Lotus Elan Central

by **Doc Fizzix** » Mon 24.07.2006, 05:44

One more pic for Nitro to drool over :wink:

by **nitroman** » Mon 24.07.2006, 06:41

Al, looks awesome man! Doug, don't bet on it. With ALL the hoses and literally everything but the engine & tranny housing out you can get to a lot (especially if you're willing to take a Gunk bath, with all that oily goo raining down on you... not so bad really. Atsa why there's a shower in the house!

by **Doc Fizzix** » Mon 24.07.2006, 07:25

Try WD-40, best cleaner ever! Gunk, forget it. WD-40 leaves no lingering smell, also the WD-40 gets out the hardest and thickest grease stains ever with almost no work needed. I use to clean with laquer thinner but WD-40 is much better and removes the grease that laquer thinner can not even get out. Spray it on, let it soak in, then wipe clean, you will love the results

by **Houdini** » Mon 24.07.2006, 18:22

Okay Doc now that you've got in all down for cleaning the engine compartment when did you say you'd be stopping buy? I'll supply the WD40 and beer and we'll get started. The WD40 is for you and the suds are for me because I don't want someone drinking while working on my car besides it's been hot here and the suds will keep we cool so I can tell you which spots you missed. :cheers:

Seriously though, a very good job you'll have one very clean fast car. keep up the good work!

by **Doc Fizzix** » Mon 24.07.2006, 20:08

Houdini wrote:Okay Doc now that you've got in all down for cleaning the engine compartment when did you say you'd be stopping buy? I'll supply the WD40 and beer and we'll get started. The WD40 is for you and the suds are for me because I don't want someone drinking while working on my car besides it's been hot here and the suds will keep we cool so I can tell you which spots you missed.

Seriously though, a very good job you'll have one very clean fast car. keep up the good work!

THanks

by **algirdas** » Mon 24.07.2006, 22:24

Dear Al:

That engine bay is spectacular. Thanks for the WD-40 tip.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

by **Doc Fizzix** » Tue 25.07.2006, 01:26

algirdas wrote: Thanks for the WD-40 tip.

Gunk normally leave a very bad oder that I can not stand so I wanted something that did not smell things up, WD-40 does the job :wink:

by **Doc Fizzix** » Sun 12.11.2006, 21:53

Well, this was going to be the weekend that I started her up for the first time

Got everything ready to go and then turned the key and heard only the click of the solenoid engaging but no cranking of the starter motor. Long story short, I spent yesterday and today removing the starter from under the car and then rebuilding it. There is really not a lot that can go wrong with the starter and most of the time I have seen people replace a starter that could easily be fixed. When I took the starter apart I found that the contact on the solenoid were not completing the circuit to the starter motor, the contacts had become pitted and covered in dust from years of operating, this is usually the problem if the starter is clicking (solenoid engaging) but the motor is not turning, the contact points are not completing the circuit.

Got the starter back in and all is good, I am planning on going back out latter and starting her up

by **Dave M** » Wed 15.11.2006, 19:03

Doc Fizzix wrote:Well, this was going to be the weekend that I started her up for the first time

You too, huh? I did the same this weekend. Thankfully you had better luck than I did with only the starter being the issue. I'm trying again this coming weekend after a big oil leak. Great to hear you're so close! Get a picture of that special moment when it finally comes out of the garage for us. :wink:

by **Doc Fizzix** » Wed 15.11.2006, 20:28

Well, as luck would have it, when I was under the car replacing the starter I found two drips of coolant. One from the electric water pump's body and the other a small hose that attaches to the turbo line. I must have punctured the hose putting the clamp on and the water pump has seen better days. The electric water pump was the only item in the coolent system that I did not replace, well the new one cost $350.00 from Dave Bean :evil:

Oh well, all the parts are on the way so that I can try again this weekend

by **Dave M** » Wed 15.11.2006, 20:54

Doc Fizzix wrote:Well, as luck would have it, when I was under the car replacing the starter I found two drips of coolant. One from the electric water pump's body and the other a small hose that attaches to the turbo line. I must have punctured the hose putting the clamp on and the water pump has seen better days. The electric water pump was the only item in the coolent system that I did not replace, well the new one cost $350.00 from Dave Bean

Oh well, all the parts are on the way so that I can try again this weekend

I had the same issue with my electric pump. I took it apart and made a new seal out of some liquid gasket (Yamabond - a motorcycle product). So far so good, and the Yamabond has worked well on lots of other coolant connections. The big one being the UK to US Samco hose splice I've done right at the radiator out.

