AE General Technical

S1 Seat Problem

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:21:16 +0000

Track days Vicky and I share the car. Problem is that the S1 Elise leather seats suit me but Vicky tends to slide around on the seat. Any thoughts on how to overcome this problem?

I had thought about (1)getting a seat cover but unsure if this will work and where would I go for covers to suit? (2)getting a motor trimmer to make a new seat pad with extra bolstering which we can swap quickly with the existing seat pad, but would it pass scrutineering? (3)purchase a new race seat which may be tight fitting for me and OK for Vic. which also means fitting a harness bar and harness, but which seat best suits an S1 Elise? However, I am not really wanting to go to the expense of option 3.

Vvc Widgets

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:04:21 +0000

Inside the working mechanism of a VVC units are four small "things" - (almost) square blocks about 1 cm sq with a hole in the middle where a pin from the cam fits. These "things" slide up and down as the VVC unit rotates around the cam, and ensure all the wonderful things happen inside that the VVC is supposed to do.

Now, it turns out that these little jiggers wear slightly, and when they do, they start rattling. It turns out that there are 2 soultions - buy a whole new VVC camshaft and all the workings for $$$$$$$$Many$$$$$, or send your unit to some outfit in NZ who will rework it. 2nd one sounds good, but apparently they won't send you the revised pieces - YouHAVE to use them.

Hmm, what to do ? Well, Anthony Shepherd at Shepherds Classic Garage in Qld is currently getting some made up - like quite a few, for cost reasons, for a car he is currently working on that needs them. So if anyone has a rattle in their VVC unit, they can go to him for them.

Photos of an individual little "jigger", and of the entire mechanism (where you can only see 3 of the "jiggers" because one of them is hidden.

Don't ask me technical details - Call Anthony and he can explain.
G

Oooooooh, Oil At An Angle To The Horizon

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:02:25 +0000

Interesting clip stolen from Ozclubbies.

Don't ask me what is happening to the oil level.....

D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv53RbvgfGc&feature=player_embedded

Rim Jobs

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:01:08 +0000

That got your attention

But the subject is about wheels. I know parts of this have been covered off by plenty of varying conversations, but I'm still trying to understand what difference subtle diameter changes make. Most threads I read are about tyre sizes on 16x7, 17x8, instead of the standard 16x5.5 and 17x7.5.

Clearly having 18" and 20" inch rims is madness for plenty of reasons (and Supa speaks from experience!), and this isn't a post about bling, but am I right in saying that Mackie's Wombats run on 17" and 18" rims? I realise they are motorsport cars with HPE, slicks, upgraded brakes etc etc, but clearly the larger wheels are of benefit otherwise they wouldn't be on there?

I've read that having tyres/wheels with bigger radius effects acceleration & gears, as well as the brakes, and also effects fuel/emmissions and your speedo reading etc, but as I've not experienced these changes on the track or through any testing, they're not tangible to me.

So if you went from say 16x5.5 & 17x7.5 to 17x7 & 18x8, Am I correct (from my poor research to undertand the effects) that I'd need to re-calibrate the speedo/odo, upgrade the brakes, upgrade the tyres, re-program the gearing ratio?

The other day I was just browsing various pages featuring elises, and discovered this one: http://www.kahndesign.com/

Immediately the "this is a pile of sh!te" alarm bells started with the heading in the browser being "Kahn Design | Alloy Wheels - Car Conversions - WATCHES" ...but I did notice the Elise had 17x7 and 18x7.5. I emailed the guy out of interest, and he replied on the sniff of a sale no doubt, but when I dug a little deeper into his research/testing it all went quiet. So basically I assumed his work is all look and no substance, at least in regards to the drivability of the car.

I'm sure plenty of people on here have loads of experience with all this, and I'm the first to say I have absolutely none, so I'm finally trying to get all the answers in one thread. If that's at all possible!

Cheers.

Revs For The Iphone

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:43:08 +0000

Has anyone tried this??

http://devtoaster.com/products/rev/index.html

Small Custom Air Con

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:03:05 +0000

Hi All,

this has been quite a protracted little project but I am happy with the outcome now it is finished.

FYI for anyone considering a "start from scratch" custom aircon job.

Slight budget blow out mainly due to components being sourced from different families and some fairly expensive custom hose and fitting combinations

Total cost $3200 inc.

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k302/dennis_1/Ozclubbies/9ed65c9a.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k302/dennis_1/Ozclubbies/69e11760.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k302/dennis_1/Ozclubbies/22d212a4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k302/dennis_1/Ozclubbies/2f07aada.jpg[/IMG]

Cheers

Aquaplaning And Big Ends

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:54:43 +0000

After Alec's recent problem with his engine due it seems to having low oil quantity (still to be confirmed) I thought I might attempt to clarify some of the issues raised in that thread.

Aquaplaning............

If this happens to you when travelling at high speed in the wet on the front straight at Sandown you will almost inevitably end up in the wall just after the Start/Finish line where the road surface has a nasty bump.

