What's your priority "1st fix" if you bought today?

[awaken101]

To the experienced... what is the one thing you would first take on if buying a used Elan? I'm assuming it would be engine, brakes, suspension? What causes you the most concern? I would like to be pro-active, not re-active.

So far, I was told to fix the alignment by the previous owner. Which I did fix immediately. New tires as well and the car now handles like it's riding on rails. Engine does overheat a good bit in idle but that may be to having a split coolant hose that was fixed by a smart US mechanic who chimera'ed a solution until I can get the appropriate part.

During the alignment, I had the mechanics check everything out. They did say the engine was pretty sound (not Lotus familiar at all) but they also noticed:

"Brake Fluid leak at connection in rear"
"AC Compressor mounting bolt loose"
"Left rear wheel bearing play"

I plan to address all of these. Would love to know if there is a maintenance or engine issue I should check that you all are aware of that perhaps the mechanics or I may not be aware of.

I'm fairly green on the Elan, so I apologize if this has been asked before. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

[Saltire]

Number One Priority: When was the cambelt last changed? If you don’t know, or more than 5 years ago, get it done as a matter of priority, along with water pump, tensioner and alternator/power steering belts. Somewhere on the forum there’s a post from dapinky which tells you exactly what to order from RockAuto

[Tuga2112]

althought jonathan is correct that a timing belt is very important.

i will be disagreeing with him very strongly. that brake fluid leak is imperative. if that escalates to changing the brake lines, so be it. more important than being stuck on the side of the road, is to be sure you can stop before the wall gets to you.

the AC is inconsequencial, and the rear wheel bearing is something you need to reaearch about, but "some play" is there by design. so its a bit hard to know without being there checking it, if its something you need to fix urgently

after that's sorted you definietly should check the timing belt history and act appropriately.
other things that come to mind which are common to fail would include
the heater valve (rusts and you may end up driving without coolant)
the oil pipes that lead to the small radiator on the front (in your case US passenger side) drivers side

the list really goes on, and im very surprised jonathan resisted the temptating of making it a list instead of a single item.

[Saltire]

althought jonathan is correct that a timing belt is very important.

i will be disagreeing with him very strongly. that brake fluid leak is imperative. if that escalates to changing the brake lines, so be it. more important than being stuck on the side of the road, is to be sure you can stop before the wall gets to you.

the list really goes on, and im very surprised jonathan resisted the temptating of making it a list instead of a single item.

Well, Jõao, firstly, I disregarded the brake fluid leak because the OP had already explicitly said he planned to fix it, so it doesn’t count for the purposes of his question.

Secondly, I was asked for the no 1 priority, not a list, so that’s what I offered.

I could have listed a number of things to check in these circumstances - or indeed passed on to the OP the checklist I developed for my own car when I bought it - but that would be a different question, and it isn’t what I was asked to do.

[awaken101]

Will definitely be addressing the leaks but getting the cambelt checked out is now on my to-do list along with the other things mentioned. Thank you both for these recommendations! Means alot!

[TorqueHorse]

First fix, or first upgrade?

If you've got a car that doesn't have any leaks or squeaks, stops quickly, all the windows, mirrors and electrics work, the shifts feel good, the engine doesn't taptap, and the steering is tight...then congrats! You've got yourself an ace of a car. Now you can get into upgrade territory.

But really, aside from belts, fluids, brake disks/pads, there isn't any "proactive" maintenance that I can think of without an associated symptom or sign of wear/deficiency showing first. Maybe going to stainless steel brake hoses, and getting those oil cooler pipes re-swaged.

Now, if you were to take the engine, or suspension out for some reason, then there is a list of "while you are in there" kind of things that you might consider proactively replacing (or upgrading), but honestly its all trade-offs, and no 100% you absolutely gotta fix X kind of things (IMHO).

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" I think is very sage advice for these older cars, because 1) the next thing to "break" will show up soon enough, and it won't be where you expect 2) If you tried to proactively replace every item that people ever reported a problem with, your wallet will quickly end up being the thing that broke.

...Now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to my own restoration project where I'm on my "1,001st fix"

[Tuga2112]

Secondly, I was asked for the no 1 priority, not a list, so that’s what I offered.

I could have listed a number of things to check in these circumstances - or indeed passed on to the OP the checklist I developed for my own car when I bought it - but that would be a different question, and it isn’t what I was asked to do.

as mentioned, im surprised you resisted the temptation.
theres so much that one would be re-doing if had to buy a new car with unknown history.

