Points I need to address on Elise S2...
Discussion
Hi all.
Did my first airfield day with Andy Shaw about 2 weeks ago. Very good, though it high-lighted how much I need to work at my driving skills. Ho Hum.
Anyway, it also brought to light a few points on the car. It's a K series engine 160Bhp.
Andy said I needed to address the following:
1) There is no sprung action on the gear stick...it does not self centre as it should. Being my first Elise I never knew any different.
2) I have different brake pads front and rear, making my braking bias 'out'. Not critical, and I can probably wait until they require replacing. Unless you think otherwise. I think I have green at the front, black at the back.
3) The car has started to do this more often. It will not start occassionally, and I was told it's the starter motor. It did it yesterday, so I let it roll in neutral and lifted the clutch once or twice to move the motor- then it started as normal.
4) I am losing very small amounts of fluid from the coolant bottle. It was pressure tested a couple of months back at Paul Matty's in Bromsgrove and it was found to lose small amounts over a 30 min period. It has been driven hard on and off since then and I have had to place a 100 ml or so in the bottle. Otherwise it it not a big issue. It remains at the back of my mind and plays on me though. I feel it should be addressed but it's beyond my skills I'm afraid. The tech suggested a hose tightening approach first, saying that I could access some from the radiator through the indicator holes...I saw nothing that was workable there!
5) Andy Shaw also pointed out that a steering joint was stiff, as the car would not readily return to neutral forward steering...he said something about this being covered under a recall at some time? Sorry for being vague.
My skills are rudimentary, so please offer direction if I can sort things myself. I am no mechanic, but I have a jack, stands, and can wield a spanner and most tools on a practical/DIY level. No Mechanical training though.
Look forward to any thoughts or comments. Thank you.
Nick
Did my first airfield day with Andy Shaw about 2 weeks ago. Very good, though it high-lighted how much I need to work at my driving skills. Ho Hum.
Anyway, it also brought to light a few points on the car. It's a K series engine 160Bhp.
Andy said I needed to address the following:
1) There is no sprung action on the gear stick...it does not self centre as it should. Being my first Elise I never knew any different.
2) I have different brake pads front and rear, making my braking bias 'out'. Not critical, and I can probably wait until they require replacing. Unless you think otherwise. I think I have green at the front, black at the back.
3) The car has started to do this more often. It will not start occassionally, and I was told it's the starter motor. It did it yesterday, so I let it roll in neutral and lifted the clutch once or twice to move the motor- then it started as normal.
4) I am losing very small amounts of fluid from the coolant bottle. It was pressure tested a couple of months back at Paul Matty's in Bromsgrove and it was found to lose small amounts over a 30 min period. It has been driven hard on and off since then and I have had to place a 100 ml or so in the bottle. Otherwise it it not a big issue. It remains at the back of my mind and plays on me though. I feel it should be addressed but it's beyond my skills I'm afraid. The tech suggested a hose tightening approach first, saying that I could access some from the radiator through the indicator holes...I saw nothing that was workable there!
5) Andy Shaw also pointed out that a steering joint was stiff, as the car would not readily return to neutral forward steering...he said something about this being covered under a recall at some time? Sorry for being vague.
My skills are rudimentary, so please offer direction if I can sort things myself. I am no mechanic, but I have a jack, stands, and can wield a spanner and most tools on a practical/DIY level. No Mechanical training though.
Look forward to any thoughts or comments. Thank you.
Nick
With regards to the radiator, it is always best to start with the cheapest and most basic things first (as with all repair).
Try a new pressure cap - they are only a fiver or so.
The brake pads should match the brake disc, or be made so they do....other wise you risk the discs getting scored or at worse, warped. I think it does sound like they are a match, though....just a different brand. Unless you are Jenson Button, it is unlikely you need to worry about an upgrade
Same principle about the bad starting.....don't muck around with the starter motor before making sure you have a good, strong and healthy battery in there.
In fact, a good battery is the most essential part of any car....and we Lotus drivers do tend to leave the car for a while.....if you don't have a battery conditioner connected then the constant discharge/charge state will kill the cells....and a weak battery shows itself through sporadic bad starting and running at first, then sudden death!!
nick_j007 said:
2) I have different brake pads front and rear, making my braking bias 'out'. Not critical, and I can probably wait until they require replacing. Unless you think otherwise. I think I have green at the front, black at the back.