Why does it happen......well there is excess water on the track and as the tyre rotates it tends to take water with it and shoves the water between the tyre and the road surface. Generally that is not a problem because there are channels for the water to both the side and the rear to allow the water to escape and thus cause no real problem. This is what the tread is there for. OK, the road grip will be less due to the tendency of the water to act as a lubricant for the rubber tyre, but you still have grip and can manage OK.

However, what happens if there exists no tread (a slick tyre) or as in the case of an R spec tyre, very little tread. As the wheel speed increases it shoves even more water under the tyre and eventually there is enough water being shoved there to overcome the weight of the car at that tyre and so the tyre lifts and is no longer in any sort of contact with the black stuff. No contact points means no grip and so any chance of controlling the direction of the car is gone. The car will follow the camber of the road and hit the wall and so on. It feels horrible as the car starts to aquaplane and feels even worse when it hits the wall, usually many times as it rotates and bumps along the wall.

So what has this to do with Alec's problem you may well ask.

As we are all aware the crankshaft spins inside a series of holes and between the crankshaft and the hole in which it spins there is a soft walled bearing. There is a very small difference in the diameters of the bearing and the crankshaft, in the order of say 0.001 inch or for the metric amongst us 0.025mm. The radial clearance is half that, 0.0005 inch or 0.0125mm (About 1/40 of the thickness of a credit card). So now the connection......as the crankshaft spins it drags oil with it and lifts the carnk in the hole so that it "aquaplanes" inside the hole with oil filling the gap between the crank and the hole. Now of course the oil escapes sideways out of the hole so it has to be constantly re-supplied and this is the role of the oil pump. It has to supply a quantity of oil equivalent to that which is escaping. The reason we see oil pressure on a guage is that the pump is trying to supply more oil than is ecaping and so builds pressure which we see on the guage. The pressure of the oil within the gap is many many times greater than that we see on the guage as it has to cope with the downwards force of the combustion onto the piston etc.

Where the conrod is connected to the rotating crankshaft we have the same situation and the same thing happens, the crankshaft "aquaplanes" inside the bigend of the conrod.

So what happens if the oil pump is too small or has a problem.....well it cannot supply enough oil to replenish the escaping oil fast enough and the gap between the crankshaft and its hole goes to zero and the two pieces of metal touch and that is the end of the bearing material and usually the crankshaft as the two metals abraid one another (or perhaps even weld themselves together (seize)).

So "aquaplaning" is good for the crankshaft and bad for the tyres.

So in Alec's case, if the oil quantity in the sump was too low, as the car cornered quickly (which he does) the oil will slosh or surge away from the oil pump pick up point and the pump will suck air for a short time. Since it is not pumping oil the gap between the rotating parts decreases to zero and the bearings are damaged. The loud knocking noise that is heard is a plea for help as the metal of the conrod big end makes contact with the crankshaft as the combustion forces, well, force the piston down.

Catastrophic damage will often occur then and there or the crankshaft may live a little longer....depends how lucky you are, but eventual failure is inevitable.

So I suspect that the lesson for us all is that we should check the oil level between every excursion onto the track on a track day (along with a water level check a general look around the car) and certainly as part of your vehicle pre-sprint checkover on things like tyre condition, brake fluid level and condition we really must check the oil level.

Hope this serves to clarify and not confuse........and the thread could go anywhere or nowhere

David

Seat Grommets - Safe Or A Death Trap?

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:30:42 +0000

I have searched SELOC and Lotus Talk and there is a lot of various opinions as to the prudence of modifying standard elise seats with grommets so that a race harness can be used.

Fishguy on SELOC certainly has a strong opinion on the matter!!

So - what do people think for occasional track work?
stick with lap-sash belt
lap-sash with CG-Lock
$100 and able to use a 4/5/6 point harness with standard seats
$1-1.5K for a motorsport seat

Does the modifications weaken the seat structure in any significant way - if is does, is it still likely to provide more restraint than the lap-sash belt anyway?

Obviously - $$$ no consideration, go the motorsport seat. Unfortunately $$$ always come into it, esp with a family addition on the way!

People's thoughts/experiences would be interesting to hear

Please Ignore

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:57:51 +0000

Please ignore

Tsb's - Where Can We Find Them

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:39:13 +0000

Hello all,

I have seen a few posted here by Phil, but I was wondering if there is a full list of them or a place where we can download them?

Or If we should start another area for them to go into.

Sway Bars

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 10:11:28 +0000

Has anyone evaluated the performance (for track day / sprints) of the sway bars offered by Elise parts and Simply Sports cars?

Interested in the difference in handling performance of each and the difference between the two. I'm currently running the factory unit

Bleeding The Cooling System - Help Please

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:25:57 +0000

I will start this topic with thoughts that entered my head as I was removing the front clam this morning.