Another option is the Mercedes replacement pump that was listed a while back on the forum. Might save you big bucks if you want to return the "golden" pump to Bean. :wink:

by **algirdas** » Wed 15.11.2006, 20:56

Dear Al:

I hope I am not too late, but I recall seeing a post on this site that found an exact replacement for that coolant circulating pump for peanuts compared to Dave Bean's price. I seem to recall it was around $80.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

by **nitroman** » Wed 15.11.2006, 22:04

Yes and I printed that out & have it in my "Special Elan data" folder which is about 3-inches thick now & includes mostly old how-to stuff WITH PICTURES from the old "that computer got destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake" computer! Also, regretably, pictures, prices and descriptions of all the vendor-site parts which so many people used to sell for our cars. Painfull memories those!

Yes, I am a techno-junkie & historian who knows that computers always, always crash and that people don't backup their data! Yep, I PRINT webpages. What with Chinese subs surfacing in the middle of American CV-battle groups http://www.iowavoice.com/index.php?/archives/3009-Chinese-Sub-Stalks-US-Supercarrier.html how long do you think we have before returning to the Stone Age?

p.s. - interesting note in the link above about how an incompetent Argentine rewiring of their sub's fire-control system may have saved the British fleet in the Falklands! Other wise I may never have seen the HMS Battlaxe make a secret stop-over on her journey back to the U.K. or the HMS Invincible later when she visited Mayport NAS!

by **Doc Fizzix** » Thu 16.11.2006, 01:31

Dave M wrote: Might save you big bucks if you want to return the "golden" pump to Bean.

What!

Send back the last of the high dollar Lotus Elan pumps in the country? NEVER :twisted:

Yes, $350 is a bit of a waste for that dam thing. I know somewhere there was a thread or info on this subject, I guess I can do a little home work and save some money. I will look into this, thanks bud

by **Doug** » Thu 16.11.2006, 03:12

lotuselancentral.com/repair/commonparts.htm#cpump

by **Doc Fizzix** » Thu 16.11.2006, 04:29

Thanks Doug, I knew I had seen that before but I thought it was a posting (thread) so when I did not find it I just thought it may have dropped-off the forum board

That was the article I was thinking about, thanks

by **Doc Fizzix** » Thu 16.11.2006, 23:50

Well, my high dollar pump and the rest of the parts I need to start the car up arrived today as scheduled. I am more than a little excited to start the car up after more than a year of work so I think I am goinng to say "screw-it" and just install the last of the high dollar water pumps in the US. Think of it this way, the next time some fool calls Dave Beam wanting to buy a water pump there will not be any instock since I bought the last one so I am saving someone else from busting their wallet open and wasting their money

by **algirdas** » Thu 16.11.2006, 23:55

Dear Al:

You leave me no choice, because of your continued willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, I'm going to nominate you for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

by **F1 LOTUS** » Fri 17.11.2006, 08:11

algirdas wrote:Dear Al:

You leave me no choice, because of your continued willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, I'm going to nominate you for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sincerely,

Algirdas

Shouldn't that be 'Novel Piece Prize' :roll:

by **Dave M** » Fri 17.11.2006, 14:00

Doc Fizzix wrote:Think of it this way, the next time some fool calls Dave Beam wanting to buy a water pump there will not be any instock since I bought the last one so I am saving someone else from busting their wallet open and wasting their money

You're a good egg, Noonan.

or

You're a good man, Charlie Brown.

:-D

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