Lou R

I've since learned the sender was mounted on the S1 chassis just aft of the header tank (which, I believe, was mounted at the front of the engine on S1's). I'll have a look and see if I can figure it out or maybe find some photos. I've been thinking about installing it on the tall stud found on the S2 chassis just forward of the header tank. I'd have to mount it above the Flowlock Valve (which also shares this tall stud) which implies I'd need to fab a spacer to separate them but it might be an ideal arrangement (?).

Steve, Do you know where the S1's mounted the sender ? I've looked around but didn't see any logical place relatively close to the engine. I'm sure I can easily fabricate a bracket I'm just not certain where it would fit best. Hence my question on the S1 location. Lou R

Steve, I was thinking about that just yesterday and went on a blitz to see if I could find some fittings that might work. The existing BSPT/NPT fitting already in the block is close to a 45 degree angle coming out of the block. If I add a female to female NPT 45 degree fitting to the BSPT/NPT block fitting the result will be a close to vertical positioning. I can then add a male to female NPT extended fitting (1 3/4") and install the sender. I'm hopeful it will be high enough to clear the starter and not interfere anything else. I'll report back with some photos after I've received the parts noted above and have installed everything. Lou R

Thomas (snowrx), Only after looking at the block did I realize how limited the space is for a 52mm x 40mm sender. Just about everything is in the way to prevent mounting the sender at the BSPT adapter. Might be able to mount it with a 45 degree adapter (going aft and up) but it starts to get awfully close to the dizzy/plug wires. Maybe I could make a bracket and mount it on the aft most leg of the engine mount with a short hose as you suggested. Looks like I'll have to make up a 52mm x 40mm dummy to see where it'll fit best. Thanks for the comments - very helpful ! Lou R

Steve, If you're planning to go the Smiths route you can use the "Smiths Classic Oil Pressure Sender 1/8" NPT". It's not cheap but it will surely guarantee the gauge and sender work together. Lou R

Hello All, I was wondering if anyone on this forum has switched their oil pressure gauge from mechanical to electric. It seems to be a fairly straightforward switch - the only problem might be a clearance issue of the sender on the side of the block. Typically the electric senders are fairly large - seems probable it may butt up against the starter. Has anyone performed this upgrade ? If so, could you please advise which sender you used. I know I could probably get it to work with various adapters to clear the starter but I'm afraid it may look somewhat odd if I have to go more than an inch or so. Thanks, Lou R

Yikes, Seems to be a bit more complicated than simply switching to a different aux housing. My first thought is to machine my existing aux housing (per Peter's thought) and then fit the correct alternator mount. Unfortunately, there is a surprising number of mounts to choose from and then locate. I was sold on the top mount in Peter's (EXCEL V8) post further up. But after seeing Steve's (DRDOOM) mount I'm inclined to give that a closer look. Steve's car is VIN numerically one car earlier than mine (his is 100S and mine is 101S). Consequently, I thought his might be the best option. It looks as though both mounts are similar in placing the alternator (?) yet his aux housing looks quite different from mine. Peer, you had offered to advise how much to mill off my existing housing to provide a new base to mount the alternator mount. If you get a spare minute or so I'd appreciate if you could please advise. I don't have the necessary lather in my shop to do this so I guess I'll have to find a competent shop to do this for me. The good news - I already have the spacer - I bought one earlier because I thought it was for a different purpose in mounting the alternator. I'll start contacting various Lotus suppliers tomorrow and try to find some suitable replacements for the aux housing and the mounts. It may be a trial and error approach but whatever gets me to the final endpoint is time well spent ! I may end up having to buy another aux housing if the machining option doesn't work out but this may avoid the sealing problem which Andy (ANDYWW) previously warned about above. Thanks again for all your help - please keep comments and posts coming as this has been a Godsend in resolving this issue. I feel as I'm getting very close to finalizing this. Lou R

Peter, Andy, That appears to be the solution and confirms what just occurred to me earlier today - the aux housing isn't correct (I know, it took me a long time to realize this) ! First off, thanks very much for the clarification. Secondly, how exactly does the top alternator bracket (in your photo) fit to the aux housing with the removable alternator mounts ? The top alternator mount (in your photo) seems to fit on a flat surface yet the aux housing photo appears to have recessed bolt holes. Are there other parts or am I missing something (again) ? Any chance there's a part number on your aux housing and/or the alternator mount ? I ask because a quick search on SJ's and Lotusbits' sites didn't seem to have either the aux housing or the alternator mounts available. Thanks so much for your patience and help !!! If you're aware of anyone who has these parts available I'd be most grateful if you could let me know. Lou R

