Difference Between the S2 & S3

[andymaserati]

Hey guys,
awoke this morning to presents under the tree, and turkey in the oven.
and whilst opening my presents i happened accross a workshop manual for the lotus esprit s2. thankyou very much mummy and daddy.
but i dare not tell them my car is the s3. and as i know this was an ebay purchase, it cannot be swapped.... so i was wondering how different are the cars?

the basics in the manual look very similar to my car.
So what are the main differences? what should i look out for when using the manual?

And Merry Christmas to everyone
Andy

[peter_england99]

a couple of major changes spring to mind:
1) S2 has 2.0 litre engine, the S3 has a 2.2 litre engine.
2) S2 has suspension mounted on gearbox, S3 has 'conventional' suspension mounting.

regards,
Peter.

[lotusespritworld]

www.lotusespritworld.com/EModels/S3.html

[Esprit2]

andymaserati said:

(Snip)... the basics in the manual look very similar to my car. So what are the main differences? what should i look out for when using the manual?

Andy,
The basics are similar. If you can rebuild a 907 engine, you can rebuild a 912. But even though the S3 is like the S2 in many ways, they're also different in more ways than they're similar. Like the differences in the wiring harness that you can't see once the wire disappears into the bundle/ under the fascia/ behind the bulkhead. It's nice to have the correct schematic, not one that's close.

It's not about how the cars are similar. It's the differences that will drive you nuts when you're trying to track down a problem and nothing matches the manual.

The beauty of a manual that's correct for the car is that it removes most of the unknowns. Repair is enough work by itself without turning each task into a research project. If you intend to do a lot of your own work on the car, then the right manual is very important.

On the other hand, Lotus manuals are not very user friendly. It's as if they are written for a Lotus-trained mechanic as an outline. A few loosely connected reminders and his training kicks in with the rest of the details. For the most part, those details are left out of the manuals and that can be a problem for Do-It-Yourself mechanics.

For that reason, the exploded assembly drawings in the Service Parts List can be more instructional than the written directions in the Service Notes. I strongly suggest that you also pick up a copy of the correct Service Parts List.

Regards,
Tim Engel

Edited by Esprit2 on Wednesday 3rd January 01:26

[Tuna]

I would suggest that ebay is the best way to go - sell back what you've received and buy the manual you want.