Lotus Elan Central

So I've had the Elan for ... well today is the sixth day.

all in the wrong order

1) Wilwood Brake upgrade for the front
2) Everest Chip
3) Possibly an exhaust if it's not too expensive or too loud
4) BOV for protection
5) Short Shift Kit
6) Pre-cat eliminator (or at least scooping out the ceramic)
7) Different Wheels
New stereo and speakers
9) Wind blocker
10) Rear light change to something else
11) Keyless entry
12) Possibly Dynamat everything for comfort's sake
13) Garage Door opener (maybe a Homelink button somewhere)

Blair is right - do something to the brakes first. Next, I'd do the BOV, then exhaust, then Everest myself. BOV protects turbo from boost-stall on throttle close, exhaust allows more air through the engine, everest makes more boost, so increases chance of boost-stall and shoves more air into the engine, which must then get out. If you do the PCE, take the turbo off and port the wastegate while you're there; reduces the risk of boost creep. Of course, everyone's priorities differ!

Randy

There is one thing left off the list that you need to do before anything else and that is change that 17 year old timing belt. When I was looking at the car I saw some crystalizing of the belts with is a sign of aging, do not risk it!

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=13406

Would have to agree, Brakes 1st

BTW the car looks good in your AVATAR

Minor point -

tigerdog wrote:Blair is right

but not always, as this time he is Gareth!

The Doc's the only one who is right IMVHO.
If it's been sat for 10 years the Cam Belt needs changing.

Belts and water pump IMSLHO

and tyres if they're six years old or more.

All of that certainly puts me out of my depth... Would you recommend I source all of my own parts first and them bring them to a mechanic?

step one is get the timing belt/water pump done. Don't worry about anything else til you get this service completed. A BOV, chip or an exhaust wont' do anything for a blown motor.

Sounds right to me - where's the best place to source new belts, hoses, and water pump? I figure while a mechanic is there I should do the hoses too...

There is always the high priced Dave Bean for all your Lotus Elan part needs: http://www.davebean.com

BUT

I like to get my parts from St. Charles Auto, they are an Isuzu dealer and the parts are Isuzu orignal and they exact same part you would get from Lotus but will cost you only half the price. It is funny that Lotus will sell you the same part but they re-package the part in a Lotus box or bag but the parts will still say Isuzu all over them. Our motor is the same as the 91 Isuzu Impulse RS (Turbo)
http://isuzu.stcharlesauto.com/Department-Parts.aspx
Ask for Merlin (like the Wizard), tell him I sent you, he'll give you 15% off parts and free shipping.

Dave Eds wrote:Minor point -

tigerdog wrote:Blair is right

but not always, as this time he is Gareth!

Ongoing point - Tigerdog is wrong. What do you expect from an old grey dog???

lotos wrote:I figure while a mechanic is there I should do the hoses too...

Hoses come from Samco, ordered via James at Amber Performance in the UK. Details of the development of the hose set are in this thread and this. The Fed set needs a little fiddling to make everything go together and there is one hose (lower left-side radiator double-90) that Samco have not been able to duplicate.

tigerdog wrote:

Dave Eds wrote:Minor point -

tigerdog wrote:Blair is right

but not always, as this time he is Gareth!

Ongoing point - Tigerdog is wrong. What do you expect from an old grey dog???

No worries Bruce!

lotos wrote:All of that certainly puts me out of my depth... Would you recommend I source all of my own parts first and them bring them to a mechanic?

Do you have some friends that are good with cars and can pass on their knowledge to you? The more you can learn to do now on your own will make for a more positive experience owning a Lotus and save you a ton on money. I would hate to ask home much a timing belt change would be at a dealership, my own personal pleasure about owning a Lotus is tinkering with the car and doing all the work myself. I love getting the tools out and toughing them to the car, it is also even more exciting when I find-out that I do not have a tool that is needed and I get to buy something new. You get started by just doing, many time people do not know where to start or they are just afraid that they might get started and screw something up but you have to get over that fear and just do it It is such a rush when you finish a job and everything is back together, finishing one job builds your confidence and gives you more experience to tackle the next job.

Doc Fizzix wrote:

lotos wrote:All of that certainly puts me out of my depth... Would you recommend I source all of my own parts first and them bring them to a mechanic?

Do you have some friends that are good with cars and can pass on their knowledge to you? The more you can learn to do now on your own will make for a more positive experience owning a Lotus and save you a ton on money. I would hate to ask home much a timing belt change would be at a dealership, my own personal pleasure about owning a Lotus is tinkering with the car and doing all the work myself. I love getting the tools out and toughing them to the car, it is also even more exciting when I find-out that I do not have a tool that is needed and I get to buy something new. You get started by just doing, many time people do not know where to start or they are just afraid that they might get started and screw something up but you have to get over that fear and just do it It is such a rush when you finish a job and everything is back together, finishing one job builds your confidence and gives you more experience to tackle the next job.

There are things I simply won't attempt myself, and if it's inexpensive, I'll usually let somebody else do it. That being said, the big secret in the auto repair world is that most of the stuff they do isn't brain surgery. Example: I always though brake maintenance was something I couldn't do, but then I decided to do a brake pad change myself. When I got into it, all I could think was, "Why was I paying all that money for somebody to do this?"

When I first got my Elan, I had the timing belt changed first thing. As it turned out, I had cracked the thermostat housing, so I needed that too. I took it to my normal import mechanic, who had been the guy I usually took my Impulse to, and had him change all the belts, put in the new stat housing and stat, and replace the crank pulley. I don't remember off the top of my head how much it cost me, but it wasn't bad at all. I figured if the guy could work on the Isuzu, with the same engine, why not the Lotus?? Also, I sourced all the parts myself first, and I took him a copy of the manuals on disc. I had to get the stat housing and pulley from Dave Bean, but the belts are the same as the Impluse, so you can get them anywhere.

I definitely agree with you, an Isuzu mechanic would also be able to do the job without problem. With my wife's car I always take it to the Acura dealer but part of the reason I love my Elan is that I like to do the work myself, it is my hobby and my way of relaxing.

I think I'll start collecting parts and then do lots of replacement stuff at once, to play it safe and all that. I'm wondering about seals/gaskets I should consider replacing? Or sensors? It's all greek to me, honestly. Feel free to recommend more items to this list:

timing belt
tensioner
idler
water pump
as many hoses as I can get my hands on

Randy, as I live in humid Florida I leave an 8" fan running inside the car whenever it is home. I also leave a box fan on facing the car to keep air moving underneath it. I think that's the next best thing to putting it into one of those "cacoon" wraps; which make it a major pain to get to or drive the car.