Hi again, Thanks for the continued responses and suggestions. Peter, thanks for the photo of the alternator with the canted rear mounting ear. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though it will provide nearly enough clearance. Steve, there has to be a way of correctly fitting this (apparently) NOS alternator (just as the factory had). To force fit it would require punching through the airbox housing. No way, really, to cover up the hole since the alternator would be protruding into the airbox. Yes, you are correct this is seemingly a simple issue with the auxiliary housing, the airbox and the alternator not being able to align. I'm confident the airbox is correct which leaves the alternator and aux housing in question. As I've noted before the Eclat/Elite Parts Manual references TSB 1978/02 - still looking for a copy of it. It's entirely possible the aux housing was switched with one from an Eclat - there are different part numbers in the Eclat and Esprit Parts Manuals. I don't know much about the Eclairs so I can't really comment. I don't think this part has a part number stamped on it so I can't verify (please advise if I'm wrong). Michael, the crank pulley is closest to the front of the car by a wide margin. Andy, I believe there is a variation of parts on my car. I'm starting to believe the aux housing may have been switched over at some previous time and the PO didn't care about the A/C (it was non-functional) and wasn't worried about the airbox since it wasn't on the car at the time I brought it home. I'm not sure how to con firm this without part numbers being stamped on the parts. Maybe if I could see these other versions of the aux housing it would make things clearer (?). Regardless, I think I've exhausted all possibilities to rectify this issue and short of throwing tons of cash at the car to replace parts that may or may not be correct and which may or may not work, I'm planning to start fabrication of a part which will hopefully resolve this. It likely won't be pretty and won't look like anything from the factory but if it works I can move on and address it once the car is on the road. I'll follow-up with some photos if once (if) I've completed the fabrication and installation. Please continue to provide any ideas and thoughts that may resolve this finally. Thanks everyone so much for your comments and ideas ! Lou R

Thanks everyone for the input - any/all comments are welcome ! While I await some further responses I thought I'd offer the following: RAMJET - the nylon arm you're referring to is the same part on my car but it's steel. In response to Steve's comments I had to replace the original alternator because the casing had a large piece broken off the casting - including the rear mounting ear. I don't know if it was working nor not but it was useless in its current state. I bought the belt from SJ but I've had fitment issues in the past with a number of their parts - who knows if it's actually correct for the car - I'll cover my bases and buy the belt Steve noted. I have the non-correct 2 belt pulley on the car now - it was the only one that came close to a correctly aligned belt (I have the original single belt pulley that came with the replacement alternator). The airbox is correct for the car - I just went to the trouble to make it look as new as possible. I bought it off a gent in the UK and the Parts Manual doesn't specify a different one for cars with A/C. I have the flex mount spacers on the carbs but they are not fully set to their correct clearance yet. I'll check to see if they'll be of any help once I tighten them up to spec. They may provide some relief but likely not nearly enough. 910 Esprit - I checked the Turbo Parts Manual and it doesn't look like the S3 set-up will work. Everything is different. EXCEL V8 - really interested in seeing what you come up with. I've been unsuccessful in finding the obsolete Valeo - I did find one but the price was close to 1,000 GBP ! I also found a write-up about this same issue in the Lotus Forums from January 2015 (Esprit S1 Alternator). Unfortunately, it did not provide too much guidance on how I might get out of this dilemma. I've corresponded with Tony K a few times and he is a very good source of info on the Federal cars. I'll reach out to him for some added perspective. Thanks so much ! Lou R

Michael, Thanks. I had to switch over to the two groove pulley to get relatively close to the proper belt positioning - this two groove pulley came from the original Motorola alternator (if I had to guess I'd think this two groove pulley was probably not original). I know there's supposed to be a single groove pulley but, once again, this is another area of confusion I cannot seem to figure out. Yes, the front groove on the crank pulley is for the alternator. My car doesn't have a nylon arm and I don't see that anywhere in the Parts Manual so I suspect it's particular to your model. Belt tension is adjusted via an adjusting strap. It's hanging loosely in the photo and difficult to see but it's there. How that mounts to the alternator (front side or rear side of the alternator mounting ear) is also a bit unclear. I'm hopeful someone will post TSB 1978/02 - maybe this will shed some light on my problem (?). Additionally, I need some photos from a Home Market/ROW car that has A/C - that is how my car is currently configured. Thanks again, Lou R

Steve, The alternator will definitely go higher - in the photo it's resting on top of the A/C compressor. The problem is I cannot move it higher (with the airbox backplate installed) because of the interference. Pictures would be most helpful or even some direction to a different alternator that actually fits. I found a reference to TSB 1978/02 which deals with the Auxiliary Housing - it mentions a separate alternator mount. I can't seem to locate a copy of this TSB - I think it applies to the Esprit and the Eclat. If anyone has a copy I'd appreciate if they could put it up on this post so I can see exactly what's it's about. If I can't resolve this issue I've been thinking about fabricating an "offset" mounting bracket that will attach to the original bracket on the Aux Housing and simply move the alternator forward and to the left. It would be slightly out of position but it might work if I carefully measure it so the belt lines up and there is no interference with anything else. I'd prefer to stay original but my options seem to be dwindling. Lou R

Hi Steve, I'll post some photos later today after I've partially reassembled everything. FYI, the NOS Motorola alternator part/model number is 9 AR 2 604P. Not sure if/how that translates to the Lotus part number (probably does not) but the two alternators appear identical. Thanks, Lou R

