Lotus Elan Central

by **lotos** » Thu 14.08.2014, 22:25

A friend's Elan is having serious trouble, but he's not on the forum. He said it's been like this since he got the car. I'm not sure if it's running well or not. Accelerating from a stop is borderline embarrassing until the revs get up. There's like a solid 2-3 seconds of almost no acceleration before the turbo starts spooling. Anything we can check? Everyone else experience this?

by **steve matthews** » Thu 14.08.2014, 22:54

Lotos, no this does not sound right. You should red line 1st gear in about 2 to 3 seconds at 35 mph.
This is with out the turbo assistance.

Steve

by **Brit-Car-Nut** » Fri 15.08.2014, 00:05

First, do a paperclip test for codes and then check and adjust the base timing: http://wikilec.9600.org/index.php/Base_Timing

If neither show any issues, then probably a full elanscan from cold would be helpful.

by **lotos** » Fri 15.08.2014, 14:22

Thanks guys - I think I'll get over to him in a few days for an emissions drive-by and will do these tests.

by **lotos** » Tue 07.10.2014, 21:41

FINALLY got there and did the requested tests.

1) Paperclip test yielded no codes. 12 12 12, 12 12 12.

2) I did a long 15 minute ElanScan log.

Does that show anything useful or interesting? First time using ElanScan.

by **GeoffSmith** » Tue 07.10.2014, 22:11

Randy, I've had a quick look and your temperature is way too high and not regulated at all so your thermostat is probably stuck shut.

You've also got a lot of low battery voltage readings as well which seem to be centre on ~1000rpm (plot battery volts against engine speed) so maybe there is an alternator or earthing issue.

EDIT: The low volts also correlates with the AC clutch so it may not be an issue.

by **lotos** » Wed 08.10.2014, 00:02

GeoffSmith wrote:Randy, I've had a quick look and your temperature is way too high and not regulated at all so your thermostat is probably stuck shut.

Wow - glad you saw this, I have never noticed the gauge reading especially hot.

That wouldn't really have any effect on the low power I'm noticing though, correct? I thought of a way to test if this is all in my head - someone in the US could do a 0-60 (or any speed really) run with shifts at a specific RPM point before the turbo kicks in. We could replicate it and see if it's significantly different.

I didn't check the timing yet as John had recommended - would that show in the scan file at all if it were off?

EDIT: The low volts also correlates with the AC clutch so it may not be an issue.

The Air Con was definitely blasting the whole time, it was 28°C during my drive.

by **GeoffSmith** » Wed 08.10.2014, 20:47

It must be more than a dozen stuck thermostats I've diagnosed without ever seeing the car.

It's always worth checking the base timing as the ECU assumes it is correct. If incorrect, it may not be obvious.

by **saska** » Thu 09.10.2014, 09:16

lotos wrote:
GeoffSmith wrote:Randy, I've had a quick look and your temperature is way too high and not regulated at all so your thermostat is probably stuck shut.

Wow - glad you saw this, I have never noticed the gauge reading especially hot.

That wouldn't really have any effect on the low power I'm noticing though, correct?

Not so sure about that Randy. Am I correct in that you're well above sea level? Your barometer is reading 0.82 bar. That together with your MAT (Manifold Air Temp) being very high (up to 70°C) and this varies reasonably well with your coolant temp. So if I'm correct, then you're starting off with thin air (low partial pressure of O2) and then expanding it by making it hot so you're doing the opposite of an intercooler.

I didn't check the timing yet as John had recommended - would that show in the scan file at all if it were off?

Not terribly well -- though my gut feeling says it is a bit low. But, as noted, it is always worth checking since everything assumes it is correct.

by **GeoffSmith** » Thu 09.10.2014, 12:03

Correct Tony. The LoCo bunch belong to the mile high club with 15% less oxygen.

by **lotos** » Thu 09.10.2014, 14:39

Yep, that explains my lack of knowledge about ... everything. Lack of oxygen for all these years has taken its toll. Oh look, a squirrel!

http://www.altitude.org/air_pressure.php wrote:At 5850ft, the standard barometric pressure is 83 kPa (620 mmHg). This means that there is 82% of the oxygen available at sea level.

I've read through the timing and thermostat replacement pages and will ask my mechanic buddy to help us with both. I appreciate the help ! I'll do another scan once these are completed.