"Trust no one, agent Moulder"

There were washes missing, bolts missing, bits broken off the door hinge covers, but to top it off the 5mm allen bolt that is accessed from under the headlight surround was totally broken off as if the last person who took off the clam forgot this one and tried to yank the bloody thing off with it still bolted on.

No onto my woes.

The car is a 2005 S2 K-series with PRRT fitted, it has the lotus motorsport triple pass alloy rad. The front coolant bleed screw is for some reason on the RHS not the left as is touted in all manuals.

When I was driving it would get hot, 100-102 max and steam would come out from the top of the rad throught the plastic vents infront of the access panels when stationery and cold ambient like yesterday. It has not been right since the rad was fitted, 9 months ago but I have hardly driven it, not at all in the last 6 months.

I could see coolant stains on the end tanks of the rad so I decided to remove clam, rad surround, rad and then put back together without rad surround to see if I could isolate the leak / if there was one easier without a whole lot of guff blocking my view.

When I put the rad back and connected the hoses up and began to bleed the system it would keep getting hot, circa 95C, and even when I would have the revs at 2500 the temp would rise to 100 not drop down to 88-89.

after about 2 hours of dicking around trying to bleed it, it would drop to 89 once or twice, but then it would go back up to 95 and keep rising with revs at 2500. (The 2500 revs allows the PRRT stat to open with pressure.) The front of the car was higher than the back, ie I parked it in the drive way which slopes down to the road.

So can some one please tell me how the hell I can bleed the bloody cooling system in this car, it seems very difficult.

I am somewhat handy with a spanner and did not think this would pose a problem. I guess I was wrong.

I appreciate any help.

Mars Bar And Cheese Twisty Aerodynamic Efficiency Testing

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:17:21 +0000

On Sunday Brendon, Josh and myself decided to test the aerodynamic efficiency of a mars bar and cheese twisty on the roof of the Exige. We felt it compromised high speed stability slightly and reduced the power-to-weight output of the car also slightly, but we noticed if we breathed out for long periods we could counteract this but then began to loose vision.

We did run into the risk that several hungry men in taller vehicles (basically anything on the road) were temped to reach out and grab our test food products when we stopped at Red lights.

The Snakata cheddar flavour on the central roof section didn't last long, we ate them.

http://www.beddysblog.com/WindowsLiveWriter/Marsbarandcheesetwistyaerodynamicefficie_802D/marsbarexige.jpg

Thanks to the assistance of Brendon's dog for applying the scientific Blue tape.

http://www.beddysblog.com/WindowsLiveWriter/Marsbarandcheesetwistyaerodynamicefficie_802D/iPhone%20Pictures%20014.jpg

Wiring For Data

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:08:04 +0000

Wired an off road buggy for data last Saturday and some of Sunday.
Missus said, "Oi 'Ow long you gunna be gone?"
"About 3 hours"
About 9 hours later, I strolled on in, and then another 2 on Sunday, but it all came good.

Finke race is this weekend.

Accusump Draining

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Hey boys...

Can anyone tell me how to dump the oil from an electric accusump into the engine.......drained the oil from the sump
And god knows how old the oil is in the accusump .........red the instruction sheet and cannot see any manual switches
Inside the cab to do this.....

Sure it's simple but so am I .........

PS: I would have thought that it would open it's solanoid and pressurise when ignition in on position......tried it without
running the engine (no oil in sump just wanna dump old oil from accusump) but still has it's oil.

Wheel Offsets For Exige

Sun, 02 May 2010 23:55:33 +0000

Didn't want to clog up the Rota Groupbuy thread, but am interested in the correct offset for the Exige on a 16x7 - 17x8 set of Rota Torques. I want to run 205/40/16's and 235/40/17's. At what point do you need to run spacers?

Ta

Sikkaflex Solvent

Sat, 01 May 2010 05:06:58 +0000

Hi all,

About 6 months ago I installed Exige mesh grills on my Elise. They are sikkaflexed to the inside of the clam.

I'm soon to be replacing the clam, and want to remove the grills with the view to on-selling them (cost $300) should they be of interest.

Does anybody know a solvent then can help me get them out without damaging the clam or the grills, and allow me to clean the inevitable excess sikkaflex on the mesh?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Adam

Bearing Failure Types

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:13:55 +0000

in a moment of stupidity i visited moremonkey.com and was surprised to find an actual useful post with a link to different types of bearing failure.

http://catalog.mahleclevite.com/bearing/

Nimbus Heat Shielding

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:01:10 +0000

I remember there was a whole thread about this on the old AE. Does anyone know where I can get some from? Is there a place that sells it in Brisbane?

Tilting Clam - Awesome !

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:02:58 +0000

Last Week, Richard Cooper helped me to do his super-duper Tilting Clam mod (he is a genius when it comes to this stuff)
I thought I would get mine done in preparation for some future upgrades from BWR supercharger to VF2 or similar.

