Interior Exterior
Q:
Originally posted by pschencker
Guys,
I love the Elise and have now ordered my car, howver I have never ever even changed the oil on a car. Dont know how!!!!!
I can but air in the tires and thats about it.
Is this care going to destroy me because I don't know the first thing about cars.
Listening to all these bolts hanging on by a tread has really got me worried
Help,
paul
Don't worry. By the time you get rid of the Elise you will know a LOT about cars (or at least the Elise)!
Seriously, as long as you stay close to Scottsdale, your covered. It's not like some here who are hundreds of miles from their nearest dealer. Just consider Lotus ownership as a project.
A:
Paul-I'm an accountant, and I'm doing lots of stuff to the car. I do not have a mechanical background, other than learning to build stud walls on my own and fixing my pinball machines, (again learning on my own). Have no fear-the more you do, the more comfortable you'll be. Heck, after trying to change the exhaust (I will get it this weekend) I'm wondering why I should spend $250 for an oil change at the dealer when I can change it for $50, and wayyyy FASTER at home! (45 minute drive each way to the dealer plus the service time).
Look at the car as a teacher. You can learn to be self-sufficient, which feels pretty good. I'm just getting started. Do not be afraid. And don't forget you have the world's greatest group of assistants and super people right here on Elise talk.
A:
Long ago I learned to work on cars by working on my first Lotus Europa. Nothing was overly complicated, but lots of opportunities arose to challenge me. Some more than once...
Jer - I readjusted my Stage 2 as the tip was a bit too close to the diffuser. So I yanked the diffuser and had a peek in there. It's not a hard or complicated thing. There is one pipe clamp with a 15 mm head. I loosened that one a bit and then by pressing on the tips, rotated the exhaust so it would be more centered in the diffuser opening through which it must pass. That is by rotating about the inlet pipe, the muffler'd tips wind up moving along the car's front to back dimension. And if you wiggle it in/out you can get a bit of side to side. The position of the two side mounts permits this adjustment...sorta like a barbecue rotisserie. Dunno if your exhaust may need an adjustment like this or not. You can get at both sides of the mounts easily too, but one is harder to get at than the other. I saw the driver's side exhaust hanger when I had the wheel liner off when I loaded in a K&N air filter.
For the diffuser I already had a 5 mm hex key for the two large bolts. And I bought a nut driver thing for the numerous 8 mm bolts. It's just a screwdriver handled thing with a permanent 8 mm socket where the tip is. Ideally quarter turn fasteners are the way to go back there though.
On oil changes, here is how Hunting Ridge Motors does it. They ONLY remove the diffuser. From there you can reach the oil pan plug. They hold a funnel with a hose up there to direct the flow into a catch pan. For the filter, they unclip (by hand) one of the NACA duct inserts and then do the oil filter swap through that hole! I think it's the forward most rightmost one. That saves a bunch of time as some suggest removing the entire engine undertray and diffuser. The diffuser is much smaller and is easy to remount since it's most forward lip rests OVER the rear edge of the engine undertray. So that end stays up once you lay it over the edge of the other sheet. Then you attach the center rear bolt and the thing will stay up well enough to do the other bolts. Don't snug 'em until they all found a home. I realize you did this already but some might not have heard about this stuff.
A:
Originally posted by Stan
On oil changes, here is how Hunting Ridge Motors does it. They ONLY remove the diffuser. From there you can reach the oil pan plug. They hold a funnel with a hose up there to direct the flow into a catch pan.
Very interesting.. I intend to replace the drain plug with a Fumoto valve. I've done this on my other cars and it makes for a much faster and cleaner oil change. Slip on a piece of scrap hose, open the valve, drain into the receiving tank, with no mess, no crush washers..
http://www.fumotovalve.com/
That would make it even easier to do it by hose through the removed diffuser.
A:
Originally posted by Stan
Long ago I learned to work on cars by working on my first Lotus Europa. Nothing was overly complicated, but lots of opportunities arose to challenge me. Some more than once...
Jer - I readjusted my Stage 2 as the tip was a bit too close to the diffuser. So I yanked the diffuser and had a peek in there. It's not a hard or complicated thing. There is one pipe clamp with a 15 mm head. I loosened that one a bit and then by pressing on the tips, rotated the exhaust so it would be more centered in the diffuser opening through which it must pass. The position of the two side mounts permits this adjustment. Dunno if your exhaust may need an adjustment like this or not. You can get at both sides of the mounts easily too, but one is harder to get at than the other. I saw the driver's side exhaust hanger when I had the wheel liner off when I loaded in a K&N air filter.
