Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

[EuropaTC]

Yes, I know, it's meant to be a joke but for the past couple of weeks I've been taking it very seriously indeed....

So, winter is round the corner, all our lanes are full of mud from the tractors and I don't want to get the Europa dirty, so it goes into the garage for a while. To do that, a car must come out so I decide that maybe the Elise could do with a bit of a clean....     yes, I always start out like that.

Fit a battery and despite not having moved for at least a couple of years, it fires up into life, neither the clutch or brakes are stuck so it swaps places with the Europa in the workshop. Amazing. At my age I can do without shocks to the system like that, I'm used to a bit of a struggle so this is all a bit odd.

And then......

First thing is I notice the bonnet badge move a touch when I give it all a polish. Then I see a rust stain  at the edge. Prod it a bit, and it falls off. Good old Lotus, a true collectors car.  (for those that haven't heard it, with a collectors car you drive down the road, stop and go back to collect all the bits that have fallen off)

Now the badge bolts on like our cars so I fiddle around trying to get to the back of the panel and find, well, you can't. But whilst doing that I see one of the front driving lamps has rusted it's holder and it moves about. So that needs fixing if I want an MoT.  Take off the front grille and, well, you can't get to all the bolts holding the lamps in. When completely stuck, read the manual. To replace lamps, remove front clamshell....    and also to replace bonnet badge, yes, you've got it.

So, to replace a badge and make up a couple of new driving lamp holders, the front comes off.  Whilst doing that, one of the headlamps falls off as well, you really wouldn't believe how shoddy these cars are held together, sikaflex holding a mild steel M5 bolt which has, yes, rusted through.

Still, you can't argue, once all the front bodywork is on the floor you get great access to the front suspension 

Brian

[BDA]

Yikes! That makes me appreciate the simplicity of the Europa! I hope putting it back together goes smoother!

[pboedker]

Yes, I heard the chassis is glued together too... 

[EuropaTC]

Yes, I heard the chassis is glued together too... 

Glued AND riveted Peter, don't forget those pop rivets.   

That shot was taken a few days ago, I only downloaded the workshop camera this morning so I'm catching up on my photos.  The front was back together at the weekend BDA and I celebrated by starting it all up again so I could change the oil.   This time, despite the engine running the (theoretically disabled)  alarm melted itself underneath the dash, cue interesting smells and random lights coming on the Stack instrument display. I knew it was serious, the radio started crackling. This was followed by a short rest where "Elsie" sulked and wouldn't play at all for the rest of the weekend. 

Eventually, thanks to the good old internet, I've bypassed that little problem but have decided to embark on a more serious check-over. I had lots of problems when it was new with the electrics and so now all connections are going to be pulled apart, cleaned & re-sealed.   Brake stuff is on order for all 4 corners,  new anti-freeze and a cam belt kit arrived this afternoon.

After looking at how people do the cambelt from inside the wheel arch I've decided that I'm too old to get in such a small space and so the rear clam is coming off.  One thing you can say about the car (and presumably the later Elises are the same) once you bite the bullet it's not really that hard to take off the front or rear bodywork and  of course the access to the oily, dirty bits is excellent. And with no bodywork to scratch, you can use bigger hammers......   

Brian

[BDA]

I don't think Lotus will be asking you to talk up the Elise on any ads, Brian - at least till you get over the hassles you're currently experiencing! I thought they had made more progress with reliability.

Good luck with your hammers and wires!

[andy harwood]

I knew there was a reason I went with the Europa instead of a Elise. But still, maybe....

[EuropaTC]

I don't think Lotus will be asking you to talk up the Elise on any ads, Brian - at least till you get over the hassles you're currently experiencing! I thought they had made more progress with reliability.
Good luck with your hammers and wires!

To be fair, it is a 17 year old car and I've badly neglected it for the last couple of years while I've been playing with other toys. So I think it's all to be expected and to be fair the design concepts are outstanding with some real lateral thinking. Assembly and (some) component quality, not so much.

The story of the Elise S1 is interesting, if you have any petrol in your veins I'd recommend the video documentary they made while developing the car. Called Project M-111, it was on the Discovery Channel and then came out as a dvd (probably unavailable now)  but there is a copy on YouTube.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ5lxms9xuw

[BDA]

Thanks for the link, Brian. It was very interesting! There were a lot more innovations (as per usual Lotus practice) than I expected! I can appreciate the Elise a lot more knowing more about it and it's gestation. I have to admit that my initial reaction to the styling was that it was a bit garish for my taste, but I've warmed up to it pretty well.

It is certainly a nice car... now, if you can just keep things from melting...

[EuropaTC]

Well, in the absence of any proper Europa news I thought I'd just update on what I class as the spiritual successor to the Europa and how the list of "challenges" has been growing....

In the end I decided to take off the rear clamshell as everyone said it was easier than the front. Well, it wasn't, or at least not on "Elsie". The manual helpfully shows you where the attachments are, and to confuse you, it tells you about fixings that aren't there as well.  Eventually I gave up searching. Then you find that you have to uncouple the exhaust as well, something the writers of the manual forgot to add....

Yet again they'd been at it with the sikaflex, this time using it to bond nuts into the blind sections of the bodywork and, yes, you've guessed, a couple had rusted up and just twisted free leaving the bolt spinning and another session with the drill to get it in pieces.  But once  all bolts removed, a bit of wiggle, push, the odd trapped finger and it's off.

And then it's great, you can see everything. Note - the word was "see", not "get to" !  But if I'm honest it's only slightly more cramped than a Europa and much easier to change the cambelt for example. Whilst it was in pieces I changed coolant (easier to get to the hoses with no bodywork), alternator belt & temperature senders then gave everything a bit of a clean up. 

Replace the loosened "sikaflex" nuts, buy new stainless bolts & washers and we're good to go back. Hmm. Now this bodywork is light and even I can lift it but not lift and align it. After half an hour of trying I give up and go out for a ride and as usually happens, I come back with a plan. Just why I never thought of using the engine hoist before I don't know but it turned out to be a five minute job to get it in place. In fact it took me longer to assemble & dis-assemble the engine hoist than it took to swing the rear shell into place.

Brake stuff finally arriving on Monday....   onwards & upwards !
 

[BDA]

much easier to change the cambelt for example

I would hope so! 

I'm glad you got everything put back together! Good luck with the brakes!

[4129R]

I can get the rear clam off my other toy in about 10 seconds !!!

Alex in Norfolk.

[EuropaTC]

I can get the rear clam off my other toy in about 10 seconds !!!
Alex in Norfolk.

Ahh, but you're forgetting the thread title Alex, this is Lotus......

It's all deceptively easy when you read the manual with one liners like "remove undertray". That's 3 sections and all held in place by either M8 allen bolts or M5 (M4 ?)  bolts every few inches, loads of the things.   And "remove clamshell fixing to B post on both sides". Which means....  remove seats, remove speaker panels, remove seat belt reels and THEN remove the bolt.

I'm a bit "tongue in cheek" because it's not as bad as it sounds but there are dozens of fixings and most require you to remove something else to get to them.  I must admit though, I think I'd do it again for any serious maintenance on the rear end,  it's all been plain sailing with the bodywork off and at least now I have a checklist and method of working.