hello from new user

[paulg]

I have just bought a green elan m100 s1 turbo from a chap called colin in newark area, it seems fine and i did not pay much for it but i am surprised the steering is so heavy and also the rear number plate cover (edit from original post) fallen off and seemed to be attached with tape. I am not mechanically minded so apart from an annual service from my bro who is an engineer I will need a good honest garage local to LIncoln. I also intend to use the car as a daily driver throughout the year and obviously the hood leaks. Should I do this or is it better to lay it up during the winter months?
Hope to hear from folk soon
Paul



Just bought a second one, less miles, faster, stops a little quicker, red

H794 DDS
from Birchfield Classics

[Saltire]

Hi Paul, welcome to the Forum. I bought my green Elan on 8th May, so I'm getting to grips with it too. Lots of friendly help here though.

My steering is fine. Have you checked the power steering fluid level - see page 42 in the owners handbook for details of reservoir location and fluid. If this is low, it will give you heavy steering.

My rear plate is screwed on with self-tapping number plate screws. They screw straight into the bodywork (no nuts) and have yellow caps to match the number plate. Available from any good motor parts supplier (or Halfords), or on eBay.

Lincolnshire's a big county. The best Lotus specialist I know is Kelvedon, just outside Spalding, but that's 40 miles or so from Lincoln City. Well worth the journey though, they are very knowledgeable.

Good luck with the car, and keep reading the forums and the Wiki (and the manuals, available here for download); most things are covered.

Hope this helps

[Faraday]

Hi Paul and welcome, as already mentioned, plenty of friendly and helpful advice on here. I too am not that mechanically minded but from my limited knowledge, the steering is usually heavy at slow speeds but there are far more knowledgeable brains on here than me and I have no doubt that over the weekend you will have plenty of replies with suggestions of what to check. Someone soon will also ask you to enter your location (so others nearby may be able to assist personally) plus it is a must to post a pic or two as we all like to see other Elans. With the forecast for next week being good, I can see you enjoying some open air fun around Lincolnshire

[morciii]

Hi Paul! i got my Elan a few months ago and have been using it as my daily drive ever since. I am going to get another car soon to use as my daily car, and keep the Elan for sunny days. Every commute has been a pleasure, asides from only having 2 seats i find the elan very practical.
I got new rubber A post seals fitted by Jamie N, and it has made a huge difference to the leaky roof, so that could always be an option. i still tend to get a very minor leak, which oddly only leaks from the passenger side. It is probably repairable but i haven't got around to that yet. I find my car only leaks if it has been parked up, and left out in the rain. I haven't had any experience of driving the car during the winter months so i couldn't help you out with that. Although i have had plenty of experience of driving in the pissing rain, and gale force winds.

[paulg]

Hi Paul and welcome, as already mentioned, plenty of friendly and helpful advice on here. I too am not that mechanically minded but from my limited knowledge, the steering is usually heavy at slow speeds but there are far more knowledgeable brains on here than me and I have no doubt that over the weekend you will have plenty of replies with suggestions of what to check. Someone soon will also ask you to enter your location (so others nearby may be able to assist personally) plus it is a must to post a pic or two as we all like to see other Elans. With the forecast for next week being good, I can see you enjoying some open air fun around Lincolnshire

thanks, looking forward to getting out and about

[paulg]

Hi Paul! i got my Elan a few months ago and have been using it as my daily drive ever since. I am going to get another car soon to use as my daily car, and keep the Elan for sunny days. Every commute has been a pleasure, asides from only having 2 seats i find the elan very practical.
I got new rubber A post seals fitted by Jamie N, and it has made a huge difference to the leaky roof, so that could always be an option. i still tend to get a very minor leak, which oddly only leaks from the passenger side. It is probably repairable but i haven't got around to that yet. I find my car only leaks if it has been parked up, and left out in the rain. I haven't had any experience of driving the car during the winter months so i couldn't help you out with that. Although i have had plenty of experience of driving in the pissing rain, and gale force winds.

hi how could I contact jamie, where is he in the country, my hood leaks like a sieve!

[paulg]

Hi Paul, welcome to the Forum. I bought my green Elan on 8th May, so I'm getting to grips with it too. Lots of friendly help here though.

My steering is fine. Have you checked the power steering fluid level - see page 42 in the owners handbook for details of reservoir location and fluid. If this is low, it will give you heavy steering.

My rear plate is screwed on with self-tapping number plate screws. They screw straight into the bodywork (no nuts) and have yellow caps to match the number plate. Available from any good motor parts supplier (or Halfords), or on eBay.

Lincolnshire's a big county. The best Lotus specialist I know is Kelvedon, just outside Spalding, but that's 40 miles or so from Lincoln City. Well worth the journey though, they are very knowledgeable.

Good luck with the car, and keep reading the forums and the Wiki (and the manuals, available here for download); most things are covered.

Hope this helps

hi i will have a look at the ps fluid, i was also surprised by heavy clutch and long gearbox travel but that might be my car rather than generic, not as nice as my mx-5 mk1 in that regard

I was referring to the perspex plate over the number plate at the rear rather than the plate itself

many thanks
paul

[Nickydee]

The steering is relatively heavy compared with most moderns but if it is intolarable and perhaps not self centering as quick as you woud expect on the assumption of no leaks from the PAS system than this is probably the the culpit.

viewtopic.php?f=108&t=19156

Its a Landrover part and a quick search in the Wikilec should reveal the part number - about £20 from an indie specialist. - relatively cheap fix but a bit of faff to do at Home.

Cheers

Nick

[rip]

I was referring to the perspex plate over the number plate at the rear rather than the plate itself

many thanks
paul

Saltire's Elan does not have a perspex plate. The design was modified c1992 & his avatar shows an S2, which is 1994-96.
The Elan's streering is heavy for a PAS-equipped car. It is designed this way to provide more feel. You would really need to compare yours against another Elan to determine if it has a fault.
Worn tyres also make the steering feel heavier. Are yours quite new or old?

[morciii]

Hi Paul, Jamie lives up in Scotland, but if you're interested send him a message on this, he could always send them through the post.

[Fredjohn]

Hi Paul and welcome to LEC. Full of good advice, help and information.
Add your location (Lincoln?) to your profile so we know where you are.

People can be contacted by clicking on the PM or email hotspot just beneath their name on the left, once you are logged in. Good luck and stay dry: if not carry a towel with you

[Saltire]

I was referring to the perspex plate over the number plate at the rear rather than the plate itself

many thanks
paul

Saltire's Elan does not have a perspex plate. The design was modified c1992 & his avatar shows an S2, which is 1994-96.
The Elan's streering is heavy for a PAS-equipped car. It is designed this way to provide more feel. You would really need to compare yours against another Elan to determine if it has a fault.
Worn tyres also make the steering feel heavier. Are yours quite new or old?

Well spotted sir! April 1995, to be precise I think in fact the later S1s didn't have the Perspex cover either.

I don't find the steering heavy at all, but then my last classic was an Alfa Spider. Now that WAS heavy steering

[lotusflasherman]

Hi Paul,

Not sure about your good honest garage near Lincoln but I agree that best source of genuine parts and expertise will be Kelvedon Motors, near Spalding, http://www.kelsport.net/
Not cheap but they'll do it right and quickly so may by cheaper in the long run if you can't persuade your bro to do everything for you.

Tell him Lotus won the World Championship Car Constructors Title seven times and he should be honoured that you'll let him service it for you