For the diffuser I already had a 5 mm hex key for the two large bolts. And I bought a nut driver thing for the numerous 8 mm bolts. It's just a screwdriver handled thing with a permanent 8 mm socket where the tip is. Ideally quarter turn fasteners are the way to go back there though.
On oil changes, here is how Hunting Ridge Motors does it. They ONLY remove the diffuser. From there you can reach the oil pan plug. They hold a funnel with a hose up there to direct the flow into a catch pan. For the filter, they unclip (by hand) one of the NACA duct inserts and then do the oil filter swap through that hole! I think it's the forward most rightmost one. That saves a bunch of time as some suggest removing the entire engine undertray and diffuser. The diffuser is much smaller and is easy to remount since it's most forward lip rests OVER the rear edge of the engine undertray. So that end stays up once you lay it over the edge of the other sheet. Then you attach the center rear bolt and the thing will stay up well enough to do the other bolts. Don't snug 'em until they all found a home. I realize you did this already but some might not have heard about this stuff.
See, this is my point. you might as well be talking in chinese for I would not understand what you are saying any less.
The point is I am buying this car to truly enjoy riding it around. At 46 years old, I do not want to start crawling around under my car before every drive to check the bolts. I can't possible be the only guy out here that is not mechanically sound nor do I want to be.
As with all my other cars and toys, I want to start it up and go without any worries. Heck, i have 2 Polaris quads up in my cabin that I bring in fo service( no laughing please ).
I guess I would dread having something bad happen while out on the road and having this great car towed all the time because I dont now what to do.
Am i alone??????/
A:
well, it is very likely the most reliable lotus ever. but that is not a stellar distinction.
A:
Originally posted by pschencker
See, this is my point. you might as well be talking in chinese for I would not understand what you are saying any less.
Don't worry too much about it. Once you read enough chinese, you start to understand it.
BTW, do you REALLY have spinners on your SUV?
A:
BTW, do you REALLY have spinners on your SUV?
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Yes, I surprised my wife with them when we got her Tahoe. She gets lots a crazy looks because she does not ' fit the bill' for that type of wheel.
A:
I do not want to start crawling around under my car
Is there anyone here thin enough to actually crawl under an Elise?
( and no re-posting the BMW "mechanic"!)
A:
pschencker
The loosescrew issues does not require any mechanical expertise and does not require you to crawl under the car. You can easily see the two bolts holding the diffuser from the rear. And you can reach them without going under the car.
Carpet screws are near your feet. I almost absentmindedly check them while driving.
Not to say that at some point, mechanical expertise will not be a good thing as the car gets older. But I don't think its required for a new Elise.
A:
******Carpet screws are near your feet. I almost absentmindedly check them while driving. ******
You mean the silver dollar sized plastic one near the rear of the carpets? I vacuumed one of them up at a coin-op vacuum. Luckily we got it out of the bottom of the canister. If those are the ones and they keep loosening some silicone rubber should solve that...and leave them removeable should the need arise. Just a dab'll do ya!
A:
Since this thread cropped up I've been checking the Diffuser hardware. So far no action has been required. I did tighten the carpet screws down though.
On a separate note, I found out last night that our passenger seat has a lumbar support also. do all of them? I got it into my head somewhere that it was only for the drivers seat.
A:
Paul-start slow. You CAN jack up a car, right?
Assuming yes, it's easy to do so and look under there. You'll see a bunch of little screws, and two big hex bolts holding on the different sections of the diffusers. It doesn't take a huge set of tools to take the back part of the diffuser off and put it back on. And once you do that, it's like hmmm. What else can I do?
Stan, you lost me on the NACA thing. Huh? And there's a whole thread in the engine forum about my efforts to change the exhaust, with pictures! Paul-take a look at that thread and do not be intimidated. Heck, I've even called Stan for help and would certainly be willing to give my cell number out to others to lend help, too. This car is beautiful in it's simplicity.
