While I was replacing the exhaust manifold and heat shielding I had a general look around where I was working, particularly those places that are otherwise impossible to see with everything in place. The only thing I found was a possible slight water leak from the gasket between the engine head and the coolant outlet […]
Having test fitted all the parts I fabricated to be sure I was happy with them (see here, here and here). The exhaust, exhaust heat shield and alternator heat shield could all be fitted for the last time with new gaskets and fixings. Everything ready to fit. New exhaust manifold gasket in place. Engine mount […]
Following on from the previous two posts about making an exhaust heat shield and wrapping the exhaust I wanted to give the alternator some protection too. The exhaust manifold is quite close to the alternator on K-Series engines. This is not a major problem with adequate heat shielding and good airflow to the alternator. The […]
As I’ve said previously, it got a bit hot in the Elise drivers seat on the hottest summer days and I wanted to do what I could to keep heat from the exhaust at bay. One thing being heat wrapping the exhaust which you can see here and the other being fitting a more effective […]
When I first got the Elise I found a number of exhaust leaks so spent some time replacing gaskets to sort them out. More about that here and here. While doing this I noticed the outer braiding of the flex section had started to break and the lambda sensor didn’t look great. Clearly someone had […]
Having found the exhaust to be leaking at the join between the manifold and downpipe, when I first got the Elise, and noticed the flexi section underneath the sump had occasionally been touching the undertray. I figured the engine mounts might have got a bit tired after 20 years causing a bit more engine movement […]
Clearly there had been some kind of failure of the cable or what holds the handle end in place at some point in the Elise’s life and there had been a bit of a bodge repair made to it. It looked awful! There’s no way a horrible mess like that was going to remain on […]
While I had the Elise up on the lift and was working in the area with the induction setup and clutch slave cylinder bracket I thought it was a good opportunity to do a quick gearbox oil change. Apparently this is the stuff to use in the PG1 gearbox. Motul Gear 300 75W90. The drain […]
When I was buying all the suspension refresh bits, for some reason I decided to buy one of these. An Elise Parts clutch slave cylinder support bracket. Apparently the original bracket can be a bit weak and bendy. I figured I’d may as well fit it while I had the air filter out the way. […]
My Elise came with an OMP steering wheel, fitted by a previous owner. The original Lotus wheel came with the car too but I like this OMP one so have kept it. The only thing I didn’t like was the noise it made when turning the wheel. It wasn’t noticeable in normal driving but when […]