LOKI my long term project.... (help often needed)

[GeoffSmith]

Have you dipped the oil level again? It would be worth your while reading about Nige's disappearing oil trick!

[MattDon]

yeh i checked the oil from cold this morning, its to the full mark. havnt been able to check the dip stick for length. I maybe wrong but for the compression test does one not remove a spark plug?? and dont these need to be torqued up?

[Specky]

You certainly do...

I remove all off them and test each in turn...

Plugs:- IIRC cold gap 0.8mm torque 18-21.5 lb-ft

TTFN

[MattDon]

so i just checked my drive and i have a large pool of oil, im guessing that could be good news if that means it hasnt been run for weeks/months on little oil. nothing else to report as i couldnt get hold of a torque wrench or a sniffer test.

[MattDon]

false alarm, its coolant, its leaking from a branched hose close to the cambelt. i cant find the low lever marker for coolant, the resoviour is dry tho. might risk a trip into town to get coolant, torque wrench and try to find a sniffer test.

[Enright]

Don't put water in tonight - it's going to drop below freezing, so if you do it could freeze solid and damage something important (seriously, in case you weren't already aware water can crack a cylinder head if it freezes solid).
If I were you I would try to fix the leak tomorrow and then fill it with water to test it, noting the amount of water that is required to top it up, and remember about the bleed screw under the LH light pod.
Next drop in some Rad-Flush and go for a bit of a blat.
After that, get some anti-freeze and de-ionised water and make about a 33% mix.
And finally flush the system and re-fill it with the anti-freeze mix.
There's a good guide here: http://www.lotuselancentral.com/repair/coolant.htm
I would also recommend that you make a note of your milage while topping the fluids up - you need to be able to tell either us or a garage how quickly the oil drops from max to min, and how long the coolant expansion bottle takes to empty.

[MattDon]

just a quick update before i post all the details of the hardtop.

the noise has not been cured but a local lotus garage said theyd give the car a once over which im hoping to have done in the next couple weeks, ive been talking to a couple of knowledge about guys about the noise and its got them kinda stumped, let me describe the noise...

its a tapping noise that comes from the front left (pasangers side), which increases with speed, only comes on with power and erm oh i dont think its noticeable until its done a couple miles.


Ive also had a door skin removed during the fitting of the hardtop and ive kept it off so i can soundproof it and fit the new speakers and sort anything else out that might need doing while its off. questions may well follow.

[Specky]

A couple of questions:-

Did she passed her compression and sniffer check...

Have you checked the timming and CAS...

Could the noise be Pinking or knocking ?

TTFN

[MattDon]

ive booked the compression test and sniffer test, ive just not had the chance or the courage to do that myself. i did do a scan a few months back and there was some knocking, and i had a mechanic come for a drive with me and he suspected pinking/knocking but ruled it out as the frequency of the tapping raises in relation to speed rather than rpm, but pending the test results i will try some high ron fuel, ive been angling to get the timing checked for a while, but i read up on adjusting the timing and decided someone who knows what theyre doing should do it, unless its easier to check rather than adjust??? The idle has settled down, since its had new oil and coolant, but it does still crackle and pop and even bang sometimes, but i was told to expect that with the peco, but im not sure how much?

one last thing, since fitting the hardtop the exhaust noise has become much more noticable and ive decided to sort it out, from what i gather i have a few options one is to fit a silencer (can we still get hold of these or would i have to have one fabricated?), the other is to go for a pipercross system (although im not sure what they sound like), i could fit the paul matty exhaust from the BRG but that would restrict the flow (how much would that restict me if im aiming for 200bhp at the wheels?) or i could get a custom system made up but thats even more expensive than the pipercross system.

[MattDon]

so as promised some pictures of the new hardtop,











due to financial reasons im not having this painted just yet, i think it looks fine with just the black gel coat, but i think ultimately id either like the deck section painted or the whole thing. I took a big step and total removed the softtop, i dont think im going to miss it but i think i'll keep hold of it until next year and see. Im not sure where to start or how much detail is desired about the hardtop, but to cut a long story short i wanted to add as much soundproofing as possible to the roof as i'll be doing the same with the rest of the car, this is not something that has been done before but there are two skins to the HT and i decided it would be beneficial to paint some second skin sludge between the skins to reduce vibration and wind noise, i didnt apply it myself but i gather a thinish coat was put on both skins and we were happy with the results, the HT feel well made and solid, the only issue was the long drying time and at one point (through noones fault) the two skins did stick together and form a medium sized dent, but a window suction cup later they popped appart and by now the two coats should be fully dry, i think if i were to do it again id be tempted to use even more second skin in but im not sure how practical that would be, i think we used about 2 litres. the only major issues were that the hardtop being rigid shows up any problems with the chassi or the windows, thankfully my chassi is fine but my windows were a little out (read ALOT!!) especialy on the drives side, so rather than stretch the rain gutters out to meet the glass it was decided adjust the windows, which i think was above and beyond what i couldve expected, the window is were it should be now but something is rubbing on the glass so im going to get the door looked at in the near future, the passangers side fits fine at the top and the bottom (although the top could do with coming in a few mm) but there is a curve in the A post seal, and there is a fairly big gap between the A post seal and the window and 4 inches down fron the top of the windscreen, im thinking of putting some spacers behind the carrier, but as ive just fitted new A post seals and liberaly applied tiger seal i think i may have an issue removing the seals without damage, so im open to suggestions on that one.
Ive left the drivers door skin off, as i wanted to take the oppertunity to soundproof the door, get the windows sorted, and fit the new speakers, i think im going to blank off the heater vents by the doors and try to mount the mid and tweeters behind there, im still racking my brains about where i should put my crossovers, theyre just too big to mount close to the woofer (in the door skin) or as far as i can tell in the dash, so im concerned about the distance between the woofers and the crossovers as its supposed to be as close as possible.