Tonight, I took the Elise down to Kwinana MotorPlex as I was having a drive in a Sprint Car and also wanted to do a couple of quarter mile runs.
Did 2 quarter mile runs, both consistent (13.075 and 13.099 secs) which I was happy with and then headed home. On the freeway, my red battery light came on. Oh no I thought, hope I haven't killed the alternator

I popped past Richard on the way home and he said, well just reverse down the driveway and we'll tilt the clam. Within literally 5 minutes my clam was open and tilted, allowing us to rapidly trace the wire back to the alternator where we found.... a broken lug that had come of the alternator positive terminal. Phew !! Within half an hour we had it fixed and the clam back in place !!!

Unbelievable experience and it led me to think how long it would have taken without the Tilting Clam and how much it might have cost to get it fixed if I had just taken it to a Lotus Dealer.

For anyone that wants to do their own maintenance, I can't recommend this mod highly enough.

Thank You Richard

Cheers
Steve

Auz Horn Source...

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:28:03 +0000

Hey Guys,

Anyone offer a decent horn replacement/upgrade for the Elise in Australia?

Ordered the upgrade from the UK but the source failed and is now no longer available.

Need one asap and want to avoid shipping costs to Auz from UK.

Cheers!

Yet More Suspension Questions.

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:29:31 +0000

Hi,

Can anyone direct me to any site that discusses how to setup the one way suspension upgrade? Or even out of curiosity - the 2 way setup?

I'm thinking about upgrading my suspension and I figure that one-way is perfect for me - but how do you figure out how to adjust them depending on feedback from the car or driving conditions?

Cheers,
SM.

Quick Question For You Suspension Geometry Gurus

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:03:08 +0000

Guys,

If you were reading a geo setup sheet and saw a value for front toe that was, say, +0.1mm would that suggest to you that the wheels has slight toe out i.e. the track at the front of the front wheels is 0.1mm more than the track at the rear of the front wheels?

Similarly, if you read a value that said -0.1mm would that suggest to you toe in?

I'm asking cause I'm getting conflicting messages from two professionals as to how one should read the sheets.

Thanks fro your help,

Simon

Service Work In Sa

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 23:41:34 +0000

Guys

Can anyone pass comment about the quality of service work at the "authorised" Lotus Dealer here in SA ?
Having just brought a brand new elise, my only reservation was that the dealership service area looks like
it's some shonky backyard operation 40 years ago ! Not what you would expect from someone who is
supposed to be representing the Lotus Brand !

Scared to take my car elsewhere at the risk of voiding warranty.
Thanks

Redline In A Rover K

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:06:21 +0000

hi guys being new to lotus, just driven the new car around the block and up on to the trailer,noticed tacho doesn't have a redline, the car is an ex lotus cup car bought for sprinting and motorsport,also noticed when i turn the car on that a little red light starts flashing straight away is this the shift light and if so is there a reason why it would be flashing all the time.
sorry to ask such simple questions, but am heading to e.c tomorrow for a supersprint as this is the first time i am using the car in anger don't really want to do anything real stupid to it.
thanks sid

Cooooolant!

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:37:07 +0000

Hey Peeps,

I'm in the middle of upgrading everything under the front clam, and once the radiator arrives and I get it put in, I'll need to re-fill the coolant etc.

Just wondering what is the recommended coolant here in Auz? Can I get the same stuff as in the UK? Can I just get it from Super Cheap/Autobarn?

I had mine fully service before I left and it's the green stuff...

Cheers.

Pressure Relief Remote Thermostat

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:59:15 +0000

As some of the Qld boys will know I've been having some problems with hot running on the track. My car is fitted with the PRRT and the Pro Alloy radiator. On the highway it normally runs at 85 and it's rock solid. But the 2 times I've had it on the track the car has run hot. It hit 105 at Queensland Raceway at which point I backed off and did a few cool down laps. Even after that it still wouldn't drop to less than a 3 digit number. It was a stinking hot day (40 +) so I figured I wouldn't get too concerned. There was an ex MoPro car there (Ron's) and it was actually boiling. Mine wasn't boiling so I was one step ahead of him!

The next opportunity I had to test this again was at the first round of the sprints at Morgan Park. It was raining and it was far from what I would call hot. The car was still running in the high 90's while I was circulating. In these conditions I certainly wouldn't have expected that.

So it runs perfectly on the road but gets hot on the track - nobody else seems to experience this problem so I'm trying to figure out what is going on. I've pulled the thermostat out to check its operation. When the thermostat is closed it operates as expected. All the flow goes through the bypass circuit. When I pour copious amounts of boiling water over the thermostat bulb it opens (obviously), but I still get flow out of both the bypass and the main ports even though the thermostat looks to be fully open. I would have expected the bypass to completely shut so that all the flow would be directed through the main port and hence the radiator.

Another thing I've noticed is that when I first fitted the thermostat and the radiator I noticed that the temps dropped pretty quickly when the fans cycled in. That doesn't happen anymore.

