What's wrong with my Elise?
Discussion
Hello!
I took my S1 elise on holiday last week and unfortunately it broke down (several times) It's currently being towed back to the UK from Switzerland...
The problem is:
You're having a nice drive down a motorway, and the engine stops. It then won't restart for approx. two hours. After that it is fine to drive again for a couple of hours/150 miles. Then it will stop.
When starting the car for the first time each day, it would idle at just over 1000 revs. When starting it each time after that, it would idle just below 1000. When taking the foot off the accelerator, the revs would also come down very slowly.
Also, the seatbelt light has taken to randomly coming on.
When the hazard lights are on they occasionly stop for a couple of secs then restart.
Once the car stopped, and the speedo stayed at 40 mph. Then when I restarted, it was always reading 40mph too high. This gradually sorted itself out after restarting several times.
5 mechanics/garages looked at the car abroad, and none of them could say what the problem was. They each had different ideas:
German breakdown person - Split hose somewhere
German garage - Fuel injection problem
German lotus dealer - Crankshaft sensor. They replaced this, but it didn't solve the problem.
Croatian breakdown guy - Electrical problem, but not battery or alternator
Swiss garage - Fuel filter
The main problem was that by the time any breakdown people arrived to look at the car, it was running again.
It had a C service a week before I went on holiday, and I also asked them to give it a general check over for any problems...
When the car arrives back (hopefully within 2 weeks) I'll be taking it to a specialist, and using the AA warranty to sort it out hopefully.
Any ideas what the problem might be?! Anyone had any similar problems?
Any help is appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
I took my S1 elise on holiday last week and unfortunately it broke down (several times) It's currently being towed back to the UK from Switzerland...
The problem is:
You're having a nice drive down a motorway, and the engine stops. It then won't restart for approx. two hours. After that it is fine to drive again for a couple of hours/150 miles. Then it will stop.
When starting the car for the first time each day, it would idle at just over 1000 revs. When starting it each time after that, it would idle just below 1000. When taking the foot off the accelerator, the revs would also come down very slowly.
Also, the seatbelt light has taken to randomly coming on.
When the hazard lights are on they occasionly stop for a couple of secs then restart.
Once the car stopped, and the speedo stayed at 40 mph. Then when I restarted, it was always reading 40mph too high. This gradually sorted itself out after restarting several times.
5 mechanics/garages looked at the car abroad, and none of them could say what the problem was. They each had different ideas:
German breakdown person - Split hose somewhere
German garage - Fuel injection problem
German lotus dealer - Crankshaft sensor. They replaced this, but it didn't solve the problem.
Croatian breakdown guy - Electrical problem, but not battery or alternator
Swiss garage - Fuel filter
The main problem was that by the time any breakdown people arrived to look at the car, it was running again.
It had a C service a week before I went on holiday, and I also asked them to give it a general check over for any problems...
When the car arrives back (hopefully within 2 weeks) I'll be taking it to a specialist, and using the AA warranty to sort it out hopefully.
Any ideas what the problem might be?! Anyone had any similar problems?
Any help is appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
Dont know much about cars but i am a Spark by trade (many moons ago).Sounds like a number of problems.
Seat belt light sounds lke a dodgy switch.
Hazards sounds like a sticking relay.
Reves etc sounds like the ECU unit. I base this on a car that i had a few years ago that did the same and had the ECU replaced.
Seat belt light sounds lke a dodgy switch.
Hazards sounds like a sticking relay.
Reves etc sounds like the ECU unit. I base this on a car that i had a few years ago that did the same and had the ECU replaced.
hueandcry71 said:
Dont know much about cars but i am a Spark by trade (many moons ago).Sounds like a number of problems.
Seat belt light sounds lke a dodgy switch.
Hazards sounds like a sticking relay.
Reves etc sounds like the ECU unit. I base this on a car that i had a few years ago that did the same and had the ECU replaced.
Yep, I'm starting to think that it may be more than one problem. It just seems strange that they've started at exactly the same time. Seat belt light sounds lke a dodgy switch.
Hazards sounds like a sticking relay.
Reves etc sounds like the ECU unit. I base this on a car that i had a few years ago that did the same and had the ECU replaced.
The hazard indicator problem is widespread on most cars, dunno whats so tricky about having a relay or stopping water ingress at the indicator!
The main problem sounds like fuel starvation, and after a couple of hours, fuel vapourisation somewhere. Hence something on the fuel lines / filter / tank / pump but especially something near the engine thats getting hot, sorry just my half arsed guesses prob better answer on seloc wiki or from someone else here.
The main problem sounds like fuel starvation, and after a couple of hours, fuel vapourisation somewhere. Hence something on the fuel lines / filter / tank / pump but especially something near the engine thats getting hot, sorry just my half arsed guesses prob better answer on seloc wiki or from someone else here.
MTBR said:
Multiple electrical problems, could be a bad Earth. It is common to all these different systems.
Yep +2(The rev counter thing is common with the power being cut as I witnessed on a rolling road once when the operator cut the engine completely when it was still at 30mph on the run down and the speedo stayed at 30mph. It's no big deal. It reset itself later.)
