dodge1979

Martin...indeed I could keep up with him! Says something for the bad weather we had that day that worked in my favour ;-) but seriously, I feel I now how a much improved experience. Lower throttle response is much improved with quicker spooling of the turbo, the well known lag is much reduced creating a smoother increase in power. Light to mid throttle response and use is also a smoother almost easier drive. This can be translated across to the graphs ive posted above to see how and where these benefits have been made over standard. But most importantly of all I know that every single change from standard, whether its minor or major has been tested, checked, adjusted and confirmed that it is working to the best, most efficient standard that is possible within the confines of the set-up ie, the limitations of the GM ecu system and exhaust manifold. Also as important is that I know reliability and strength of my unit is excellent. As mentioned earlier in the thread, im not a fan of 'chipping' the ecu...these replacement chips from well known suppliers cannot be classed as a safe way of gaining power without potential long term damage to the engine, and also as such how can they have been developed to perform alongside other modifications that we do...whereas if you make your modifications work together correctly, youll end up with a far better package overall.. Ian, yours is not.to be scoffed at! When I drove it briefly last year, as I said at the time, I knew you had a really good one there..and thats the best base to start with to then carve it out to how you want your car to be...everyone likes their setup to be how they want it, but its easier to achieve with a good.basis... And finally, lotusesprit1.. Sorry I dont know your name? Well, a quick question, does it sound a bit like a.supercharger winding up? That was my issue previously...which turned out to be the hoses leaking...the sound of the.pressure escaping was like a.scream! Get a.blanking plug to.fit temporarily to test your theory...if your local(ish) maybe I can help..your chip ID can be gained from using espritmon program, it will give you an eprom (i think) code in the top left then from that you can determine what chip is fitted. Finally, keep a dump valve fitted if your running a small turbo..ie SE/S4... It will help against it stalling between gearchanges...

Well guys, as an update to this thread from last year, I revisted Northampton Motorsport last wednesday (at the same time Dave was testing the new manifold design...) with a view to checking over the tweaks made since the last visit. To briefly recap for those not wanting to read back, I was making (by the end of the session) 292bhp having discovered various fuelling issues and boost leaks..mostly these were recitified on the dyno and tested again, the final boost leaks were sorted out at home with the fitment of better quality clamps and hoses.. along with the plenum chamber being resealed with, again, a new gasket and the addition of Wellseal to ensure a perfect seal... Recently, I had also decided to remove the freeflow sports cat and replace with a de-cat pipe. This would also have changed the characteristics of the engines performance, requiring the fuelling to be checked over to ensure it was set correctly and to satisfy my curiosity that all issues were sorted and what the final figures were....so what differences do the decat pipe make? In terms of driving 'feel', it was apparant that the hesitation around 2800rpm had all but dissapeared which means I was expecting to see an increase in low to mid range torque as a result... We made three runs on the dyno, first run again is to set the start data as a reference of how the engine is performing. This started with very promising results, she made 300.6bhp first time round! Very happy to have seen the 300 mark reached...I wanted to also test whether all the boost leaks were sorted, which indeed were, and to test whether the dump valve was leaking any boost under pressure..by the use of a blanking plug in replacement of the BOV, a second run was made, resulting in the same figures as before showing no leakage of boost, so it was refitted and the fuelling was tweaked ever so slightly up to adjust suitably for higher revs, as it was running just a fraction weaker at the high revs...this was assumed to be as a result of the decat allowing the engine to breath more freely. The third and final run was to gain the final figures. Again 300.6bhp was achieved, along with 296 lbft of torque. A satisfactory set of figures. Now the true indication of how the decat pipe has altered the engines performance can be seen in the graphs Ill attach shortly. To run you through them, the red lines are the previous run from last year, the black line is the most recent run from last week. On the BHP chart, you can clearly see an early increase in power with a very smooth and steady climb, surpassing the previous BHP peak point at 5500rpm and increasing up to peak at about 6250rpm, then droping off smoothly, instead of the previous 'flat' peak and run off. With the torque chart, it is imediately apparant that an increase in low to mid range torque has been achieved, as expected. The sharp climb from just below 3000rpm to 3300rpm where it peaks before slightly dropping off is a clear explanation of why the slight hesitation previously present has now vanished, and whilst it does drop of slightly its still higher than previous before it gains a steady climb upwards, again with a smoother peak reached just below 5000rpm, some 500rpm earlier than previously, then falling off smoothly, but still higher than previous. So, for the time being, this data shows what is truely achievable (regardless of product claims) with the right mods, and most importantly the correct setup having been made and then tested. 300BHP is a goal that can be reached, without using untested 'chips' to merely pour fuel in and up boost. In the method and manner that I have done, you can have a strong, reliable and most importantly extremely drivable Esprit.