From the testing I've done I think that the thermostat is likely to be the problem but I would be interested to hear if anyone has ever experimented with this thermostat on the bench and if so what they've found. Does it completely block the bypass when it is fully open? The only real way for me to find out exactly how it should work is to destroy it by cutting it in half. I want to avoid that if possible....

I've also considered the water pump as a source of the problem but the more I think about it the less likely I think that it's possible. I find it hard to believe that it could be stuffed after 50000km....especially considering that the car has been meticulously maintained....

Betamate 2800 Equivalent Product (For Service Bulletin 2007/24)

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:09:12 +0000

After returning to another small swimming pool of water in the footwell from a day parked in the rain (and subsequent musty smelling carpet the next day) I want to reseal whichever part is causing the major leak.

I seem to be getting a steady drip (appoximately 4-5 drops per minute) when the car is stationary in moderate to heavy rain. The drip is appearing directly above the eye-level rear vision mirror and dropping onto the gear lever/centre console.

The tech bulletins that someone kindly posted links to about a month back contained one (2007/24) which outlines a known problem in '04 Elises with sunvisors fitted and lists a product "Betamate 2800" to reseal the surround around the windscreen.

Does anyone know where to get this product or something equivalent? My initial search shows Betaxxxx products are only available in northern Europe and the US.

Has anyone had a similar problem and found a good solution?

Nitorn Spherical Bearings

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:51:20 +0000

Doesn anyone know where I can buy some Aurora Spherical Bearing to go in each end of the Nirton dampers. The part number I'm looking for is Aurora COM-M15T-4 (PTFE lined).

Ideally I'm looking for a local supplier.

Thanks

Simon

Box Out

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:44:46 +0000

Well, seems my two second gain at Sandown on the weekend was at the expense of my 2nd gear syncro..

As such, the box is getting pulled out and given a going over today.

The obvious question then is.. Well while I'm at it....

Does anyone have any suggestions or recomendations as to any worthy mods/upgrades in that vacinity.

Upgraded clutch and lightened flywheel spring to mind, stronger gears? / different ratios? / ?? / anything else ?

Thanks,
Damian

Mounting A Fire Extinguisher

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:45:05 +0000

Hey folks, I thought after searching Selo or here I would find a couple of piccies of mounting brackets people are using to secure their fire extinguisher (usually in front of the passenger seat). But surprise surprise my seraches were in vain.

Can someone help? I'd like to avoid drilling into the floor if possible.

As I am in the VSCC on Sunday and my fire extinguisher is mounted in the footwell I want to move it as it is sensible to have it within reach and I don't want to be prevented from running on Sunday.

Radiator Cooling

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:02:03 +0000

Hey Guys,

Has anyone, who originally had a single fan radiator, installed an additional fan to the twin setup?

What is needed to connect it up properly? Can it be paired easily with the existing system/sensors? Or do you need to install a secondary box with its own temp sensors etc?

The only thing I've found close on the internet is this forum with a bloke who has put in a twin setup for his 4WD with a switch to run them in parallel depending on load:

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=1766

I'm in the process of upgrading my radiator and considering putting a second fan on at the same time.

Cheers.

Nice Upgraded Bits Available

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:51:02 +0000

Hi folks, when discussing my car with Anthony of Roaring Forties (ex TDK and a jolly nice chap) he suggested that he was able to fabricate almost any metal parts (suspension bits etc).

I mention this because my lower rear control arms bowed quite some time ago. I understand that the makeup of these means that this is not an unusual ocurrence and he suggested that he could laser cut up a set made out of chromology. This makes them lighter and much much stronger. The standard design (at least on the S1's) are prone to bowing and he recommended I buy upgraded replacements.

So I got to thinking, is there anyone out there who would like some nice new upgraded rear control arms? He is happy to proce based on volume.

Also while we are at it let me know if there is anything else that you would like him to consider. Bare in mind that the upfront effort (creating templates etc) will mean he would need a few orders to make it financially viable.

I think we should support these keen spanner folk as we need them. I know that I would get a quality job, made locally and delivered and fitted in far less time and I wouldn't have any of the risks that come with shipping items from overseas (damage/returns etc).

Heat Soak / Heater Bypass?

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:00:48 +0000

Hey Guys (or Rob more specifically!).

When I was talking to Giles the other day we brushed upon the subject of heat soak coming through from the front of the car.

He mentioned you've done some work on this particular issue. What are the options to help prevent this? How is it done exactly?

I thought i'd check what else was worth doing while my Elise sits front clam-less in the underground garage, with only a car cover for dignity, and I sit sulking around in the evenings/weekends waiting for my next pay check....

Oil

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:55:32 +0000

Looked in rear view, and thought is that fog or a dirty rear window?
Looked side mirror, Twasn;t the window.
Oil-pressure = no red light
water = 88
turned engine off & pulled 'er o'ver.

What is near the front of the engine (Nose/RHS Rover) that can barf oil all over the engine mount area, out the full filler, out between the clam to sill, and across the exhaust.
I may need that engine stand, and need to take the rear clam off anyhow for some other work - but the timing is not great.