My future list includes:
-Change air filter
-Change oil
-Paint center console to match the car paint
-swap out coilover springs
-pull shims
-change wheels and tires
-touch up front end driveway damage
-install hardtop
I've so far:
-painted engine covers
-exhaust change attempt - to finish tomorrow.
Remember, I'm AN ACCOUNTANT.
A:
Originally posted by Steve W
On a separate note, I found out last night that our passenger seat has a lumbar support also. do all of them? I got it into my head somewhere that it was only for the drivers seat.
TAHTS!
I find removing and installing the rear diffuser to be extremely simple and easy. Maybe 10 minutes at worst. You don't need to jack anything up. A simple 8mm hex bit and then the allen head bit for the two bolts.
A:
Originally posted by pschencker
See, this is my point. you might as well be talking in chinese for I would not understand what you are saying any less.
The point is I am buying this car to truly enjoy riding it around. At 46 years old, I do not want to start crawling around under my car before every drive to check the bolts. I can't possible be the only guy out here that is not mechanically sound nor do I want to be.
You're not alone.
Check the car over as frequently as you would check the oil - a couple of times a month or before major trips. You should be fine with this.
I decided to quit changing my own oil when I got sick of dragging my hair in the dirt on the shop floor.
A:
******Stan, you lost me on the NACA thing. Huh? And there's a whole thread in the engine forum about my efforts to change the exhaust, with pictures! Paul-take a look at that thread and do not be intimidated. Heck, I've even called Stan for help and would certainly be willing to give my cell number out to others to lend help, too. This car is beautiful in it's simplicity. ******
NACA ducts are those triangular looking holes under the Engine. One of them is near the oil filter and can be used to change it by reaching your hand through there after unclipping (by hand) the plastic insert. That can save you some time from dropping more of the under panels. The one below shows you the shape but is from an airplane. NACA stands for National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The shape allows a scoop on a flat surface to work well and without excessively disturbing the rest of the air flow, increasing drag and turbulence. And Lotus used them under our cars!!
A:
Probably the best thing going for me is having a support group like this. Plus the fact that I live in Scottsdale, I can always go see Scottsdale Lotus for any issues.
I am in the site just about everyday reading what is said about this great car. (thanks randy!)
thanks for all the support.
And one last thing, I have no idea what a diffuser is!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY
paul
A:
******And one last thing, I have no idea what a diffuser is!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY ******
The diffuser is the final metal underbody panel at the rear of the car. The exhaust tips pass through it and you can see the vertical elements from behind the car. It is made of anodized aluminum and has a plastic edge protector. It's called a diffuser due to what happens to the air passing by as the car is on the move. Prior to the diffuser the air travels between the ground and flat aluminum sheets. In the Diffuser the distance to the ground increases at a calculated, specific rate to provide aero benefits know as ground effects. It doesn't do much until somewhere near triple digit speeds. When it is functioning, the region of air near the diffuser and a bit forward has a lower air pressure, so this leads to the the "ground effect". It's sort of like an upside down airplane wing. The change in local air pressure is low but covers many square inches. On air planes the ground effect refers to the fact that wings provide more lift when they are in proximity to the ground. They provide a lower amount of lift as the distance to the ground increases. Same thing with race cars using ground effects...they need to be very low and have sealed sides to usefully maximize such effects.
A:
Exhaust done, What a beautiful sound!
Coilovers expected before next weekend, as well as the quick reliease kit for the diffuser. I might be busy next weekend adding these items. Stan, I may have LSS BEFORE the next autoX too. I will PM you the link to that race tomorrow.
A:
>>Coilovers expected before next weekend, as well as the quick reliease kit for the diffuser. I might be busy next weekend adding these items. Stan, I may have LSS BEFORE the next autoX too. I will PM you the link to that race tomorrow.******br />
Well if you are able to get the LSS dampers with the springs already mounted on them from that guy then changing the car over to them is duck soup. Each coilover assembly (damper and spring) can be changed out in about 5 minutes once that wheel and tire is off. Just two 17 mm wrenches are needed...for the one bolt on either end of the unit, no surprises or complications. I used one of those Sears gearwrench things which have a ratchet built into the open end wrench end. This helps with the upper mounts. If you use the rear jacking point sticker, the one a bit behind the rear of the door, then both front and rear tires come off the ground at one time - a time saver. I had to remove the LTS springs from each coilover and then reload the LSS springs using a spring compressor which is a bit more work.