Thanks everyone for your responses. The alternator's mounting bracket is a casting on the engine so it's not likely to be the problem. I suspect there may be a very slight belt issue as the clearance from the A/C belt is very close - this also implies there may be a pulley issue but it's the correct Lotus 3-slot pulley. Additionally, the pulley attached to the alternator is way too short to meet the belt - I had to use the 2-slot pulley from the original alternator. I'll go out to my shop tomorrow and get the Motorola part number. I recall the Motorola part number was slightly different from that which was previously on my car - I believe it was for a Rover 3500 (?). All the dimensions were exactly the same as the alternator that was installed on my car - that's why I bought it. I'm a bit unsure of how to use the other mounting bracket for the alternator. The Parts Manual shows the bracket being installed against the rear of the mounting ear. I had mine initially installed against the front of the mounting ear and I had a relatively long spacer to hold it in place. Mounting it against the rear of the mounting ear will likely result in a significant bend ! Something isn't right. - I just can't see it. Thanks again, Lou R

Dave, Pete, Thanks so much. I'll contact them shortly and report back on what I find. Lou R

Peter, Thanks. I'll give them a call after the holidays. Do you recall the company name ? Lou R

Ramjet, Sorry I don't have any photos because I can't mount the two pieces together to show the interference. I hate to lose my Motorola 70 amp but I think the best resolution is to replace the alternator with a modern equivalent which will fit - haven't received a response from anyone with an alternator recommendation. Thanks, Lou R

John, Thanks. Great video and likely a product I will buy to help out with future projects. However, it won't help me out of my current dilemma. Repairing the ear off the original alternator will simply provide me with a second alternator of the same dimensions. I really do like that video ! Thanks, Lou R

Hello Everyone, I've encountered yet another problem on the reassembly of my Federal S2. In this case it's the alternator. When I first got my car it had an original Motorola 70 amp alternator (my car is an A/C car). This alternator couldn't be repaired/rebuilt as it had a broken case with one of the mounting ears broken off. The PO had geri-rigged it to mount it but it was a pretty poor job and probably wasn't working anyway. After considerable searching I located an NOS Motorola 70 amp unit that had the exact same dimensions as the original so I bought it (the mounting tabs also line up similarly). When I went to finally mount it there was interference with the factory airbox/backplate assembly - bad enough they couldn't be mounted together. FYI, my car also has Dellortos so I am targeting this question to UK Home Market/ROW car owners with A/C (or anyone else with a hybrid like mine). I've tried mounting the airbox first and when that didn't work I tried mounting the alternator first - same result - they just don't seem to fit together. I've also confirmed via the Parts Manual there was only one airbox/backplate assembly regardless if your car had A/C or not. I don't see how I can move the alternator forward (I probably need 3/8" relief) given the location of the mounting ears so at this point I'm assuming I may have a different version of the Motorola and the original on the car was also wrong (?). FYI, when I got the car it had Webers and no airbox so anything is possible. I've also read in a previous post that other owners had opted to grind away part of the airbox backplate to make it fit. Not sure if that's doable without punching through the airbox. I've decided to start looking for a replacement alternator so I would like to ask anyone with a Home Market/ROW car with A/C, Dellortos and an original airbox to please advise what alternator they are using. I've seen some previous posts about a Valeo 518035 and a Bosch AL49X but I don't recall specifics. Can anyone help ? Thanks, Lou R

Pete, Thanks. Did you replace the springs when you installed the Protech's or are the originals still in place ? Also, are you happy with the Protech's ? Was the ride height OK after they were installed or did they require some fiddling to get the ride height where you wanted ? Thanks, Lou R

Hi All, I realize this topic has been addressed before but I wanted to re-inquire since it's been quite awhile. Specifically, is anyone aware of any company/individual who can overhaul the original Armstrong shocks ? I purchased a set of Spax quite some time ago and even though the car is not fully assembled, from what I already see, I'm expecting a much higher then acceptable ride height (especially the front). Springs have been changed back to the originals and the problem persists. I would hope the Armstrongs (in their refurbed state) would provide an acceptable ride height similar to when I first got this car many years ago. If anyone knows of someone who can refurb these shocks I'd appreciate if you could pass their contact info along. Thanks, Lou R

Hi Phil, When I refurbed my S2 engine cover I did everything you did except I also added an under-cover heat shield/sound deadener. I painted mine with SEM Hot Rod black - I think it has just the right combination of gloss and matte. It's not a high heat paint but I suspect it will holdup well especially with the heat shield I installed. Lou R

If anyone needs any measurements on the A/C Bracket please note mine if currently off my car but going back on in the near future. I can provide any measurements needed. In response to EXCEL V8 please note the front boss' (Stand-offs) are all 1/4".

Alistair, One last comment - make sure the replacement decals you have are the exact size of the ones being replaced otherwise they won't look right if you install them as per the above dims. Lou R