Hand Brake Light Is On When Turning Right

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:55:19 +0000

Hello guys

Need some help here.

I picked up my 07 Elise S after a front clam off job then discovered the Hand brake light turned itself on every time when I'm turning right (and right only)

Checked brake fluid and it shows exactly at MAX level so its not because of low brake fluid.(Done brake fluid 5 months ago)

Brake fluid sensor seems working well(light on if I press it down) cleaned the sensor switch even there is nothing to clean.

Hand brake switch is working well.

Still hand brake light will be on if I turning right faster then 5km/h.
Since all the sensor and switch is good and full brake fluid. Is that because of the front clam off job ? maybe they didn't put something back properly ?

Thx

Anchorlox

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:58:15 +0000

These look really good, and a bit clever. Bit of a shame the size range is so limited.

http://atomicperformanceproducts.com/images/products/anchorlox/EP_027.jpg

E10 - To Use, Or Not To Use.....

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:26:59 +0000

Well, in case you needed any further convincing that E10 is bad for your Rover engine, but OK for your Toyo one, here's the offical word on the matter.....so I'l be avoiding that stuff for a while yet then

As a matter of interest, does anyone/has anyone used E10 in either their Toyo engined Lotus or other cars? How bad is the pinking?

Radio Only Tunes To Mix Fm!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:47:17 +0000

The Blaupunkt Woodstock 53 in my '04 111R is a bit soft...

Doesn't matter whether I'm in Adelaide, Sydney or now Canberra it will only tune to Mix FM!! WTF?!?! Is there an 'easy listening' hidden somewhere on the unit that I'm missing? How do I get it to toughen up at least a little??

It also won't pick up anything on the AM (MW) band. And I know that DAB is a nogo in Oz.

The only other station its locked on to since picking the car up last week is WS FM in Sydney. Again, SOFT!

It wouldn't even pick up a Belkin iPod tuner that works well on every other car we've used it in...

I've read elsewhere that the aerial under the bonnet is a bit iffy at the best of times but surely it can't be THAT bad?! MIX FM is on different frequencies in each city as well and the signal lasted to past Mittagong this morning which isn't bad (if there was anything decent to listen to) and would be impossible of the aerial wasn't working at all...

Cleaning Off The Rubber Stuff

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:25:17 +0000

Hi guys,
After track days I often get small black marks from the rubber around the back wheels and along the sills. Aside from elbow grease is there a good way of getting this off?
Chris

Diffusers...

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:42:41 +0000

Ok,

This may be a stupid question - but do diffusers increase downforce just on the rear of the car? Or the the whole car? The pictures I have seen make the whole car look like a wing.

Do the amount of fins make a difference? Or the amount it sticks out from the rear of the car?

Looking at the factory diffuser, now with the rear panel delete, I find it hard to believe it generates much downforce at all. Mine's looking a bit mankey - need to clean it.

I've always wanted more front end grip - still not quite comfortable with going through the kink at lakeside on full throttle - without going for a bigger front spoiler (arrgh... driveways) or canards.

Just wondering.

SM.

Can I Reuse "new" Brake Fuild

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:56:52 +0000

Changed brake fluid yesterday (RBF600) and not happy with results so I want to redo it. So can I reuse the brake fluid I just put it?

Apparently the trick with changing brake fluid on the Elise is to raise the rear end when doing the rear brakes and clutch and to invert the fron calipers when doing the front,
neither of which I did. I didn't have any air bubbles coming through by the end of each bleed but the end result was no better than before so I want to try again. May even try
and get an exi-bleed.

Re-Oiling Itg Air Filter

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:30:48 +0000

I have my ITG Maxogen airbox and filter out at the moment and planned to give it a wash and re-oiling. Problem is I can't find where to buy the ITG air filter oil in Oz. ITG's website warns about the hazards of using "third party" product, but I'm sure this is bs. So, any advice on what I should be using instead or where I can get the ITG stuff here. TIA.

Cel Eliminator

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:14:00 +0000

About to embark on DIY Muffler project, probably start tomorrow.

I have been told that I will more than likely need a CEL Eliminator.

I presume these are simply a resistor added to the Oxy sensor (post cat) wiring to fool ECU that lamda is ok?

Does anyone know what size resistor and best place to install?

Alternatively what commercial versions are available/where?

If I knew the resistor size I know I could have the job done for less than $3.

Upgraded Radiator

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:47:25 +0000

Hi Guys

I posted the following on SELOC. Should have posted here first.

Basically, what upgraded radiator should I go for? Seems quite a few people are going for the pro alloy one but wouldn't the triple pass one that Elise-Shop, for example, sell be better in our hot climate???

******************************** Poseted on SELOC

I'm looking at upgrading my radiator and other potential mods for my car to cope on track in very hot conditions.

I have a S1 with 633 cams, DTH TBs, Emerald, 4-2-1 EP manifold etc.

