Running my Esprit S4 down the 1/4 this weekend!

[AZZKICKER]

Well I know this probably sounds crazy to you guys. I Lotus Esprit staged at a drag strip, but I think its going to run damn good. My roomates Trans Am runs 13.4's@104 and my S4 Esprit is dead even with him, the Esprit pulling down low and the TA pulling back up top slightly.

Jamie Guffaux my mechanic is coming over tomorrow and were rebuilding the charge cooler pump, changing the oil, fixing a brake problem, and then it goes to the car show and the track on staurday.

The Event is put on by my old Eastern F Body association club. We usually have tons of fast camaros, and trans am's as well as some fast vettes that show up as well. They all want to see the Lotus, and they just cant beleive how well it runs for only having 4 cylinders.

It should be great! So say a prayer for my tranny, and motor and wish me luck.

Cheers,(as Rob Ellis would say)

Andy Wheeler
www.azzkicker.net

[rob.ellis]

Cheers!

[madmike]

Jamie told me you were planning to track her this weekend. Send me the info, perhaps I'll drive up to watch.

BTW, parked next to a yellow Acura NSX in the office garage right now. Looks choice.

Mad Mike

[dougo]

I just bought a 85 Esprit turbo, but I also have a pro street 1/4 mile car. How did you do at the track? I have never owned a lotus and need parts, where do you get yours?
Keep in touch
Doug

[d didit]

Vrrroooommm, whhhhisssshhhhh

Good Luck, Check the plugs. Also, Nology wires are on and I am putting the ball bearing turbo. Lotus guys, who makes a good injector for the car?

[AZZKICKER]

Well hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............. Wear do I start with what I am about to say

The car ran decent at the track with a best of 13.8@104 which for an S4 is really decent. THe bad news is

The motor self destructed on the way home

This was in no way because the car made a pass down the track. I was cruising along at about 70 mph on the way home, and wham I heard something let go. I knew immediatly that it was very serious. The car started loosing power like crazy, and then I heard soemthing snapp, and then I shut it down at about 50 mph and coasted to a stop. I had the car flat bedded home and Jamie came over sunday morning to look at it.

I broke a valve spring The motor is completely seazed up I garuntee the valve fell into the chamber and possibly took that thin piston with it The plug from that cylinder was beat to shit I mean it was destroyed.

We are not sure why this happened. The car was shifted at 7,000 all day and never got near the rev limit of 7,500 rpm's. Jamie thinks its possible that the Timing belt might have skipped a tooth some how.

All I know is that I am now looking for a new motor Depending on what we find when the head comes off will depend on wether it will be cheaper to buy a new motor, or to fix this one. The head could be all gouged up , as well as the valve pushed through the piston head, we just dont know yet.

Anyways the car will be down for sometime now since I have know where near the kind of money for a new motor. I had money saved up for regular things to break but not this

Being 24 and owning one of these cars is great but trying to replace this motor is going to be extremely hard on me.

Once again I want everyone to know that this did not happen at the track, and even my mechanic said that this was a freak thing and that he would not have blamed it on abuse either.

[GUY JOHNSON]

I am sorry you lost your engine.
If you decide to rebuilding your engine, you can get away with it for about $6500 to about $7000, as long as you do not make any modifications to the engine. As long as the block is still good and the heads are good you can get rebuilt. Have you talked to a lotus tech? If you try to replace it with brand new engine you will spend up to $15,000 to 22,000. And if that is the case you might as well do what I did and rebuild. You will get a much better engine. If you pull it out of anothere car you will have no idea how the engine was taken care of.

[GUY JOHNSON]

Sorry you lost your engine. If the block and head is still good you might be able to rebuild it. IT should cost any were between $6,500 and $8,000 If you do not make any modifications to the engine . If you replace it with new one, It will cost you $15,000 to $22,000. This is according to the dealers out In CA. I am in the process of rebuilding my '88, and It cost me just about the same for a new engine, but I will have a much better eigine when I am done. The car should be alot quicker than an se or s4.

[GUY JOHNSON]

Sorry about the two messages price on the rebuild $6500 to $7,000 it should be $8,000.

