Advice on track day prep

[andyhaworth]

Some of you may know I'm going to put my Elan out on the track. I also know some of you already do this; Nige, Monty in particular

Few things are bothering me about doing it. I seem to use a reasonable amount of oil day to day which I think is down to the turbo seals. Also have an Everest on the car and running high boost for sustained periods of time on a track will obviously have more impact on things such as the head gasket.

I've spent a bit of money on the car to get it sort of ready - new wishbones front and rear, newer suspension and brakes are to be upgraded.

Question is, when do I get my arse into gear and actually book a track?! I'm constantly thinking the What If's...I'm unlikely to stuff it but an engine rebuild is in the back of my mind if it lets go. The Elan's not my main car so I can afford for it to be off the road if necessary, but is there a regular enough supply of spares/repairs on a budget if things do go horribly tits up? I'm thinking say a bottom end rebuild, new head, replacement cams etc? Part of me thinks it might be better to buy a snotter of an MR2 to do what I'm thinking of doing.

Undoubtably I'll have posted this in the wrong section, but I look forward to others thoughts anyway

[stevo]

how bad is the oil leak? taking any car on track thats losing fluids is a no no, but if is small or being burnt off don't worry about it. the main thing is the brakes and tyres, as long as these are good you have very little to worry about. as for the engine the isuzu lump is pretty bomb proof even with the chip and they can take plenty more without having to strenthen the bottom end. the main thing is to watch the temp gauge, missy can only manage 10-12 laps of knockhill at a time before i have to pit and let her cool down.

try not to worry about things breaking, s**t happens, just consentrate on braking points, turn in, apexes, exits and not getting in the way. oh and have fun, remember smooth = fast.

[andyhaworth]

Thanks Stevo. There's no oil on the drive or drips from underneath, I think it's being used up or put somewhere else. I noticed there was some oil in the HT lead space when I changed the plugs. To try and gauge consumption over the past week I've filled the oil to max, warmed it up and then run it on quick acceleration to around 5500 rpm peaking the boost at about 3/4 (ie not full throttle, but enough to get the boost up a bit)

Dipstick was showing around 2/3rds from just under max - I dont know how much I put in when I topped it up, but I got it to max again.

I know it's a little smokey on start up if not been used for a while, which says either valve stem seals and/or turbo seals to me

General maintenance isnt the issue, as I can get it sorted, it's more whether I might be better just enjoying the car for what it is now rather than overstressing it on a track.

I probably wouldnt be as bothered on track with something I hadnt put as much time/money/effort into if you know what I mean

[Nige]

Andy, perhaps a statement of the obvious but have you checked for oil leaks from the Cam Angle Sensor (CAS) O ring and the corresponding O ring on the plastic bung at the end of the other camshaft see Here and Here as these are the most common causes of oil leaks on an Elan. If you had oil in the HT space on a plug change that would seem a first thing to look at as well as the cam cover gasket, all a lot cheaper than valve stem seals or turbo seals.

Other than that a brake upgrade is a must for any spirited driving, track or road. If the engine is mechanically sound, and properly tuned (base timing is critical, but you'll have to do that if you replace the CAS O ring anyway) then with decent brakes and tyres you are there. An Everest chip will give you all the power you want, to start with .

For a gentlemanly intro to track days I would recomend the Club Lotus event at Castle Combe (24 May this year) as it is also very good value for money compared to many and instruction is available and free. Other than that just go and do it, it's great fun .

By the way I've moved this to the track day section so all the advice is in one area.

[Enright]

Andy,

I would try taking off the concertina type hose that runs from the dustbin to the turbo, then gently wiggling the impeller shaft.
If I could feel ANY play (either from side to side or back and forth), I would abort the idea of tracking it until I'd had my turbo reconditioned.
However, that's a job that IS do-able at not too much expense.
Put it this way, prevention is a lot more economical than cure!

But hey, that's just me.

[andyhaworth]

Andy, perhaps a statement of the obvious but have you checked for oil leaks from the Cam Angle Sensor (CAS) O ring and the corresponding O ring on the plastic bung at the end of the other camshaft see

Thanks Nige, good advice. I hadnt checked them, and looking at the amount of oil on the gearbox, together with running my finger underneath what I think is the CAS housing and getting fresh oil. I've ordered a pair of o rings from SJ's which I may see Saturday or Monday

I'm presuming this is similar to doing a dizzy seal? I've done those on carb'd cars before so I know roughly what I'm doing, but never on an Elan...

Is this what I'm going to be taking off?



I'm going to do a Trakzone thing with Donington for my first TD I think. Donington's close enough and it's a track I've driven before. Combe's just that bit too far away for me

Andy,

I would try taking off the concertina type hose that runs from the dustbin to the turbo, then gently wiggling the impeller shaft.

Done, feels OK...which is a relief! Thanks for advice

But hey, that's just me.

And you know more about these that I do, so I'm always going to take it onboard!

[Nige]

Thats the one Andy. Make sure you reset and check the base timing afterwards see Here. Easy enough to do, even on your own, it's hugely important to the cars performance but is not done at any of the scheduled services on the assumption that once set it doesn't change unless the CAS is disturbed . However, this is not the case and it does drift off over time especially if you do such things as resting your bonnet support on it ! The ECU is good at compensating for inncorrect base timing but it needs to be correct for best running.

[Monty]

Andy,

TrackZone don`t have the best rep, i`ve heard a few slag them off. I did my 1st Donny day with them and there briefing was pretty poor. On a Open Pit Lane I believe they don`t wave you on to the track when it`s clear to do so and some of the Elise lads of NORLOG were having problems seeing if anything was coming down the Pit straight cause they were strapped in with a harness, which they were saying was extremely dangerous and were being over taken on the inside on the 1st corner
On the Day i did mine it was sessioned so i didn`t have to worry about that, but i did find that some of the other drivers wouldn`t let me pass easly even thou it says in the briefing to signal right and let them pass they just don`t do that so your 2nd guessing if there letting you pass or not