I'm no Elise guru but I don't believe that is a problem. The brake bias will not be set equal front to rear anyway as the front does more of the braking load (as in all cars), hence having upgraded pads on the front makes sense.I have an ’03 S2 111S as well.
2) Not a problem unless you are locking your rears before your fronts (Elises are chronically front biased). Green ones are probably EBC Greenstuff, black could be several things, possibly OEM. I currently use different pads front and rear, and have no problems with braking at all.
3) As said above, make sure your battery is up to the job first. I connect mine to a conditioner now (it is an occasional weekend toy), but before I did, it could have starting issues after a couple of weeks in autumnal weather.
4) As said above, change the cap first, and note that Elises usually expel excess coolant. Mine runs at around the minimum mark all the time, and if you put any more in, it magically disappears. If you don’t put any more in, it keeps its level.
5) Mine has the same issue, but never really bad enough to get it fixed. You could try lubricating them, otherwise it will need a new set if you are that bothered.
Mike...
2) Not a problem unless you are locking your rears before your fronts (Elises are chronically front biased). Green ones are probably EBC Greenstuff, black could be several things, possibly OEM. I currently use different pads front and rear, and have no problems with braking at all.
3) As said above, make sure your battery is up to the job first. I connect mine to a conditioner now (it is an occasional weekend toy), but before I did, it could have starting issues after a couple of weeks in autumnal weather.
4) As said above, change the cap first, and note that Elises usually expel excess coolant. Mine runs at around the minimum mark all the time, and if you put any more in, it magically disappears. If you don’t put any more in, it keeps its level.
5) Mine has the same issue, but never really bad enough to get it fixed. You could try lubricating them, otherwise it will need a new set if you are that bothered.
Mike...
Excellent. You guys are great 
1) " No.1 will be the bell crank bush needing cleaning out and regreasing.It gets gunked up. You could the replacement linkage bushes as well, available from a guy from e-bay for about £15 and makes the gears more positive and less bulky."
Can you provide an ebay link please? Is this something I can do myself please?
2) I've never had a problem with the braking or bias, but hey this is my first Elise and I have always felt happy with the way it goes around corners and brakes etc. Maybe under intense pressure on the airfield it was apparent to Andy...I'll probably leave it anyway, and aim to do a unified replacement later on.
3) I have battery conditioner, but admit I've not used it during the summer as I get it out (the car that is) at least once a week. The battery was new last year. As far as I can say the battery is fine, it's something more mechanical happening. It's as if there is no contact on the starter side of things. I shall put it back on the conditioner then, but feel this is not what it needs. Any further advice on that please?
4) Radiator cap. One of these? http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=240 I can afford that...and fit it!
What do you guys think about the car losing pressure when tested with a device screwed to the top of the tank a while back...it was minimal loss, and they seemed happy for me to drive away, but I was left feeling I ought to investigate further. Having said that it's been driven hard plenty since then and it seems ok.
5) Any online guides on lubricating the steering joints? Sounds easy in theory.
Thank you.
Nick
1) " No.1 will be the bell crank bush needing cleaning out and regreasing.It gets gunked up. You could the replacement linkage bushes as well, available from a guy from e-bay for about £15 and makes the gears more positive and less bulky."
Can you provide an ebay link please? Is this something I can do myself please?
2) I've never had a problem with the braking or bias, but hey this is my first Elise and I have always felt happy with the way it goes around corners and brakes etc. Maybe under intense pressure on the airfield it was apparent to Andy...I'll probably leave it anyway, and aim to do a unified replacement later on.
3) I have battery conditioner, but admit I've not used it during the summer as I get it out (the car that is) at least once a week. The battery was new last year. As far as I can say the battery is fine, it's something more mechanical happening. It's as if there is no contact on the starter side of things. I shall put it back on the conditioner then, but feel this is not what it needs. Any further advice on that please?
4) Radiator cap. One of these? http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=240 I can afford that...and fit it!
What do you guys think about the car losing pressure when tested with a device screwed to the top of the tank a while back...it was minimal loss, and they seemed happy for me to drive away, but I was left feeling I ought to investigate further. Having said that it's been driven hard plenty since then and it seems ok.