[lotire]

Maybe you could try PMN engineering in the UK I will come back to you with the number but for and SE engine
Rebuilt it costs around £2500 stg .(I don't know the exchange rate ,I work in Euro's I'm sure it would not cost that much to get A block across the "pond" also I am not sure this includes the head.
CD
1989 Ltd ED 14 of 88
built 88 reg 89

[cnh1990]

Intercooled Lotus engine for sale on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1829326267

[BlackbirdZach]

I'm very sorry to hear that, best wishes.

[d didit]

Andy, soory to hear this. I was looking at the engine, and it looks very basic in removal and dismantling. Even the amount of special tools are limited. This could be your chance as long as the block is fine to build a supertuned spec engine. You could have Ross custom build some pistons that would not only be better, but also stronger. Also, the connecting rods could be made by Callies. All you have to do is send them one and they will spec out a replacement. As with any vehicle, once the engine is out, the rest is cake! If you think you have a problem, I once bought a brand new 2000 Camaro, added a supercharger when it had only 300 miles. Raced a mustang and kaboooooom. 200 miles of glory and a few g's down the drain. The story went, I got rid of the car, got the 2000 T/A and had everything in the motor replaced. Now, with my esprit, I check everything like as if I were an F1 driver or crew chief. From compression check to fuel pressure, I can't take a chance. Andy, I was thinking about my motor and you might think of doing this, Lotus guys might think I am nuts, but the fact is clear. Think about the 340R, it has a Honda r-spec motor. If you change your motor to a v-tec and add a turbo, you can have 400 reliable horse power. The motor can be purchased at the junk yard, about 3 g's the spec it out and another 1.5 g for ecu management. I am not sure what it would take to mate the transmission, a guy name adam Sawatrari built an NSX, but what he did is transversed a V-6 honda motor. Pretty simpke if you have a chassis builder in your area. Oh well, I could go on and on. Good luck my friend.

Dindo

[GUY JOHNSON]

My dad had a '77 esprit, and he put a rotary engine in. It took close two 5 years to work out all the bugs. You don't need the headaches. trus me.
Lotus engines are usualy built pretty good. Find someone to rebuild it. The only thing I would do is repace the pistons, with forged pistons, instead of cast.

[Bodo]

>> Edited by bodo on Tuesday 24th December 02:21

[d didit]

Andy,

Here is somehing for you to feel good about. The 910 motor has thick cylinder sleeves. If you replace the damaged one and get the custom pistons and connecting rods made, your end cost would be substantially lower.

[GUY JOHNSON]

I aree with d didit.

[lawrence1]

Hey Azz

Forget all those tempremental 4 cylinder engines.

Put a Toyota 1UZ V8 in it - alloy 4cam 32v with cam change and you can have 350 - 400hp at your foot.
And for 450 quid for the engine, its the business.

Oh and it fits !!!!!!!!

[AZZKICKER]

Great ideas guys!

I really want to stick with a lotus motor though. I really am enjoying not having a car that is peiced together just to go fast for a change. I have done motor swaps in the past and get tired of the head aches

What I would love to do is get a custom set of pistons, and rods for this motor. My mechanic seems to act like this will be difficult. I dont see how since a piston is a piston.

Anyways let me know if you think it would be cheaper to rebuild and possibly machince that cylinder clean, or to just buy a used turbo 2.2 motor to go back in.

We are going to be tearing down the motor next week and I will have plenty of pictures for you guys.

I still cant beleive I dont have my lotus for the summer

Oh well! Thanks for all of your help guys!

Thanks Dindo!

[centric]

Azzkicker:

I've been off the forum for a while, so I'm sorry to hear about your mishap. I'm the fellow F-body owner who bought the blue Lotus shortly before you bought yours.

If you're looking for custom pistons and rods, I may be able to help. My wife is the Director of Customer Service at Childs & Albert (www.childs-albert.com). They list Esprit pistons in their catalog, and they do custom pistons and rods as well. Perhaps she can help you get a deal. Her name is Lisa Stoddard, [e-mail].

If you have other plans, please don't construe this as an advertisement—I plan to do the same thing to mine when/if it grenades, and figured that they might be able to help you out, too.

Regards,

Jason