official UK dealer, are selling M100 engines (with turbo) for £995 and M100 gearboxes for £995 until the end of November. Apparently these are brand new units as opposed to reconditioned. If any one is interested the email is enquiries@bell-colvill.co.uk

Oct 29, 1999 - 09:13 - From: Bill Luton
Title: BBR
Message: I checked some old correspondences with BBR and 40+ HP reboost kits for the Elan would run something in the $1,000 range. I do not believe that this involves any computer modification because of the way this package is presented. The buy in would require numerous presold kits for me to do anything about this. If anyone is seriously interested, I can check into this further and get some more current information._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 29, 1999 - 10:52 - From: Peter Seow
Title: engines
Message: Since the price of the engines are low, shouldn't all of us kept a spare one? and gear box as well. I am keen. Thanks for the information.

Oct 29, 1999 - 11:14 - From: Rod Little
Title: Engines
Message: Lotus were selling the engines ( and some other M100 parts ) off cheap last year ( around the time of the UK Donnington Show - March ?? ). Think someone from the message board did get an engine to put in storage, and for 1000ukp I was initially very interested. However no one could/would give me a straight answer as to a) if the Turbo was included b) how much to fit a complete new engine. These two points are key as I am concerned about the life expectancy of my Turbo ( although it would appear no one has blown one yet ) and I guess you are going to be paying rather a lot of labour for an engine replacement.

Oct 29, 1999 - 12:26 - From: MartinC
Title: engines
Message: The great thing about the Isuzu engines is their reliability, which is kind of a funny thing for Lotus cars apparently. About four years ago a colleague of mine was at the Lotus factory in Hethel, Norwich when he asked what a huge pile of engines was in the corner. The Lotus guy said they were part of a collection of 2,000 spare engines for the Elan and so far they have sold only three. It was therefore a hell of a coincidence when he told about this a few months ago as my Elan had it's engine changed after 10,000 miles (probably in '93/'94?) and was probably one of those three! I don't know why it was changed but this goes to show that there might not be much point in spending £1,000 on a spare one and finding somewhere to keep it, unless of course any of you guys could find a way of cramming the two engines in at once and get close to 400bhp??? There's always room in the back I guess!

Oct 29, 1999 - 14:22 - From: Michael
Title: Car for Sale
Message: If anyone is looking for a good, low mileage Elan, check out the For Sale section. I have put mine up for sale and it's cheaper than any of the others there!

Oct 29, 1999 - 14:49 - From: charlie
Title: turbos/engine
Message: the factory ihi is a good turbo, plus if it does go out you could get it reconditioned cheaply, and a new turbo isn't that expensive anyway. I'm more concerned about everything outside the engine bay falling apart first. I think lotus are still selling the engines direct, I would imagine it came with the turbo. But rod's correct, I bet the cost of replacing the engine would be considerably more than the engine, it costs $300 just to change the power window assy. I want to upgrade my turbo to a Garrett I bet that'll be $5000 all in all, maybe more.

Oct 29, 1999 - 14:51 - From: charlie
Title: shimmy
Message: I noticed someone else asking about shimmy, I had terrible vibrations which I could feel in the brake pedal and steering, which turned out to be a warped rotor. *but* I still have a little shimmy at 50mph+ anyway I'm 90% sure its being caused by worn rear tyres, my fronts are brand spanking, but the rears are evenly worn, so whoever it was check your tyres 8-)

Oct 29, 1999 - 14:54 - From: charlie
Title: headlamp pods
Message: I'm working on a new design for the headlamp popup pod, it'll be an epoxy sealed unit which is practically indestructible, I've used these things for other applications including lighting control on blackpool tower and promenade, if they can stand upto blackpools weather, they can stand up to driving a couple of motors.

Oct 29, 1999 - 21:43 - From: Tony V
Title: engines from UK
Message: If anyone is interested in getting the engines from the UK mentioned in an earlier post... I might be able to get them over here at a better shipping cost... I am interested and If I get one...I have connections with somebody that makes regular container loads of auto parts from the UK to the USA Email me if you are interested...we can probably get a bunch in one container and perhaps even a better price on the engines..

