Lotus Europa Community

Thanks to all of you for the support,
Haven't had time today to look for that plastic T - will do before I drive it again. Haven't been to the DMV to get tags yet, I drove it home using a 3-day transport permit. Although I lusted for a Europa for a very long time, my real fetish is station wagons, the big 1970's - 1980's wagons with the wood grain decal on the sides - really partial to Mercury Colony Parks - had 4 - 3 new and in 2013 got a 85 with 56,000 miles.  The Mercedes wagon is my 9th and only got that because my wife forbid me on getting another. When you brought up the plastic part it reminded there is a plastic part in Fords transmissions that will break without any warning and ruin the entire transmission, guess why I know HAHA. There is a brass replacement the costs $10.00 and is nothing to put on, or you can let it break and buy a new transmission, it is the 1st thing I replaced even on the 2 new cars and certainly on the 85. So a plastic part that could kill you will definitely be looked at, if it is still there, I really wonder why? this car is 53 years old wouldn't you think someone would have replaced by now!

anyway thanks will definitely check and replace if it's still there.

Pictures 89 Colony Park - my last new, and the silver 85 that I got in 2013

For timing reasons, I'm too lazy to remove the drain plugs before I refill the engine and transaxle so hopefully one of you gents can save me some work and time.  Does anyone know the thread sizes of the drain plugs for the Renault 16 engine and transaxle?  Any leads on magnetic drain plugs?

Yes, exlimey, valves sound like a great idea. Do you have a link to what you used, or suggest using? I’ve done a lot of, pull a hose, fill a container, push the hose back on, dump container appropriately, repeat ad nauseum until the tanks are drained.

When buying a used engine, expect the worse case unless you know the past history of the engine. I'm considering buying a TC big valve engine that has been stored in a garage for at least 10 years. According to the seller, the TCS with the engine installed caught on fire inside a garage and the body work was destroyed. He managed  to save most of the non flammable parts including the frame, engine and most associated metal parts. The engine was rebuilt by the owner previous to this one by an automotive machine shop in a small remote Central California town. He has all of the paper work of the work done by the shop and it details all of the expected steps done on a rebuild including balancing the entire rotating assembly.

I took a look at the engine this morning and I don't see any evidence that it had been in a fire. According to the owner, the engine rotates freely. He is asking $7000 for the engine. Since a compression test is out of the question, I've asked him to do a leak down test. This should give me a good idea of the state of the bores and valve seating. The engine was on the road for about a year after the rebuild and before it was sold to the current owner. Are there any other checks that I can do to confirm the condition of the engine besides the leak down test?

Again regarding fuel lines . I emptied my tanks and fitted a on/ off valve on the bottom of each,otherwise changing fuel filter etc is a fuel spill project.  Good luck with the new car.