Hi!
Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
elise2000 said:
Hi!
Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
It souds like the original garage that did the service/clutch change may have disturbed something during their work an earth strap perhaps?Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
I would look at the parts that have to be stripped away to do the service and clutch change and ensure that those parts have been replaced properly, pay attention to the wiring loom and any plugs / wires that may have come loose or are not cable tied down, especially where there's a lot of heat generated.
good luck.
F.C.
F.C. said:
elise2000 said:
Hi!
Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
It souds like the original garage that did the service/clutch change may have disturbed something during their work an earth strap perhaps?Any more help on this issue would be great. Since my original post the following has happened:
The car has returned home.
It was taken to a local Lotus 'specialist'. They spent a while looking at the car and then told me they didn't know what the fault was, or how to find the fault, so suggested I took it to a main dealer...
The car was taken to another garage (not Lotus specialist but knowledgeable) who said it was the lambda sensor. This was replaced under AA warranty, and the plugs and leads were changed at the same time.
Last night, when idling at the mcdonalds drive-thru, the revs suddenly went up to about 1250, then down to 750. It did this a few times, then the engine cut out.
So, it's back to the garage again tomorrow. The clutch was replaced 2 weeks ago as well, so haven't been spending much time with the car recently...
Any other ideas you have would be appreciated!
Cheers
Andrew
I would look at the parts that have to be stripped away to do the service and clutch change and ensure that those parts have been replaced properly, pay attention to the wiring loom and any plugs / wires that may have come loose or are not cable tied down, especially where there's a lot of heat generated.
good luck.
F.C.
The service was carried out back in June, the clutch change was only last week and at a different garage. I will ask the garage to check out the wiring loom etc tomorrow.
Thanks
Andrew
Still earthing issues. Dont take it to an ordinary garage, go to an auto electrician. Some of these garages you mention plainly have had no clue and are just ripping you off.
I wouldnt expect them to find it easily still, given heat appears to be a factor they are gonna have a fun time looking for melted connector blocks, chafed wiring and things that may be moving and coming into contact when hot
I wouldnt expect them to find it easily still, given heat appears to be a factor they are gonna have a fun time looking for melted connector blocks, chafed wiring and things that may be moving and coming into contact when hot
shouldbworking said:
Still earthing issues. Dont take it to an ordinary garage, go to an auto electrician. Some of these garages you mention plainly have had no clue and are just ripping you off.
I wouldnt expect them to find it easily still, given heat appears to be a factor they are gonna have a fun time looking for melted connector blocks, chafed wiring and things that may be moving and coming into contact when hot
HiI wouldnt expect them to find it easily still, given heat appears to be a factor they are gonna have a fun time looking for melted connector blocks, chafed wiring and things that may be moving and coming into contact when hot
Luckily all the work (apart from plugs/leads) has been carried out under warranty! I'm not sure if heat is an issue - back in the summer when I had been driving long distances I thought it may have been, but yesterday I had only been driving the car for 10 mins when it happened.
I'm still not 100% convinced that it's definately a wiring fault not a fuel issue, but we'll see what happens tomorrow!
Cheers
Andrew
This may sound blatantly obvious and you would expect it to have been checked, but is the battery healthy AND connected tightly, with clean terminals?
You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
jondude said:
This may sound blatantly obvious and you would expect it to have been checked, but is the battery healthy AND connected tightly, with clean terminals?
You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
GOOD point! You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
F.C.
jondude said:
This may sound blatantly obvious and you would expect it to have been checked, but is the battery healthy AND connected tightly, with clean terminals?
You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
Yep, the battery and connections have been tested already unfortunately!You must always ensure the above is true before doing anything on a car or motorbike. I saved quite a few bikers by the roadside by simply cleaning the terminals and connecting the battery tightly.
And sadly, not all garages check the above and so immediately replace starter motors, ECU units, coils etc....all at your cost.
Definitly take it to a good Auto Electrician. Its sounds far too much of a coinsidence to not be eart related. A decent autoelectrician will have it sorted very quickly. My money, given the multitude of the problems, would be on a dodgy battery pillar or first chassis earthing point. If it was a problem with just one earthing point, I don't think you'd see all those problems at once.
Had a simlar set of apparently unrelated problems with a Fiat (yes I know but it was cheap)and it turned out to be water leaking past the window seal onto the printed circuit board that controlled most of the electrics.
you would have been very unlucky to get three seperate problems simultaneously so my first thought would be to look for what electrical is common to all three. trouble is I dont know enough detail about the elise circuitry to advise you
you would have been very unlucky to get three seperate problems simultaneously so my first thought would be to look for what electrical is common to all three. trouble is I dont know enough detail about the elise circuitry to advise you
Well the car has spent the day in the garage. The engine has stopped for them several times after having been idling for 15 minutes or so. It's had the diagnostic plugged in, and no faults come up. One thought they've had is the idle air control valve is playing up. We will see what they find out tomorrow!
Cheers
Cheers
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