is the hood supposed to lock into place

[TrueBlue]

got my elan yesterday
i'm having problems locking the back of the hood down
is it supposed to lock down or not
the metal arms allow me to lift them up at the back which puts pressure on the rear seal but the arms wont stay there and ping loose again
so the hood is just resting on the back instead of being forces down

how do i make the metal arms stay??

many thanks for help here

[Enright]

No it just rests on the rear deck.
You only need to clip the handles into the header rail at the front.

You'd be best off downloading all of the manuals, which includes the owners' manual.

[TrueBlue]

thanks Twisted firestarter
i hope u are right and not kidding me on??
but i guess i'll take ur word for it?
it just seems a bit inadequate just to have it resting there
it means i have to check for gaps if u see what i mean?

oh well glad its not faulty atleast

thanks

Rich
ps i like your sig...i am becoming pathalogical now too
hit a bump today for the first time
now i am also the slow silent type
consious of all those admiring or envious eyes as they telepathically watch me drive over them nowat .0000001 mph

[Gazza]

Rich

Like Enright says, the roof just rest on the rear deck and is only held in place by the 2 front clips.

Gazza

[TrueBlue]

thanks Gazza and firestarter
sorry if i sounded doubtfull

it seems alas yet another ingenious lotus design
nothing like a bit of natural suction

ive noticed people are nicer to me in the shops (sucking up) now i have a lotus

[Enright]

Let me just check something:
You do mean when the roof is up, right?
Because if you're referring to the rear deck locking into place when the roof is down and underneath it (and it isn't doing), then something's wrong.

[TrueBlue]

enright:

the problem is when the roof it up
the back window section is not sitting firmly onto the boot
and there is a gap
and its going to rain in 2 days or 1

i am putting some plastic sheeting on the back shelf to stop any rain from getting in and i will have to park uphill

i hope everyone doesnt just find this sort of thing funny and make jokes etc

what do i need to do? get a new hood? or take it to a dealer to get it repaired or maybe there is something i cant see in the manual that i have to do??

[DeeAitch]

You shouldn't be able to lift the rear of the hood when it is up. It should go 'over centre' to stop this. There are 2 eccentric cams on the rear mechanism. Make sure they are adjusted correctly.

[Candles]

When you lock the front of the hood down to the top of the windscreen with the 2 clips, it should pull on the wires through the hood mechanism and force the rear of the hood down against the rear deck. If yours doesn't do this, then it either needs adjusting or the wires have snapped.

Candles.

[TrueBlue]

thanks guys now i see what is wrong
i need a new hood

ive seen this one at carhoods direct i am assuming that it includes the mechanism? which i will have to find out it is surprisingly cheap so maybe not but lets hope
http://www.carhoodsdirect.com/catalogue.php?view=product&id=LOTUSELAN1989-93HOODLONGDRIPBL&cat_id=82

ive had a look in the parts section but cant find any hoods?
can anyone reccomend anywhere ?

the hood is actually in good nick its just the mechanism looks a bit tatty and 'loose' maybe it could be repaired by a specialist if there is one or maybe i just buy new...


thanks again for help on this

[paulrwebster]

I would think that that link is just for the hood, not the frame.

[Russc]

thanks guys now i see what is wrong
i need a new hood

ive seen this one at carhoods direct i am assuming that it includes the mechanism? which i will have to find out it is surprisingly cheap so maybe not but lets hope
http://www.carhoodsdirect.com/catalogue.php?view=product&id=LOTUSELAN1989-93HOODLONGDRIPBL&cat_id=82

ive had a look in the parts section but cant find any hoods?
can anyone reccomend anywhere ?

the hood is actually in good nick its just the mechanism looks a bit tatty and 'loose' maybe it could be repaired by a specialist if there is one or maybe i just buy new...


thanks again for help on this

If the hoods in good nick then i doubt you`ll need a new one. More likely from what you have said is that you need a bit of a tightning up.

That link is for a new hood only.I had a problem recently and found that the cams were out a bit. These are inside the hood near the back and are secured with a allen key.

If there are any members in your area it might be worth your time seeing if you can meet up and compare how theirs is secured.

When up the roof should "clamp" down onto the boot lid. There shouldn`t be a gap.

That said didn`t you buy the car recently?? was it from a garage?? if so get them to fix it for you

[clemo]

i have seen this car and its roof..
the webbing straps have been removed so it is not rigid/tight. it also has nut and bolts holding parts of the head frame together. the rear elbows have the ofset oval bit missing on one side so therefore the hold sits twisted and does'nt lock out..
pretty sad roof and frame really.
a new hood would not sort it as the frame is in need of a lot of attention too...

clemo

[clemo]

candles.
just read your post properly
it would be nice if it had the wires ... these too are missing.

clemo