Lotus Elan Central

1. A new Roof Fitted
2. New Hi Spec Rear Callipers (useable and not leaking) Awaiting delivery so I can pick up and fit
3. Suspension, Inquiries made gathering info
4. Upgrade gear change cables waiting for project X to conclued
5. Samco hoses Fitted
6. New Ali Rad Fitted
7. Nardi Steering wheel, anybody got one ?
8. Rear wish bones ,anybody got some good un's
9. Sort the waste gate
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black
11.New Plastic Heater Valve
12.New Metal rear number plate (the plastic ones warp under the plastic cover)

Thanks to Monty's Pinky II you've set the bar high

LMAO

Like the Title

I won`t be doing much this year, may get the uprated clutch and alloy flywheel fitted and Bob`s front lower wishbones once complete. Need to get straight with the credit cards

1. A new Roof Fitted
2. New Hi Spec Rear Callipers (useable and not leaking) Fitted, also went for the bigger disc's all round, very happy so far
3. Suspension, Inquiries made gathering info Pondering
4. Upgrade gear change cables Joined the group buy for Bob's super slick cable's
5. Samco hoses Fitted
6. New Ali Rad Fitted
7. Nardi Steering wheel, anybody got one ?
8. Rear wish bones ,anybody got some good un's ?
9. Sort the waste gate
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will proberbly go for a recover
11.New Plastic Heater Valve
12.New Metal rear number plate (the plastic ones warp under the plastic cover)
13.Get a Shower cap Bought a cheap one under a tenner ! will post if any good
14. Piper Down pipe and possible exhaust system depending on results from testing

Here's the shower cap I bought for a tenner it comes with it's own can of helium

Steve A wrote:10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will probably go for a recover

After seeing my purple ones
I dont expect you'll follow suit on the colour!

1. A new Roof Fitted
2. New Hi Spec Rear Callipers (useable and not leaking) Fitted, also went for the bigger disc's all round, very happy so far
3. Suspension, Inquiries made gathering info Pondering
4. Upgrade gear change cables Joined the group buy for Bob's super slick cable's Fitted and very happy
5. Samco hoses Fitted
6. New Ali Rad Fitted
7. Nardi Steering wheel, anybody got one ? Gonna fit a Momo instead
8. Rear wish bones ,anybody got some good un's ?
9. Sort the waste gate
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will proberbly go for a recover
11.New Plastic Heater Valve
12.New Metal rear number plate (the plastic ones warp under the plastic cover)
13.Get a Shower cap Bought a cheap one under a tenner ! will post if any good
14. Piper Down pipe and possible exhaust system depending on results from testing

Steve A wrote:
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will probably go for a recover

After seeing my purple ones
I dont expect you'll follow suit on the colour!

I start with the cables but that's where it ends

1. A new Roof Fitted
2. New Hi Spec Rear Callipers (useable and not leaking) Fitted, also went for the bigger disc's all round, very happy
3. Suspension, Inquiries made gathering info Pondering
4. Upgrade gear change cables Joined the group buy for Bob's super slick cable's Fitted and very happy
5. Samco hoses Fitted
6. New Ali Rad Fitted
7. Nardi Steering wheel, anybody got one ? Gonna fit a Momo instead Fitted
8. Rear wish bones ,anybody got some good un's ?
9. Sort the waste gate
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will proberbly go for a recover
11.New Plastic Heater Valve
12.New Metal rear number plate (the plastic ones warp under the plastic cover)
13.Get a Shower cap Bought a cheap one under a tenner ! will post if any good
14. Piper Down pipe and possible exhaust system depending on results from testing

Momo wheel cries out for a Lotus emblem in the middle. Looks great! Just wish I had an affordable replacement for the US airbag wheel - keyword being "affordable".

1. A new Roof Fitted
2. New Hi Spec Rear Callipers (useable and not leaking) Fitted, also went for the bigger disc's all round, very happy with a handbrake that passed the MOT
3. Suspension, Still sitting on the fence
4. Upgrade gear change cables Joined the group buy for Bob's super slick cable's Fitted and very happy
5. Samco hoses Fitted
6. New Ali Rad Fitted
7. Nardi Steering wheel, anybody got one ? fitted a Momo instead
8. Rear wish bones ,Got some galvanised on the to do list
9. Sort the waste gate finally started to remove the Turbo what fun
10. Pair of S2000 seats in black Changed my mind on this will probably go for a recover
11.New Plastic Heater Valve
12.New Metal rear number plate (the plastic ones warp under the plastic cover)Fitted
13.Get a Shower cap Bought a cheap one under a tenner ! will post if any good
14. Piper Down pipe and possible exhaust system depending on results from testing the more I'm removing the old down pipe the more I'm thinking it's a good idea