I did a sprint a couple of weeks ago in 37C weather and the car wan't too happy. It gets into the 40C+ here in summer with a 48C last year!

Would a triple pass radiator (like this one http://www.elise-shop.com/aluminium-triple-pass-race-radiator-all-models-p-354077.html ) be preferable over the pro alloy one?

Also, would an oil/water oil cooler help with heat soak after a run on the track?

Front Clam Repair

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:46:23 +0000

hi guys, does any one know off a good body works that i could have my front clam repaired at { in Melbourne }

would be good if they have worked on Elises before

cheers eric

Kumho Ku36

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:21:28 +0000

Guys I need to get some new tyres for my "road rims" an am looking into these new TRACK/STREET tyres that are coming on to the market.
Tarmac Mag recently ran a comparo with the Yoko Neova VS A048 and the Neova road / track tire came up pretty good, with performance approaching that of the R spec on the track, while at the same time offering superior wet weather performance, lifespan, reduced noise etc..
I've got 2 x sets of rims, at the moment both have V70As. One set is completely rooted and I'm thinking about trying out the Kumho KU36 as a replacement. I did check out the Neova's but they are only available in 17"+, so they are not a Lotus option.

So...before I dive in, just curious to see if anyone else has tried these out? I scoured Google but cant any Loti reviews for these tyres.

If no one has tried them, guess I'll be the guinea pig...
KU36 Pricing...not bad either

Am I Up For A New Engine?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:14:51 +0000

Ok as you guys know, my car was crashed by the dealer Dec. 7, 2009 & I’m expecting it to be repaired and returned within the week, but here’s the open question I have I my mind:

The car was sent on 7/12/09 in when my radiator exploded and they smash in the rear clam on the same day. The car was subsequently sent to the panel beaters on the 8/12/09 – but without the radiator being fixed. Now the Elise looked perfectly functional from the outside.

About a week later I discover that the radiator isn't repaird and went in to inspect the car at the panel beaters and found the panel beather's driven my car around the yard in order to get to other parked cars awaiting repairs. So I placed a sign on the windscreen saying No driving due to no engine coolant.

Now there’s a real possibility that prior to placing the sign the car someone may have started & moved the Elise, and in the process the car may have been sitting idling while he went about moving other cars around in this tight secured yard leaving the a/c on to keep it cool… etc. So My Elise with a busted radiator may have sustained an engine overheat or engine damage.

So, I’m after your opinion on what checks should be undertaken on the car in order to ensure that the engine’s not been over heated. Bearing in mind that with a holed radiator, the cooling system vaporises at 100 Deg.C and the ECM may not record any over temp alarms?

As an engineer I know that vapour in the cooling system being pump (blown) thru by the pump over water temp probe, will insulate the temp probe from reading actual engine temp so the engine could be at 400 Deg.C while everything reads normal – same way you can thrust you hand into an oven space & have cool air blown over your hand while the oven operating at 400 Deg.C at the walls and not be burnt (skin burning occurs above 45 Deg.C)….

Thank you in advance.

Steering Rack Refurb

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:57:34 +0000

What route have people taken for steering rack refurbishments?

I've got a Titan rack with a little play in it. I understand my options are: Send whole rack back to Titan for refurb (£150 ex. shipping); Order parts from Titan and DIY (£50 but high risk of screw-up); Get a workshop here to do it ($??).

What's the best way to go?

Spax Suspension

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:27:18 +0000

was doing abit of web-window shopping and had come across Spax suspensions stocked by Sector 111. does anyone here have any experience with them. They seem to be quite reasonably priced with adjustable height and 28 point dampening adjustments. Priced at around 550 english dosh, thats half of the basic nitrons and on the mark of LSS. What do you guys think?

Electrostatic Racing Numbers

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:48:27 +0000

Hey Banzai many thanks for putting me onto this guy - just received my electrostatic re-useable racing numbers in the mail yesterday and wacked them on today.

Looks great, easy to put on and stay on like they're glued on. Rip them off when you are finished so that you can use them again for the next track day.

Maybe I'm a bit of a tight ass but they will certainly save me a few little $$$s being re-useable and all even in just one season. Banzai I think has had his for 3 years now.

Also no chemical adhesives used - they are just like those P plater decals. Sure they're more expensive than say masking tape on your window, but I think they look better than the standard racing number stickers.

Just have to watch out if it rains....

this is the guy who makes them / sells them from the USA

http://chuforiagraffix.com/

would have been great find anyone in Oz who does the same type of work but I ran out of patience surfing and ringing around.

and please don't look at my wheels they need a clean

Steering Wheel Re-Trim

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:37:00 +0000

I've just replaced my Sparco suede steering wheel with a new momo "team" one as the suede was all shiney and slippery after a few years.

I prefer the shape of the Sparco, so far. Can anyone recommend a Melbourne motor trimmer that could fit some new suede on the wheel?

Also, has anyone had this done before and would it be cheaper to buy a new wheel?

