LEC Expeditionary Force in Cyprus

[Rambo]

As a 'temporary' adjustment to the CO reading, if one of the vacuum pipes accidentally falls off just before the test, it will allow more air in and reduce the emmissions (it would make it a bit of a pig to drive smoothly, though - so would need 'finding' shortly after the test is complete.

Thanks for that DC Pink

[epipete]

Thanks for the above Guys

Well, I've found what appears to be a competent garage, along with a mechanic who both speaks and reads English, he tell me to book it in with them when the Brakes get here.

So of my issues above, I have fixed my floppy lights (having the foresight to pack the spare pellets in my hand luggage) which just leaves the Brakes and Emissions.

I've ordered and am awaiting my rear brakes from PNM, and so now I'm trying to get my ducks in a row, in terms of instructions and sequencing before passing it all to the local mechanic.

This is the sequence that I think I need him to follow (I shall provide the various instruction/diagrams from the wiki or manual as required):

1 Note Jacking points as per the diagram Do not lift the car on any other areas
2 Run Engine to operating temp, allow the fans to cycle Do not let it over heat, fans should engage at 3/4 mark on temp gage
3 Put into Service mode with Engine running - Short the black & white wires on the ALDL
4 Set Base Timing as per Instruction: 16 Degrees BTDC
5 Set Tickover as per Instruction 950 RPM
6 Check Emissions
7 Set CO Pot to achieve better than 3.5% as per Instruction

I shall be having him fit the new brakes when they arrive so will add to this for that activity later, and my final line will be for him to get it passed its mot.

In respect of 1 to 7 above, do you think that this is correct, do I need to add anything?

Pete

[dapinky]

Sounds about right to me.

[Candles]

Seeing as your CO was so high in the failed test, it may be worth a bit of investigation of obvious causes beforehand, otherwise you may just get the answer that your new mechanic is unable to get the CO below the test limit.

As per HJ2's and a couple of other people's posts, before you take it in, I'd check:

Air filter - clean
Fuel - new & fresh, perhaps run a bottle of injector cleaner through it (not that I think these products do much, just worth a try)
Plugs - check and gap
Manifold - check for leaks
Coolant temp sensor - either Elanscan it or put a multi-meter across it. Should be about 3400Ohms at 20degC, dropping to 185Ohms at 100degC.
MAT sensor - Remove, clean with carb cleaner or similar, refit.

Good luck!

[epipete]

Thanks for that, very useful.

I intended to change the Air Filter and fill it up with new fuel although when it came off the boat I put some of the high grade petrol in. The bottle of injector cleaner is also a good idea

Plugs are quite new but I will check and gap and have a look at their condition.

Now this is the interesting stuff, I have issues with Elanscan (not least that its currently putting to port in Valencia! Along with my multi meter) but if I get them back in time how do I use the meter on the CTS, primarily how do you gauge the temp have you quoted figures for both temp extremes?

Again, I think I have a new CTS and MAT Sensor on the boat! But will clean up the existing one anyway.

Regards

Pete.

[dapinky]

..... Along with my multi meter) but if I get them back in time how do I use the meter on the CTS, primarily how do you gauge the temp have you quoted figures for both temp extremes?

Pete, as a rough guide, a cold engine (in Cyprus) should be somewhere around 22 C at the moment - according to Google..... so put the 2 leads from the meter between the wire going to the CTS and the body of the unit (with it set to the appropriate scale of Ohms)... it should be close to the figures as quoted.

Then run the engine, when the thermostat opens (about 80 - 85 C) and the guage gets to about half way, it should be approx 100 C (fans cut in at approx 107 C)

[lotusflasherman]

Pete,
- been in the south of France for 4 weeks so haven't been keeping up with LEC posts due to lack of wifi, other than when in a local restaurant .. sorry I may be a bit late but maybe better late than never....

I had an SE on SORN and it 'ran like a pig' when I first started it up after a long period but it sorted itself out after a bit of driving -- reading the manual discovered that when the battery has gone flat or been disconnected for any length of time the Open Loop ECM forgets it's settings and has to relearn them (Manual EMK.1 - I (That's Capital i) : ECM Learning Ability). Until it's had time to 'learn' over a range of engine operating conditions, the idle speed and emissions can be 'all over the place', as it uses the 'limp home' default settings and it can take a while to get them 'spot on' again ....

You mentioned having a flat battery so just wondering if your exceedingly high emissions were measured before it had the chance to 're-learn' settings, particularly the Idle Air Control Valve position. I seem to remember reading that it needs to be driven (engine loaded) to get the proper settings, not just run through rev range but can't find where I read that at the moment....