Back to the hardtop, i love it!!! its reduced the road noise, sorted the leaks, and makes the car feel tighter although im not sure how/why, and im looking forward to getting the car running right and taking it for a motorway blast, Id also like to suggest if you like your music the hardtop is a must, i only have one working speakers (as the other was removed with the door skin) and on the drive home i had the stereo on significantly lower even on half the speakers, with the drives door skin off (alot of noise coming in through there). The construction took around 3 weeks, which at this time of year i though was very impressive, and im very greatful for the time and effort put in especialy considering the time of year.

I cant stress enough how greatful i am to be able to buy this hardtop, for me it was alot of money which i agonised over spending, but the product is a real bargin and one id recommend to anyone, unless you only take your car out on sunny days with the top down, but for regular users its a must!!!

[ovi]

How much have you paid!
Can you give the price in euros?
Do you have the information where that I can order one?
Thanks

[Sy V]

http://www.spcdesign.co.uk/
Simon Carrier
0044 1487 830866

infoATspcdesignDOTcoDOTuk

[MattDon]

ovi PM's sent.

TO ALL, the pics are thumbnails click on them and you should see a much bigger photo.

Todays news....

Its not good, it appears that there is something wrong with my gearbox and it looks like im going to need to either replace it or refurbish it, Im thinking of installing the box from the BRG but i have no idea what condition that ones in and i cant afford to rebuild either (unless its costs alot less than id imagine) also my engine is leaking small amounts from just about every area and im assuming burning quite alot of oil too, so it looks like i should rebuild the one in the BRG and transfere that one across too, im regretting selling the exhaust camshaft now

If anyone has any tips or money saving ideas please for the love of god get intouch, as this is getting pretty close to me having to call it quits.

[ailwyn]

Matt,

Is the BRG engine (less camshaft) and gearbox assumed good?

If so you may want to consider a straight swap.. that would give you the breathing space to rebuild your engine/gearbox.

Failing that, what exactly is the problem with your gearbox?

Can you live with checking/topping up the oil on a regular basis?

[MattDon]

the engine wasnt a runner when i bought it, but from what i was told it just needed a temperature thingy to be fitted, somewhere near the cas. you might have a point about that, just swap them both over hope theyre good and rebuild engine and gearbox as and when i can afford it.
I can live with topping up regularly if i have to but im a forgetful bugger and maintenance isnt my strong point (incase you missed that), thats the reason for most of my upgrades, ie removal of sliding pins, got hispecs becuase they had dust seals, etc. this is my first year of car ownership (its not been boring!!!) so im hoping i get better, but idealy id like things to look after themselves for 6-12months at a time.

[ailwyn]

Get a bit of paper, write on it "CHECK OIL" and prop it on the steering wheel every time you park up, that way you can't forget (I do this myself due to a mind like a sieve, especially if I drop the oil/coolant/brake fluid and haven't had a chance to complete the job, same for any part finished work)

It would be relatively inexpensive and easy to replace all the small sensors CTS/Temp sensor/MAP while the engine is out, also to do the belts (which would be wise anyway as you'll have to swap the cam).

[MattDon]

ive been offered a nice low millage engine for sencible money, so pending a plan to get it to me and to find a little extra cash i think thats sorted. The gearbox is my main problem, im not sure weather to take my chances and just swap them around or to get the BRG box reconed and then fit it, but £600 odd to refurb would take me over my budget by quite alot. i guess i need to sell some of the few parts i dont need to fund the bits that i do, but to do that id realy need to pay someone to strip it. oh why arnt i rich.... oh yeh the elan.

[L.G.]

Your hardtop looks brilliant! Keep it black it looks fab.

L.G.

[Jackonicko]

Why not use the BRG engine and gearbox, taking the 'temperature thingy' and exhaust camshaft from Loki's engine (or source them elsewhere and sell Loki's engine, or get it rebuilt down the line, when money's available)?

When you bought the BRG it was within days of being a runner, IIRC.

Or sell the BRG hulk as is to someone who will have the ability to either strip and sell, or restore it, and use the proceeds to fund the work you need to get done on Loki? I understand why you bought the spare car, but like me, you don't seem to have the expertise to fully exploit it.

[MattDon]

thanks LG im very happy with it.

you pertty much hit the nail on the head there jackonicko, ive learnt alot from the BRG and after much deliberation ive decided to keep cracking on with stripping it, Im buying tools and learning as i go, and if i get stuck i now know someone who i trust who can help me out.

Ive sourced a low milage engine, which im going to tidy up and make nice ready to fit, thats proberly the one i'll fit the garrett turbo to, and get just right. As far as gearboxes go im going to just swap them over and hope for the best and in the mean time (if i find the money) i'll get loki's box rebuilt and when the time comes fit the nice shiny engine and nice shiny gearbox (funds dependent). So stripping down the brg has become even more important as its going to raise the funds to get everything sorted.... hopefully.

I talked to chris foulds today and he told me that he's never had a gearbox give up in the elan before, but by a bizzare coincidence he got a car with what sounds like the same problem at the moment and in the next few days he'll be able to tell me whats wrong with the one he has and a price on getting it sorted.

on the plus side i think this is a good a time as im ever likely to get to fit the short shift kit, i just need to make sure i fit it to the right box (which depends on funds), also would love to fit an LSD while its all out but thats a little pie in the sky.