Is suede or alcantara better?

If there are any weight weenies amongst you, the new momo is about 400gm heavier than the Sparco. The sparco was nice and light.

Tyre Sure Wireless Tyre Monitor

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:36:22 +0000

Just installed my new toy - a wireless tyre pressure and temp monitor

Just need to hardwire it and find a place to mount it properly.

[IMG]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i307/Korgi/_DSC2109.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i307/Korgi/_DSC2111.jpg[/IMG]

Rover Cambelts

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:51:00 +0000

Posting for Giles:

Thought I would just post a comment about cambelts in Technical seeing it has come up and hasn't really been discussed for a while. The comment was that people (certainly K series people) need to be checking their cambelts, and changing them on a regular basis. Miles is not the issue in an Elise (usually), it is more the time issue. Clint, when did you last change your cam belt ? It should be every 4 years max, and if you use the car a lot, maybe every 3. Thats not what the manual says, but then the manual doesn't fix your engine when the belt breaks either, does it ? This was a big discussion in UK in about 2002 when a lot of early cars started having problems first time round. Looks like a memo might be timely to remind any who haven't thought of this. And if you have a second hand car and are not absolutely positive when (or even if) the belt was changed, suggest you do it immediately on purchase..............
Giles

Overseas Suppliers

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:11:50 +0000

Some fairly obvious ones....

Elise Parts

Sector 111

Hanger 111

Elise Shop

Feel free to add your favourites (and any recommendations)

Assorted Other Useful Links

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:12:23 +0000

Add your favourite sources of valuable information in this thread (obviously no porn or other dodgy links please Tim and others )

Great source of replacement parts and other great technical data at elise-faq

Wa And Nt Technical Directory

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:16:08 +0000

Qld Technical Directory

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:15:22 +0000

Please use this series of threads to help us compile a list of recommended providers both in Australia and overseas.

Please add providers that you have had personal experience of and can recommend, in the following suggested structure:

State (for Aus)/Country (for overseas)
Service or Product provided (e.g. General Servicing, Race preparation, Tyres, Accessories)
Name of Organisation
Key contact
Phone number
Email contact details
Address
Website address

Please do not use this thread to pass comment or divert the topic - if you disagree with a posting, by all means start a discussion thread separately or contact a Mod or Admin.

QLD
Fulcrum Suspension,
760 Fairield Road, Yeerongpilly, Qld 4105.
Tel 07 3892 9000.
fulcrumsuspensions.com and superpropoly.com
Quote from Giles “These guys may be specifically Qld, but mail order daily all over the country and world. At the request of Lotus, they have specially developed polyeurethane bushings for the S1 and S2 Elise / Exige. They have suspension bushings, engine mount bushings, and also the gear linkage bushings like Geary's kit, and are keen to work with Lotus owners if asked. They also do shocks and of course springs - Eibach included.
I just bought the bushings for my engine steady bar off the shelf there, and they have done the suspension bushings on Rob's S2 up here, and also on a track-only S1.”

QLD (but shops interstate)
Brake Distributors Australia
trevor@brakedistributors.com.au
PH: 0414868555

QLD
Details of the new Lotus dealer on the Gold Coast is as follows :-
Garth Salon.
Tel 07 5561 6161.
Mobile 0438753996.
Email Lotussouthport@Zupps.com.au

QLD
Windscreens
Peter, at Coast to Country Windscreens,
tel 0419 300 836.

Sa Technical Directory

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:14:45 +0000

Please use this series of threads to help us compile a list of recommended providers both in Australia and overseas.

Please add providers that you have had personal experience of and can recommend, in the following suggested structure:

State (for Aus)/Country (for overseas)
Service or Product provided (e.g. General Servicing, Race preparation, Tyres, Accessories)
Name of Organisation
Key contact
Phone number
Email contact details
Address
Website address

Please do not use this thread to pass comment or divert the topic - if you disagree with a posting, by all means start a discussion thread separately or contact a Mod or Admin.

SA - SERVICE and MECHANICAL WORK
Sovereign Auto
238 Angas St (despite what their website may say)
(08 ) 8231 1233
http://www.sovereignauto.com.au/

SA - WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Here's two place who will treat you well and look after your Elise.
Kevin Kenny Tyres
110 Wakefield St
(08 ) 8232 5622
Reg Kenny owns an Elise, and they align a number of Elises regularly. Apparently they know alignments well which the Elise really likes, including the fact that the factory 2 degrees negative camber is way more than the car really likes ..... I'll let you know after they've aligned my car next week.
John is the guy to talk to as he does all of the Elise alignments.

North Terrace Tyres
55 North Tce Hackney 5069
(08 ) 8362 4417

SA
Servicing & Performance
A A Automotive Service Repairs & Restorations
14 Nightingale Ave Magill SA 5072
ph: (08) 8364 4988

Vic Technical

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:14:02 +0000

Nsw & Act Technical Directory

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:57:33 +0000