Turbo Water Feed Hose

[Andy C]

Ahhh .. my first Elan problem.

Hose gave out earlier this evening .. needless to say everything got rather hot. I stoped the car and let the temp come down to about 50% (it did goto max). Started the motor and added coolant (generously supplied by the Mechanical Workshop I just happened to stop infront of). Lots of popping and hissing was heard .. I pushed and squeezed various coolant hoses, and found that some pressure on the turbo feed hose altered the hissing sound, so the consensus was reached that it was buggered. So my Elan made the rest of its journey home on the back of a tilt tray.

Hose was removed, and looks well worn out at the thermostat end. I am hoping I can source a part from my local auto store. Will any similar hose be ok? or do I need to get a "Lotus specific" one? Do I need to drain the coolant that I added? Should I just replace the hose, refill the coolant and start her up? or is there something else I should do? Should I replace the metal clips with screw type hose clips?

Any hints, or other advice on this minor repair appreciated

[Andy C]

and in addition.

I was kinda surprised I didn't get a warning light. I hope this means I didn't cook anything

[muley]

quote="Andy C" Will any similar hose be ok?

yes

or do I need to get a "Lotus specific" one?

not necessarily

Do I need to drain the coolant that I added?

I would, if you are unsure what type of coolant is in there because if you mix coolants (or antifreeze as we call it up this end of the globe) you might get sludging - I'd drain the lot, rinse and start over

Should I just replace the hose,

Yes

refill the coolant and start her up? or is there something else I should do?

See above

Should I replace the metal clips with screw type hose clips?

I would recommend this.

Any hints, or other advice on this minor repair appreciated /quote

I'll be in Sydney (I'm assuming Bondi is THE Bondi..) next week, I'll give you a hand if you like

[Andy C]

Thanks for the info mate .. and the offer of help. I know the level of assistance on LEC is second to none .. but you really don't need to fly all the way to Australia just to help me replace a coolant hose The car has only been down for about 12 hours, and I am already stressed to the max about it, so as long as I can source a part I intend to get it fixed and running within the next day or so.

If its still down when you are in Sydney I will gladly take you up on your offer .. alternatively, if its all fixed we can get together and you can check my handywork .. over a couple of good Aussie beers ofcourse.

[Andy C]

What a cow of a job .. stupid bloody cram bloody everything bloody in so you can't bloody get to bloody anything .. bah

Ahh ... that feels better.

The hose change was easy. Slight alterations to a generic hose and it fits fine. Draining and bleeding the cooling system is another story.

I have removed the front under panel and can see the bottom radiator hose .. damned if I can get a screwdriver into loosen the clamp, and I didn't have a small enough spanner, though a trip the the autoshop can fix that. The alternate version of removing the drain plug has got me buggered .. no chance in the world I can get a screwdriver into loosen it ... I can't even see the bloody thing, I am just assuming its there. By feel I think it is a phillips head plug ... removing the bottom hose is probably going to be an easier option. Want to buy a hoist

The bleed valve looks like its going to be a bit more of a challenge. Assuming its the cap located under the LH headlight pod .. I have little or no clue how I am going to remove it. It appears to be a flat top round cap with knurled sides .. located slightly ofcentre in a hole in the GRP. Not enough room to get my finger in there, and I would assume it will be too tight to just unscrew. All I can think of would be a pair of longnose pliers, but that all seems a bit "butcherous", and I doubt I would be able to get enough purchase on it anyway.

I am on the right track here? .. or am I doing this all the wrong way?

Or should I just fill it full of coolant and drive the half mile to the radiator repair guys .. such a cop out I know

[Dave M]

Hi Andy. Check the following link for some notes, but I'm not positive you'd need to remove the bleed screw when refilling. It make take a bit longer and you may need to drive the car a bit then top it off, but the air should come out of the system eventually via the coolant tank. The US car does not have this bleed valve.

But first things first - getting the thing drained. I assume you are just replacing old coolant and it hasn't been changed recently? If it has, I'd top off the system after your hose change and be done. Otherwise see the photo of the US-type radiator in the link below. If the drain plug is similar in the non-US cars, it is a plastic knob with a phillips head. It can be opened via a screwdriver or pliers, but be careful either way! Don't want it to break. Maybe others can chime in on the method they used to loosen it, but the US car is easy access. If you can get it loose somehow, I'd recommend using it rather than pulling the hose. You may weaken or damage the hose, and it makes a real mess.

Good luck!

http://lotuselancentral.com/repair/coolant.htm

[Andy C]

Thanks Dave .. and thanks for the link.

You may have picked up that I was rather frustrated when I wrote the previous post. At 11pm after working for a good few hours under 1000 watt halogens in Sydney summer heat, I was just about over it.

I'll have another good look in the daylight when I get home this evening. From the link it says that the drain plug should only be finger tight. I think I found it last night, but as I couldn't really see it, I was just assuming. Not alot of room in there. As I have a bleed valve under my left headlight pod, I gota assume its the same config as US vehicles, so the info in the link should be accurate.

Difficulty level = 1 out of 5

Made me feel like a real gumby

[Dave M]

You may have picked up that I was rather frustrated when I wrote the previous post. At 11pm after working for a good few hours under 1000 watt halogens in Sydney summer heat, I was just about over it.

I can appreciate that! It was below freezing last night near us and I was laying on my garage floor about 11pm futzing with the oil return hose from the turbo. At least I had a small propane heater to take the edge off.

Want to trade some of your heat for our cold?

[Andy C]

Okie Dokie ...

With daylight on my side I managed to complete this this evening. Drained via the plug ... refilled and flushed .. filled with coolant and bled via the valve.

The good news is the system holds pressure fine, and does not leak any fluid

I ran it for a while in the garage, got it upto temp (it reached 50% in not too short time), let it overflow a couple of times .. pressurised the system, released the pressure etc etc, then took it for a few laps around the block. Once moving the temp stayed nice and low (about 25%), though once back in the garage to idle down it got over 50%, and the thermos cut in for a while (and Janie yelled at me for being to noisey .. it was 11.30pm) once it cools down I will check the coolant levels. If all OK, I think I succeeded.

This being my first Elan, the temp rise at idle and stationary does worry me a bit (call me Mr Paraniod about temp now). Is this normal behaviour? or do I need to further investigate.

[Monty]

sounds normal,

If she runs at about a 1/4 on a normal drive, and if in traffic she reaches 3/4 and the fans kick in and cools down to 1/2 way then she`s okey dokey

[Dave M]

This being my first Elan, the temp rise at idle and stationary does worry me a bit (call me Mr Paraniod about temp now). Is this normal behaviour? or do I need to further investigate.

Yes...I agree with Monty - this is totally normal and something that usually makes new owners scratch their heads. On my drive home from picking up my car I was convinced something was wrong! As long as the fans kick in and control the temp, no worries. Tell Janie all the noise was worth it as you've fixed the car yourself and saved the both of you lots of money.

[Andy C]

All seems good this morning .. no coolant loss from last nights test drive.

Couldn't have done it without your help .. I luv you guys In a purely blokie kinda way.

Off today to show off my new toy to the family .. lets hope it gets there and back in one piece (remember - I am Mr Paraniod now)