Having a Go Myself
Normally I just take my car to my nearest Lotus dealer when something goes pear-
Overheating
I was having a big problem with overheating. Sometimes I would have boiling coolant
in the header tank and would have to stop to let it cool down for quite a while.
As well as any damage that my result, because the chargecooler is not being cooled,
I was suffering a loss of power. I even had to pull in once whilst trying to overtake
a Metro -
There where 3 causes to my overheating problem; A broken temperature transmitter, leaking chargecooler pump and clogged up radiator matrix.
The broken temperature transmitter was replaced my Christopher Neil Cars and cost just a few pounds. The temperature gauge would swing wildly around and so the radiator fans did not operate correctly.
The clogged radiator matrix is detailed in the owner's handbook. You can either remove it from the car and clean it ( which looks far too hard ) or try and blast all the stuff out. The problem is that it's impossible to see all the little stones and leaves and grass and stuff that get stuck in the radiator. What you need to do is lie on your back with a hose pipe and poke it through where the fans are and give the radiator a good spray. You need to do this for quite a few minutes and you end up soaking wet. Also, don't use a pressure washer like it did as it will damage the fins on the radiator. Thankfully I only give it a quick blast so no real damage done.
The third problem which was causing the overheating was a broken and leaking chargecooler pump. This meant that I was topping up the water with about 2 litres every week or so. Replacing the pump impeller and seals is a bit tricky but the result is well worth it. The water leaks out onto the gearbox casing so you can't see it. You have to climb in the boot and stick your hand down and feel for the water.
Oil Filter Removal
One of the things you need to do in order to repair the chargecooler pump is to remove the oil filter, which can be easy or hard, depending on your choice of tool. Also, you can just stick a screwdriver through it but make sure you have a new filter to fit before using this method.
The two types of filter removal tool I tried were:
Bike Chain On A Stick
This is a complete load of old toss, in fact I can't really find a word to describe just how completely useless this thing is. It will not grip the filter at all. I tried for the best part of an hour with this, I had to root around in a bush by my drive to get it back because this is where I slung it whilst sitting in the boot wrestling with it. If I ever find out who designed it, I'll put it round his neck and try and remove his head with it ! ( which no doubt will not work ).
Steel Band And A Big Bolt
This is a million times better. This thing works a treat, and had the filter of in a jiffy. It cost about £13 from Halfords, which is more than the price of a new filter, but saves a lot a time and effort.
New Clutch Slave Cylinder
The problem appears to be quite common. What happens is that the seal in the clutch slave cylinder gets worn and so you lose all the clutch fluid. This results in a limp pedal and it being almost impossible to get in to gear.
The repair is not too complicated, although I spent two days in the pissing rain fixing it because of one sodding bolt which I could not undo. What you need to do is:
Jack up the rear end and stick the car on axle stands -
Remove the driver's rear wheel ( if you can get the thing off that is, thankfully
I'd just had new tyres all round the week before ). With the wheel off you'll be
able to see the slave cylinder. It's fixed on to the gear box housing with 2 bolts
and has the famous red hose on it. Unbolt the hose first ( this is the thing I could
not do ) and then remove the cylinder by undoing the other 2 bolts. Note that you
really need a special brake/clutch hose spanner to get the hose off. I think this
was my problem as I ended up rounding the nut off. Anyway, assuming you can get
the poxy thing off you can then just pull it apart, give the inside a good clean
and replace the seal. I had to replace the seal with the cylinder dangling but it
is do-
You then need to bleed the clutch line and refit the slave and adjust the clutch. I won't go into that here. However, when I finally got it all back together I had an odd grinding sort of noise just as I started to depress the clutch pedal which then goes away when the pedal is fully down. I'm told it's a worn release bearing and that it's not worth fixing until it needed a new clutch.
Costs
Running a car like this is no cheap deal; here’s a breakdown of my running costs...
© 2009 Adrian Mugridge