5) Any online guides on lubricating the steering joints? Sounds easy in theory.
Thank you.
Nick
Edited by nick_j007 on Thursday 3rd September 09:52
Matt172 said:
is the starting problem when you first cold start the car in the morning?
No, it did it on the airfield once after I spun it out and it would have been as hot as you like then.It happened to me when on the drive last w/e after a clean. All I could hear was a click-click-click.
I let it roll a few inches in 1st gear and lifted the clutch, then it started fine.
Edited by nick_j007 on Thursday 3rd September 09:56
Regarding the gear stick not self-centering, I had exactly the same problem on my similar Elise, and I got the Eliseparts gearlinkage kit (approx £50) discussed int his thread here...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Not only did it fix the self-centering problem, it also improved the gearshift remarkably so. A highly recommended upgrade, makes a world of difference
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Not only did it fix the self-centering problem, it also improved the gearshift remarkably so. A highly recommended upgrade, makes a world of difference
nick_j007 said:
Matt172 said:
is the starting problem when you first cold start the car in the morning?
No, it did it on the airfield once after I spoun it out and it would have been as hot as you like then.It happened to me when on the drive last w/e after a clean. All I could hear was a click-click-click.
I let it roll a few inches in 1st gear and lifted the clutch, then it started fine.
TonyHetherington said:
Regarding the gear stick not self-centering, I had exactly the same problem on my similar Elise, and I got the Eliseparts gearlinkage kit (approx £50) discussed int his thread here...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Not only did it fix the self-centering problem, it also improved the gearshift remarkably so. A highly recommended upgrade, makes a world of difference
Thanks. How much experience do you need to fit it pls?http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Not only did it fix the self-centering problem, it also improved the gearshift remarkably so. A highly recommended upgrade, makes a world of difference
Not a lot, and it comes with clear instructions.
If you can get the back of the car in the air, and get the undertray off then you'll be able to fit it no probs
It's literally right at the back of the engine at the back of the car, so once it's in the air and undertray is off it's a piece of cake to get to.
You might need to play with it a few days later after you've "felt it" - for example it might not be 100% clean going into a certain gear, so a turn one way on the arm changes the throw of it and that sorts it - you'll be absollutely fine
If you can get the back of the car in the air, and get the undertray off then you'll be able to fit it no probs
It's literally right at the back of the engine at the back of the car, so once it's in the air and undertray is off it's a piece of cake to get to.
You might need to play with it a few days later after you've "felt it" - for example it might not be 100% clean going into a certain gear, so a turn one way on the arm changes the throw of it and that sorts it - you'll be absollutely fine
TonyHetherington said:
Not a lot, and it comes with clear instructions.
If you can get the back of the car in the air, and get the undertray off then you'll be able to fit it no probs
It's literally right at the back of the engine at the back of the car, so once it's in the air and undertray is off it's a piece of cake to get to.
You might need to play with it a few days later after you've "felt it" - for example it might not be 100% clean going into a certain gear, so a turn one way on the arm changes the throw of it and that sorts it - you'll be absollutely fine
Thanks. Sounds like a small project. Must admit I looked at that kit some time ago.If you can get the back of the car in the air, and get the undertray off then you'll be able to fit it no probs
It's literally right at the back of the engine at the back of the car, so once it's in the air and undertray is off it's a piece of cake to get to.
You might need to play with it a few days later after you've "felt it" - for example it might not be 100% clean going into a certain gear, so a turn one way on the arm changes the throw of it and that sorts it - you'll be absollutely fine
Ok, being overly cautious I'm sure, but here's what's in my basket:
http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=174
http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=240
That look right to you for an S2?
Thank you.
Nick
http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=174
http://www.eliseparts.com/products.php?product=240
That look right to you for an S2?
Thank you.
Nick
Just buy the rad cap from any local Rover/ Land Rover dealer. Got mine from the dealer 50 yrds from my office for £4.
The Eliseparts kit is expensive, as includes the rose joints, which mine were perfect, so just got the bushing kit.The guy hasn't got any for sale at the moment on e-bay sadly.
The Eliseparts kit is expensive, as includes the rose joints, which mine were perfect, so just got the bushing kit.The guy hasn't got any for sale at the moment on e-bay sadly.
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