S1 Elise – For Sale

Part of my decision to get myself a Series 1 Lotus Elise was driven by all the journalists chat about how good they are to drive and it hasn’t disapointed. They’re as good as they say they are! I love it, nothing I have ever driven has steering weight and feel like it. That alone […]

S1 Elise – Clutch Slave Cylinder Replacement

It was finally time to get the Elise out of hibernation once again and start with a quick check over and oil and filter change. Undertray off and hang on, not this again. Not water this time but hydraulic fluid. Didn’t take long to find the source. The clutch slave cylinder is up there. I […]

S1 Elise – Inlet Manifold Gasket Leak

I was a little late in getting the Elise out of hibernation this summer but there was a Lotus meet at a dealer about an hour from me and a friend was going so it was time to get the Lotus out. But first some new oil and filter….. Got the undertray off and lifted […]

S1 Elise – Steering Rack Refresh

One thing I could have added to the list when doing the full suspension refresh was the inner steering rack joints. I could feel no play in them at the time I did the suspension refresh though so just kept an eye on them as I do with the whole car. During my usual end […]

S1 Elise – Rear Lift / Jack Blocks

Having to remove the rear undertray everytime I want to get the Elise on the lift was getting pretty tedious and it was easily solved with some blocks that fit between the undertray and rear section of the chassis where the Elise must be supported from when being lifted. A guy sells them on the […]

S1 Elise – Timing Belt and Water Pump Change

We’ll I certainly haven’t done the mileage to require a new timing belt / cambelt but they should be replaced on a time interval too so it’s gotta be done. As with any transverse engine this was going to be a bit akward so I wasn’t looking forward to it but it was fairly easy […]

S1 Elise – Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Hoses

While replacing the brake master cylinder (see previous post) I replaced the original brake hoses too with some Goodridge stainless steel braided items. I don’t have the time I used to to go into too much detailed explination but I’ll stick a load of photos of the job here. The main thing I’d like to […]

S1 Elise – Spark Plugs

Time for some new spark plugs. A set of NGK PFR6N-11 Engine cover off Blow out all the filth with the air line. Old plugs coming out. Old ones out with new ones ready to go in. But before that. A quick check of compression in all cylinders. Also a quick check of the plug […]

S1 Elise – Steering Rack Raiser Plates

As with any car, when the ride height is changed the suspension and steering geometry will be effected. I have set the Elise ride height a bit lower than standard and though I’ve done a full alignment including the front camber and toe. This doesn’t do anything to compensate for the hubs having effectively been […]

S1 Elise – Big Diffuser

The Elise already had a longer than standard diffuser but it wasn’t longer enough for me… This is how the one on it looked. And this is the bigger one I got, with 6 fins too. Old and new compared. A layer of some protection applied before fitting. Some stainless and rubber washers. Front edge […]