[Brit-Car-Nut]

..... Along with my multi meter) but if I get them back in time how do I use the meter on the CTS, primarily how do you gauge the temp have you quoted figures for both temp extremes?

so put the 2 leads from the meter between the wire going to the CTS and the body of the unit (with it set to the appropriate scale of Ohms)...

Dave: I thought the CTS was the sensor with the TWO pins. The Fan Switch has 1 lead as does the Gauge Sender, so testing them would go between the pin and the body but the CTS would require a connection to each pin. Just trying to make sure others will test the correct sensor.

[dapinky]

Oops, John, you're correct! - my bad.

The wires are grey and grey/black (but that doesn't really matter!) - resistance needs to be measured between the two connectors on the unit, not to earth.

[Rambo]

I had an SE on SORN and it 'ran like a pig' when I first started it up after a long period but it sorted itself out after a bit of driving -- reading the manual discovered that when the battery has gone flat or been disconnected for any length of time the Open Loop ECM forgets it's settings and has to relearn them (Manual EMK.1 - I (That's Capital i) : ECM Learning Ability). Until it's had time to 'learn' over a range of engine operating conditions, the idle speed and emissions can be 'all over the place', as it uses the 'limp home' default settings and it can take a while to get them 'spot on' again ....

That's interesting. There must be a lot of other LEC'rs that have that problem after an extended layoff and would benefit from that informmation

[lotusflasherman]

I had an SE on SORN and it 'ran like a pig' when I first started it up after a long period but it sorted itself out after a bit of driving -- reading the manual discovered that when the battery has gone flat or been disconnected for any length of time the Open Loop ECM forgets it's settings and has to relearn them (Manual EMK.1 - I (That's Capital i) : ECM Learning Ability). Until it's had time to 'learn' over a range of engine operating conditions, the idle speed and emissions can be 'all over the place', as it uses the 'limp home' default settings and it can take a while to get them 'spot on' again ....

That's interesting. There must be a lot of other LEC'rs that have that problem after an extended layoff and would benefit from that information

- should I have said "Not a lot of people know that" in a Michael Caine accent ....

I've now had time to check the Closed Loop Manual and see there is a similar paragraph in EMK.1-I about 'forgetting settings' but it goes into a bit more detail about the default settings and the resetting procedure.

as for 'extended layoffs' - As a lad I used to like cutting my Granddad's lawn with his motorized lawnmower and he told me to run it out of petrol for the last cut in the autumn so he could fill up with new petrol in the spring and it would always start first pull. I've since learnt that it's the sweet smelling aromatic hydrocarbons that evaporate out leaving a sour smelling petrol residue that's not as flammable as it should be and quite waxy.

Took that SE to my local garage for the 'old boys there' to remove the fuel tank that had a split seam and fit another one and on the Invoice there was a comment " 3 litres of petrol removed had a stale smell so was not re-used" so seems they were aware too. I did have to have the injectors cleaned to get it to run properly again so seems like regular use is the best way of keeping them 'fit and healthy'.

[epipete]

Thanks for all of the above, I am making a nice list of Do's and Dont's for my new mechanic! They are rally car enthusiasts and maintain and run a vehicle, not least, in the Cyprus Rally and seem enthusiastic about my car. I've booked it in for Monday for them to get it through its mot.

The bad news is that my nice new rear brakes are sat on a boat somewhere, not the fault of PNM who were magnificent in turning round my order in under a week (which included painting!). PNM put them through the Royal Mail system, as I requested, on Saturday. The Post Office here had given me instructions regarding the process which I passed on to PNM, sadly the Post Office advised me wrong! As I said: PNM 1 -- GPO 0.

My other old Calipers and various brake parts are now on the side of a dock at Limassol awaiting Customs Clearance which means I might receive a hundred and fifty boxes of household items at the end of next week, somewhere amongst which is my garage kit!

Because of the time frames for MoT and Registration are, let's just say, vulnerable I've booked the car in for work to commence using the existing brakes on Monday with a view to getting its MoT sometime in the week thus allowing me to meet the deadline for Registration. Am I happy with this abortive work and the costs to be incurred? It's about a pleasing as the bill I had from Malmesbury Specialist Cars to fix the brakes before I shipped it

On a happier note, the Sun still shines and the Keo tastes good (especially at €O.7 in the Mess)

[Ian T]

Hi Pete - Interesting on the emissions. I can speak from experience that the CO pot is capable of setting a CO level of anywhere from very close to zero to well over 7%.