Ok so I've started to remove the Turbo to port the waste gate , this was brought forward because my down pipe decided to part company with the catalyst housing, it sheared leaving the flange still bolted to the housing
So drawing on the experiences on here (some bad)I proceeded to remove the Turbo.
So far it's all gone quite smoothly, no sheared studs or bolts (so far).
I'm now at the point where the large catalyst housing is loose and sliding nicely along the studs, there are three remaining studs as the shortest one decided to unscrew with the nut.
I've released the power steering pump but there's not quiet enough room to slide the housing off the remaining studs,
so I'm now wondering do I need to remove the studs (which need to be replaced) first and or the coolant outlet pipe from the block that seems to be in the way too.

I'm also going to sort out the oil cooler pipes while the cars off the road

The Turbo is finally off the car

It made me laugh when reading the manual "Unbolt the starter catalyst from the turbocharger,and remove each stud"
What it should have said afterwards is "good luck with that"!
I now have a nice collection of bits of studs where they either snapped or when I had to hacksaw them in half to remove the catalyst
All but one of the studs that hold the turbo to the block came out with the nut
Generally I found access was poor but not impossible, I'm not looking forward to putting it all back together.

I need to replace all gaskets,studs and nuts, decide what I'm going to do regarding the down pipe, remove the broken end of the stud and
last but not least port the waste gate.

Happy days

Where's the best place (cheapest) to get studs & gaskets

I have now removed the broken stud from my Turbo
and I've split the Turbo so the waste gate is finally ready to port
Thanks to dapinky's guide on the Wikilec and the misery of others who have written on this subject,
your pain has made it easier for me
Thanks chaps, you know who you are

Steve A wrote:Where's the best place (cheapest) to get studs & gaskets

I replaced all mine with stainless set screws.. .. and I re-used the gasket

Jim

The waste gate has now been ported so the Turbo can be put back together.
The Piper down pipe has just arrived so that's ready to fit.
I've removed the oil cooler because there is a leak coming from somewhere not sure where yet
The pipes to and from the cooler don't seem to be the cause but you could turn the fittings in the hose
without too much effort so they need changing anyway

Has anyone had an oil cooler leak before?

All I need now is time

Steve A wrote:Has anyone had an oil cooler leak before?

Yes, it was several years ago, but an OEM one costs about £450 & SJ Sportscars did a £165 replacement. The SJ one needed its fittings modifying slightly IIRC.

I'd be surprised if it is the oil cooler, it's not like a rad that corrodes inside and out
If it's just a nick I'll probably repair it.
looking at the hoses though, the fittings are easily spinning so the hose material must be breaking down with age.
I didn't have a dripping oil leak as such, I just noticed the front lower edge of the wheel arch
liner was looking oily definitely worth checking out you guys
I'll know more when I've cleaned a cooler and filled it with a suitable liquid that will show up any leaks.

Now I've cleaned the cooler up and blasted it with an air line all the flakey paint has come away,
underneath the paint was a bit carroded though

rip wrote:

Steve A wrote:Has anyone had an oil cooler leak before?

Yes, it was several years ago, but an OEM one costs about £450 & SJ Sportscars did a £165 replacement. The SJ one needed its fittings modifying slightly IIRC.

How did they need modifying

Steve A wrote:

rip wrote:

Steve A wrote:Has anyone had an oil cooler leak before?

Yes, it was several years ago, but an OEM one costs about £450 & SJ Sportscars did a £165 replacement. The SJ one needed its fittings modifying slightly IIRC.

How did they need modifying

I'm not sure because GST bought & fitted it. Gerald told me that there was a slight difference & that it was not a major issue because he had done it several times before.

I'm hoping to avoid changing the cooler as the expenses are getting out of hand already

The fluid test was Inconclusive so I will try and give it an air pressure test.

After examining the inner arch I found oil in the inside around the route of the oil pipes
so it looks like it was the pipes after all
I've given the cooler a good clean out and it will go back on tomorrow along with the reconditioned pipes

I can't stress how important it is for people to check their cooler pipes, I was lucky I didn't heed the warnings of others
on this forum who also had the same or worse, lets face it all our cars are roughly the same age so the rubber hoses
will all start to break down as mine had and the fittings will become loose, it's an easy check so do it .

I'll very pleased with my reconditioned hoses, they used my original ends, replacing the rubber hose and compression fittings
better than the original.