[FunElan]

After dealing with what the mechanics said....timing belt. Especially if you don't know the last time it was changed.

Then flush all fluids, change the spark plugs (compression test while you're there) and let 'er rip!

[Simon_P]

Always Check base timing and "Idle" settings first (these must be done in service mode). disconnect the battery to reset the ECU.

Drive it for a bit so that you know what it sounds and feels like.
keep a list of jobs.

Change the cam belt - Idlers and pump aren't on the service schedule so just check condition. If the pump says Aisin it is better than a new aftermarket pump.
Change the coolant and the break fluid.
Let it get hot.

[Simon_P]

the AC is inconsequencial

except that the same belt is shared with the power steering.....

[Tuga2112]

the AC is inconsequencial

except that the same belt is shared with the power steering.....

good point, i just read it again and its the compressor bolt that is loose, i missread it and thought it was refering to the radiator

[awaken101]

After dealing with what the mechanics said....timing belt. Especially if you don't know the last time it was changed.

Then flush all fluids, change the spark plugs (compression test while you're there) and let 'er rip!

Sounds good Matt, appreciate it as always. Any spark plugs you can recommend for the FED?

Everyone else, I'm soaking in all this info you all are providing. Don't think that even the most minuscule comment mentioned in this thread will not be addressed. You guys are amazing. *bows*

[awaken101]

First fix, or first upgrade?

If you've got a car that doesn't have any leaks or squeaks, stops quickly, all the windows, mirrors and electrics work, the shifts feel good, the engine doesn't taptap, and the steering is tight...then congrats! You've got yourself an ace of a car. Now you can get into upgrade territory.

Only leak is the CAS seal, addressing that. Squeaks none. Stops to a degree with these Willowoods (suprised me!) and new steel brake lines that previous owner installed, new front wishbones as well. Windows... passenger side needs a fix, just need to tweak some of the nuts I think. Mirrors are tits and still figuring out the parasitic drain so I don't need to use the previously installed battery cut-off switch that was installed (Clock, Trunk have been cut off... radio is another story). Didn't buy a CTEK, but grabbed a NOCO Genius2D. It's working amazing when I feel the brand new battery I placed in may get a lil overworked. Being completely overcautious cause the previous owner didn't take care of battery drain, so it's gonna be up to me to track down the drain.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" I think is very sage advice for these older cars, because 1) the next thing to "break" will show up soon enough, and it won't be where you expect 2) If you tried to proactively replace every item that people ever reported a problem with, your wallet will quickly end up being the thing that broke.

Bet. Sage advice for sure. Turbo is being wonky, once I get it back home, I think a wastegate wiggle is in order. But I agree, my wants to fix everything needs to get prioritized. Aesthetics vs.function...sometimes one outweighs the other. It's a fickle mix of what can be delayed motor-wise vs. a visual "wow". Have a lot a jerks in their hot rods tyring to pull up and race me... a tosser in a Tesla wouldn't leave me alone the other week, stalked me at every turn. I'm not about racing these fools, the engine upgrades can possibly wait, I just do the 65mph and let these young bucks think they got one over on me.

...Now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to my own restoration project where I'm on my "1,001st fix"

Politely excused, I'm sure I will be there soon!

[awaken101]

Going to be away for maybe the next couple weeks. Things happen so fast. My Dad is at death's door and I need to focus on him since he's being taken off all life support and being medicated to go peacefully in the next few days. Myself & my siblings are all racing down to be with him.

The worst part of my day was pre-emptively packing funeral clothes in my bag knowing what's coming in less than two weeks while I'm there. It's slowly hitting me that I have a finite amount of time left to hang out and tell my Dad how much he meant to me. All those times he demanded me to be there while he bled the brakes and I pushed the pedal, I hated it... I will gladly take back all my hatred of those times to just have him here a little longer. s**t sucks.

Make sure you tell your loved ones you love them every time you say goodbye. Life is so precious, make sure the ones you care about know how you feel about them every time you part ways.

My mate is picking up my Elan from the shop next week once it's painted & re-fitted while I'm away. Will post some pics once I'm up to it... seriously... it may be awhile. Worst day of my life.

[TorqueHorse]

so sorry to hear that, man. Wishing you strength and peace through the next couple of weeks.

[Saltire]

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I was away on business in France, and didn’t get back in time. Hope you make it in time, and the memories sustain you and your folks through the dark times. Families are far more important than cars.

Take care . . .

[awaken101]

Thank you TourqueHorse & Saltire, your kind words mean a lot as I navigate the next couple weeks.