Well, shall we say then if the weather is good we can look to do this or a trip for an afternoon, but if its naff..ie icy, snowy, pissin with rain, we can leave it and if anyone wants to meet local we can do so...itd be a shame for those interested to come a good distance for a sodden afternoon..

Trev, cheeses run is just the destination...its a famous cheese maker near Buxton (i think)... In a village somewhere...the purchasing or appreciation of cheese is optional I guess! Martin, not personally but as no doubt ill have the mrs with me that wouldnt go down well with her! Mind you I doubt she has an interest in cheese either...so long as there is a decent pub/cafe at the destination for coffee etc it doesnt matter where we head..

True true, well if your ok with the destination, can we make it feasable to meet Martin enroute somehow so we all get a bit of a drive together there?

Dave your an addict....although we have previously mentioned (and I thought you were joking) MK2 ....all those shutlines to remake to aerodynamic efficiency again... :*)

Thats Derby way yes? If fits the criteria...were not out for a whole days hoon so good idea... Is that still a bit far away for you Martin?

One will just be a low pressure with a.hoseclip on it..the other pipe high pressure and will.no doubt be a rusted join so soaking in releasing fluid and hope it doesnt break ;-) thats the two that run from the rack..dont forget the hard to get to hose that feeds the pump from the reservoir..its on top near the manifold...just a hose clip but probably rusted and youll need to cut through the clip...

So whos uo for a little drive out somewhere, coffee and cake. Doesnt have to be far, im thinking Sunday 3rd February, so not next weekend the one after...maybe meet up late morning and have an hour driving to a destination then a little time chatting before a drive back.. Suggestions welcome as to a suitable destination or area...lets pick somewhere we dont normally head to...

Having been able to get my eye around the manifold during Dave's pre dyno testing and look over the build and design of it, I was able to work out and satisfy previous questions I had raised in a previous thread on this item...some of the questions were satisfied purely by this being a newer more developed version of the original design, which I had concearns over. I was also present at the dyno testing earlier in the week, which proved in the end favorable results with the unexpected bonus of increased torque early on in the rev range as described already by Dave. Now that proper testing has been done on it, and it has shown to he able to handle more power than the rest of us have, it will be interesting to see its long term reliability over the next year of aggressive use..i understand Leon is offering a two year warranty with the item which should go some way to promoting it further as a viable option for replacing the existing unit..

Yes, thats the only worry really, however they can be set up again with the right equipment...remove the backplate and leave the throttle bodies/manifold in situ if your worried...

Jps at our breakfast meet this morning...no40 but doubt its the same one! We were in Leamington....two out on the same sunday eh!

If I remember right there are oring seals between the backplate and manifold...not an issue really..dont worry too much over it.

Bazza...up here arsenal playing at home would be the perfect reason to get out! But then again I think it has another meaning not relating to actual football...

Ok, ignoring the factory manual procedure for bleeding the brakes for a moment, have you tried bleeding the rears the tradition way? Ie, ignition off, and either a, opening both rear nipples and allowing fluid to gravity bleed over a length of time, b, attaching a vacuum bleeder (not a pressure bleeder like gunsons) and pulling the fluid through? You may need to depress the pedal somewat to assist...alternatively, and I would do this first myself, bleed out of sequence by starting on the master unit itself.attach a vacuum bleeder to the left nipple (so outboard one on the left hand drive), open just enough to get fluid to start moving, then when clear bubble free fluid flows, close and repeat on the right hand nipple(inboard). Right and left as if your sitting in the car. This should prime the master cylinder. Now you might want to put a little grease or something around where the nipple threads into the cylinder body as its possible to easily draw air in through the threads here..happened to me first time round. Once your happy this is bled, the try the rears the old fashioned way with the vacuum bleeder. If you manage to bleed the cylinder but still struggle with the rears, try skipping them and cycle the abs solenoids as per factory manual...pedal slightly depressed, ignition on for three seconds, youll hear a click, ignition off and do this ten times. Then, bleed the master again to check as before, then try the rears with the vacuum bleeder again. It sounds very much like there is a vacuum inside the new cylinder holding fluid from moving. At the end of the day the pump will run continually untill pressure is achieved and if its not getting any fluid itll keep trying. Now yes, the pump can go faulty but thats the last resort. The bleeding method needs to be done out of order firstly in order to just get fluid going, which I found when I first assembled mine...then after a.couple of goes the method I detailed in the post should sort it all out. On another note, I hope you changed the hose that goes from the master to the pump for new, as these do sweat fluid over time... If you need to pm me please do so. Give this all a.try and get back to me and we will take it from therr.. Regards, Darren Ps, not sure what your factory manual states and whether it differentiates between left and right hand drive, but mine says (with regards to master unit bleeding) inboard nipple first then outboard. This is correct, but should be opposite for left hand drive, as when the unit is.moved to the opposite side of the car, my inboard (left hand) becomes your outboard (still left hand) if you get me!