Oct 30, 1999 - 04:49 - From: Steve P
Title: Brake Shimmy
Message: Rotors do of course cause vibration if they've gone bad, but another cause of vibration can be sticky calipers. If they don't float properly then the effect can be exactly the same! Check that the sliding sleeve pins are correctly greased and free of wear and corrosion. It can make a big difference :-)

Oct 31, 1999 - 08:54 - From: Dean
Title: Oil Filter and Head Light changing
Message: My secret to getting the oil changed is go to a local repair shop with all necessary oil and filter (Mobil 1). Have them put the car on the lift using the four jacking points and do the job. It takes about 15 minutes. After I pay the bill ($15) I give the mechanic a $5 tip. They don't mind doing the oil change at all If you want to put a headlight pod up: with the headlights off, open the hood and twirl the black knobs on the lifts Counter Clockwise (CCW). web: http://home.att.net/~giacopassid/index.html

Oct 31, 1999 - 09:57 - From: Bill Luton
Title: fed vs. cal emissions cars
Message: The Isuzu cars were sold in the US with either Federal or California emissions and we usually avoid the California emissions cars like the plague because the added electronics and controllers drop baseline power and limit the ability to build power, plus those pieces are expensive to replace when they go bad. Were the Elans sold in the two different emissions levels or only in one California compliant US version? I ask because I see no notation anywhere in the information that I have to indicate that there were two different versions sold in the US._ _ _Bill Luton

Oct 31, 1999 - 11:04 - From: Peter Seow
Title: Low labour cost in S'pore
Message: Look's like I'm fortunate to be in S'pore. I'll only have to worry about shipping cost. I changed my CAS and paid S$25 for labour including a test drive which is probable US$15. The labour for power window about S$50. Since the engine's reliable I won't keep spare ones then. Thanks for the great help. I was actually worried that the turbos blow up etc...

Oct 31, 1999 - 11:21 - From: Bob Layman
Title: Clutch Adjustment
Message: Putting Elan up for Winter (sob). So far "need to do" list is up to two items. (1) Will need to look into window regulator as driver's window jammed on drive to storage, and (2) got significant clutch slip when wanted to embarrass neighbor's Viper at light (was counting on him getting too much wheelspin). The window regulator bit seems well documented but haven't seen anything on clutch (hope that adjustment takes care of slip -- car only has 12,000 miles). Is there anyone out there who can offer input on how to do clutch adjustment on Elan? I don't have access to service manual but am very competent at mechanicals. Thanks in advance.

Oct 31, 1999 - 13:11 - From: Colin
Title: Clutch adjustment
Message: Hi bob - I haven't adjusted my clutch so far but. Looking at the manual, the cable goes through a bracket on the clutch housing just before the clutch release lever. The adjustment nut is on the cable as it comes to the bracket. It should be adjusted to give 3mm clearance between the plastic trunnion and the release lever itself. This is at the very end (clutch end that is) of the cable. Hope this helps - its easier with pictures. Colin

Oct 31, 1999 - 17:10 - From: Tony V
Title: Oil Filter Change
Message: Hello all... Like to thank everyone for the input on changing the oil filter.. Here is what I did...and it was on advice from someone off the Lotus-Cars discussion board. As I have one of those parking lifts in my garage, I had no problem getting my hand up next to the passenger tire (left hand drive) and touching the oil filter. I could not however get enough of a grip to spin it off. I tried putting on "tool" that fits on the bottom, but could not hammer it on..it was too tight of a fit. I used the advice of that guy and put a piece of gas line hose up near the filter (not connected guys...a loose piece of hose I had laying around) and wrapped it around the filter twice, with the ends coming out past the bottom of the chassis. I then just pulled either one to turn the filter on or off.. Worked like a charm.. changed the filter in under 5 minutes. I guess they call this a poor man's chain wrench. I also had to raise the passenger side of the car by a few inches to allow the filter to pass between the CV axle and the suspension arm.. I did not take the wheel off the car...just put a jack under the jacking point and raised it a few inches...the filter came right out. Thanks for all the help.