Lotus Tips
Here are some photos of my Esprit maintenance, click on the thumbnail for a better look. I have been the only person responsible for the maintenance of this car, since buying it in 1990. Learn from my experiences here.
One of the things I did with my Esprit shortly after I bought it was to add a device called: the "turboluber". What does it do?
Turbo timers, like the HKS
system keep your engine running and the turbo spinning. This causes the
oil to stay hot as the engine is a continuing heat source and the turbo shuts
down hot because it was still spinning whilst wasting fuel by leaving the engine
running. Another disadvantage is that people will see and hear an
unattended car running, and will want to be curious, possibly trying to gain
entrance, thinking that they can drive it away.
The turboluber systems advantage is that it circulates oil
both before you start the engine to save on cold start wear and AFTER you shut
down to circulate oil throughout the entire system (inc. turbo) this cools the
entire block uniformly and prevents the oil from cooking onto the turbo bearing.
If you would like more info check out the site here
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A picture of one of the times I removed my radiator for cleaning. Lew
Gaskell and I know that Esprit radiators are a ''magnet'' for dirt, bugs, and leaves, and should be
removed and cleaned periodically. If you neglect to do this, the core will
rot, and leak. It is simpler than it looks, with only about 12
bolts to remove in order to be able to drop the front tray. One does not
have to undo, or remove the oil cooler, or A/C condenser to access the
radiator. As you can see, I simply rotated the A/C condenser out of the
way with the lines intact.
This is the radiator, as I found it, after it was removed. I had
removed it, and cleaned it just 2 years earlier, but it would be difficult to
prove it from this photo. I do promise that I had not been 4 wheeling in
the car, or used it as a combine in the field. If your radiator get this
way, and it will.... it will rot!
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Here you see just how I attached a nylon sling to the engine/transmission
unit when I pulled it out. During the winter of 1997/1998, I decided to
replace the clutch with just over 70,000 miles on the car. It wasn't that
the clutch ''needed'' to be replaced, it was just that it was a convenient time
for me. Theoretically, the engine/transmission unit does not have to come
out, but the extremely wimpy pilot bearing had died, and the pilot shaft
was stuck in the crankshaft. This meant that there was not enough room to
slide the tranny back and out to replace the clutch. The only solution to
me was to remove the whole thing, engine and all. A LOT of extra work.
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This is a picture of the bottom of the fuel tank that used to be located on
the left/driver's side of my car. Lotus, like many other manufacturers,
puts foam rubber under the tank. Water gets into the foam, it doesn't dry
properly, and SURPRISE, the bottom of the tank rusts out. This is a common
Esprit problem. I learned quite a bit about this problem, and how to resolve it
from fellow Lotus e-mail list member, Sigurd Enoksen, and I am glad to share it
with anybody. The way the water gets in is from the 3/4 windows located
just behind each door. The seal gives way, allowing water to get in during
washing the car, or driving in the rain. The water gets in, runs down the
inside of the 1/4 panel, and soaks the foam. If the black border on the
inside of your window looks like it is peeling, GET THAT WINDOW RESEALED!
That look of peeling, is a sign that the window is leaking. I went
to a music store, bought a bass guitar string, and used it to saw through the
remaining window sealant. A plastic trim piece will have to be removed
before doing this by drilling out a few rivets that are hidden by the door
weather strip.
Besides resealing the windows, the foam pad should be replaced with some thing
other than the original material.... I used Reflectix, an interesting product...
similar to bubble wrap sandwiched between layers of aluminum foil. An
image from one of their sales brochures is here for your information.
Their site can be found at http://www.reflectixinc.com/
... or call them at:
1-800-try-foil (1-800-879-3645). This product will not soak up water, so
should not rust the bottom out of your fuel tank.
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For a tech article on how I was able to gain access to my rear boot after the cable broke in August 1998 go to: http://www.gglotus.org/ggtech/releasec.htm The Golden Gate Lotus Club, sponsors of the Lotus Cars mailing list archive many tech articles on their site. I am honored to have been included.
Or go to Lotus Tips Page 2