If your getting fluid through the front under pressure (i assume) then it wont be the pump as that will be providing pressure...when you say it runs all the time, is this wen your trying to bleed the rear, or when all bleed nipplesare closed and with ignition on? Ie ignoring the fact the system isnt bled properly, ignition on as if your about to start the car. Does the pump run for forty seconds then cut off or does it run constantly.. Ps im assuming youve satisfactorily bled the fronts? Oh, and pps, you say the master cylinder was faulty.how did you come to this conclusion and where did the replacement come from? Assuming its a used item, as new are unavailable, its possible that it is a, faulty, b, not from an Esprit (other cars used the system).

http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/50411-delco-brakes-get-them-working-successfully-and-well/

Bill, I did quite a detailed thread last year on this system and how to get it working correctly....its in this section......delco brakes and how to get them working properly...have a look for it and itll give you all the incite you need! Darren http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/50411-delco-brakes-get-them-working-successfully-and-well/

Anyone else doin this run tomorrow...apparantly a run around the Thames over the.bridges just a bit of.fun?....

Andoversford is not far for me. . wasnt there a london show thing previously?...hearin the weather dependant thing... Brooklands is no further either.....what hatppens there trev?

Is there no new yrs day show this yr?

There wont be much experience on the esprit amongst a lot of the technicians these days, but with reference specifically to the aircon issue they will no doubt be unable to source a new condensor as its tye combined condensor and chargecooler unit and is unavailable new...i was lucky to find a.guy who had two, so I had one to split the aircon unit off and use...the rest of the system you can fix if there are issues easily. But the work and cost involved in removal of this unit along with the main engine rad, along with replacement of all the rusted broken fixings, the time and labour charge and then sourcing or having (expensively) reconditioned the aircon/chargecooler rad assembly..oh and the risk of damage to the two oil coolers when removing or just moving them out of the way, puts the cost of fixing the aircon way way over any profit in the car and theyll be onto a big loss. Basically, if they won't fix it, as suggested before, walk or offer them significantly less to take as is. Theyve made a deal to do it with you as part of the sale, if you can do the work yourself then negotiate a drop, but if you cant and need to send it away negotiate a significant drop...but don't accept less or you will be paying through the nose for the car and then youll experience a bending over to get it fixed....

I use a tyre inflator gauge attached to the airline with the end adapted to fit to tge wastegate, that way I can see the pressure at wich the wastegate opens and then measure its travel as per factory manual...quite simple setup really..id be tempted to agree with previous thought regarding the adjustment of the actuator...and your coment previously regarding the boost being turned up but it goes well always makes me.cringe when I hear people say that...its just not healthy and is only a short term, quick shortcut to more power and lower engine life...its not a proper tuning process. That aside, I would suggest you look at the less obvious alternative to where your boost could have gone...leaking out of the gasket and clamp seals...this is something I doubt youd notice unless you test for it...i did a thread the other month in Esprit chat on rolling road results and the realistic results from tuning...give it a read. I found a fair amount of boost was leaking out of new gasket and clamped hoses...but as this was on a dyno run we were able to deduce this and start to amend it. As a home test, get the backend up in the air securely, put it in gear and run the car up, having covered your plenum and all.boost hoses, joints gaskets etc with a soapy water solution...if you have boost leak youll see bubbles clearly. I found even though all my assembly was new and fresh I still had leaks, which I then attended to meticulously aftetwards....

Cheers for that...christmass christmass christmass...

And if u breakdown in winter you can squeeze the water out of the newspaper into the coffee and you wont go thirsty...