Mine was originally running at around 5% when I bought it, then I 'struggled' to reduce it through a lack of understanding of how sensitive the CO pot setting was. Now I have my own decent gastester, I can set pretty much any setting that I want, the ideal being a low CO with a lowish HydroCarbon (HC) reading. So, after setting it to about 1.5% CO, with (IIRC) about 100ppm HC, I went all conservative and made the mixture richer to give a CO level of nearer 3.5% to give the engine some insurance against lean running. This page gives some pointers on what to do - I only have a two gas tester, so can only measure CO and HC, but you can see the hints for high CO: http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/interro/techgas.html

Why am I rambling on? Well, because there are some interesting observations. When the engine is running well, i.e. neither too rich nor lean, with correct timing, the exhaust products are mainly CO2 and water. On a slightly cool day, that results in quite a lot of water coming out of the exhaust, with not much of that acrid smell you get from poor running. I'm not advocating using your lungs as a gastester, but holding a hand over the exhaust and sniffing what 'sticks' to it gives a bit of an indication. On mine, after setting the idle revs in service mode, with the engine hot, you can weaken the mixture quite a way using the CO pot and the 'good' setting is about 1/2 to 1 turn back from the point where the engine seems to bog down. It's worth noting that the Oxygen and HC readings increase as well in a 'too lean' condition, but when I was playing with mine, the idle went lumpy at that point anyway and it was the resulting 'miss' that seemed to cause it.

It's worth saying that the CO rises a little if the engine has been left idling for a while, you can significantly reduce it by elevating the revs for a while before the idle test, but it creeps up and their test will wait for a stable reading. Worth knowing about when setting though.

Bottom line: If they know how to get it into service mode, set the idle valve to 20 steps as per the manual, adjust the idle bypass valve to restore the correct 950rpm, then I'm pretty sure adjusting the CO pot WILL bring it down.

[Saltire]

Am I happy with this abortive work and the costs to be incurred? It's about a pleasing as the bill I had from Malmesbury Specialist Cars to fix the brakes before I shipped it

Thanks for that heads up. Memo to self: it's fine to buy fuel at Malmesbury Specialist Cars; it's not fine to ask them to fettle the Lotus. So I'll either use my tame mechanic at Performance Engines in the village, or I'll make the trek to Sportomotive in Salisbury.

[epipete]

Am I happy with this abortive work and the costs to be incurred? It's about a pleasing as the bill I had from Malmesbury Specialist Cars to fix the brakes before I shipped it

Thanks for that heads up. Memo to self: it's fine to buy fuel at Malmesbury Specialist Cars; it's not fine to ask them to fettle the Lotus. So I'll either use my tame mechanic at Performance Engines in the village, or I'll make the trek to Sportomotive in Salisbury.

I think I was perhaps a bit harsh, they have after all kept me on the road for the past 6yrs and I really like their mechanics Tony and Dave who are both very competent and skilled and have both treated me, and the car, well; but I think that there is an avarice within the management which ensures you pay for all risks! So don't rule them out but treat with caution.

[epipete]

PNM Brakes arrived this morning, so will be fitted tomorrow or Wednesday

[Ian T]

Nice photo Pete, I even recognise the setting. Now, when you go up to her baths, you'll find a nice fish cafe on the top of the cliff overlooking the sea - I recommend the (crab) stuffed sole. Have one for me.

[epipete]

Nice photo Pete, I even recognise the setting. Now, when you go up to her baths, you'll find a nice fish cafe on the top of the cliff overlooking the sea - I recommend the (crab) stuffed sole. Have one for me.

Thanks Ian, we'll give it a try.

[epipete]

As a heads up I put the car in to the garage today, with a mandate to achieve an MoT by the end of the week. I have just, 15minutes before they close, received a phone call from them advising me that the ONM Brakes don't fit - the disc is two small and the brake cables are the wrong length!!!

I've told him I'll be down in the morning to have a look, however from a layman point of view would this be a reasonable statement by the uninitiated?

This is what was in the package from PNM, does this look familiar to those with 15inch SE Wheels?



Pete

[Fredjohn]

Pete
It all looks familiar to me.

Points to mention:

Did they remove the original calliper mounting brackets before fitting the new brackets. They are a straight swap.

The new (Golf) callipers will then fit but there is a small overhang of the pad along the circumference edge of the disc (I think). Do you have the original Lotus all in one hubs/discs still? If so, fit should be ok and this overhang should not/is not a problem.

The 2 alloy tubes I can see in the packaging are to help mount the original handbrake cables onto the new callipers: they fit onto the calliper to create an extended holder and the inner and outer cables go into the tube. Did they do this???? You may need to adjust the cable at the handbrake lever end inside the car for final fit.

Hope this helps: I stripped an old kit from a car rather than receive a new boxed one, so was very careful to note how it went together as I dismantled it and I had no instructions, but it was really quite intuitive to do.

I'll try and take some photos and post later.
Good luck......

John