Lou R

Alistair, Seem to be having difficulty attaching a file so I'll highlight the placement here. Sorry for the cryptic message - let me know if you need any help in de-cyphering any of this. FYI, these measurements we're taken from the original decals placed on my S2. "ESPRIT" on Sail Panel "ESPRIT" is 8 1/4" aft of the "ear" housing. The "E" (in Esprit) is 5.85" down from the rear hatch plane (measure with calipers). 5.85" to middle of "E". Top of "E" is 5.35" from the same plane. "S2" is 13 1/4" aft of ear housing. Top of "S2" is 0.85" below the below the "I" in Esprit. S2 begins just aft of the vertical plane of "R" in Esprit. S2 is 21 7/8" forward of the rear plane of the sail panel. NOSE Panel The "P" on Esprit is 8" down from the boot opening. Lou R

Alistair, I have the dimensions for correctly placing the decals. I'll have a look for them and get back to you. Lou R

Hi Alistair, My 79 Federal S2 was missing the rear compressor bracket. I finally found one (after a few years of looking) from (of all places) SJ Sportscars. Apparently, Steve had one laying around (as well as a tensioner) - he agreed to sell both pieces to me for a very reasonable price. Check with SJ - I only bought mine a few months ago - he may have others. Lotus by Claudius also has one but he wanted about $250 for it - seemed a bit pricey to me so I passed on it. My front compressor bracket that came with the car was missing a boss (Stand-off ?) that was used to level the attachment of the semi-automatic tensioner (like the one on your car). I had to purchase a length of 7/8" round bar and cut off a 1/4" piece and then weld that to the bracket. A bit of a pain but all is well now. Not sure what to tell you about locating a front compressor bracket. I've never looked for one since my car came with one attached. I did get a photo of a front bracket from Lotusbits but I'm not certain it's a duplicate for the one on my car - it may be for a 912 engine. Worth checking with Lotusbits. Lou R

Drdoom, Very interesting - I'm surprised the vacuum tubing to the manifold is plastic, I would have guessed it would be a rubber hose. The critical piece I'm missing is the elbow that fits onto the plastic hose (from the tee) and runs to the manifold. The Parts Manual shows the tee, a sleeve, and then an elbow (different from the elbows that connect to the thin vacuum line) to connect to the 5/16" plastic line that runs to the manifold. Seems all the other parts would be readily available at a local auto parts store (?). SJ doesn't offer that odd elbow but they do have 5/16" plastic hose but I can probably find that locally as well. The tee I have with my reservoir is plastic - I know I've seen a metal one (somewhere) so I guess I'll be doing a search for that missing piece. I just need to determine how Lotus attached/connected the plastic hose to the manifold. Thanks for your help again ! Lou R

Hei Elvind, jeg lurte på om du fortsatt hadde Lotus Esprit Waistline Trim. Hvis du gjør det, vil jeg være veldig interessert i å kjøpe den. Vennligst informer om du fortsatt har det eller om det er solgt. Takk. Lou Riegler

Hi, I'm looking for a Silencer Mounting Bracket to fit a Federal S1/S2. Please PM me if you have one available for sale. Thanks, Lou R

Hi, I noticed you were selling the bumpers off your Federal S1. I assume you are converting to Euro style bumpers. If you do this conversion I assume you'll also have to change the Silencer Mounting Bracket (?). I am in need of a Federal Silencer Bracket - if you have one available and are interested in selling it please contact me. Thanks, Lou R

I was fiddling with the vacuum reservoir on my S2 as I move forward with the restoration. The piping on the reservoir seems fairly straightforward but I can't seem to figure out how the vacuum piping connects to the vacuum hose coming off the rear of the inlet manifold. When I got my car the reservoir was attached to the boot board but all the piping and hoses were long gone. I know the vacuum piping that runs to the AC Unit is the thin plastic variety. The Parts Manual shows a vacuum line running to the inlet manifold but this piping has a different part number than the pipe that runs to the AC Unit. Can anyone identify this pipe and give me the details. I know there's a check valve and 2 sleeves in this line but I can't replace them until I know what size pipe to use. The Parts Manual also shows an elbow at the T-Piece coming off the reservoir which connects to the pipe which runs to the inlet manifold. This elbow has a different part number than the other elbows used on the reservoir so I suspect it's a different elbow (?). I'm trying to keep this car as original as possible - can anyone shed some light on the correct size piping to use on this line ? Specifically, I'm looking for diameter and the material it's made from. Thanks, Lou R

Dave, Thanks so much for your response and clarification. The top and bottom photos tell the story ! The original Federal bracket is quite different than what SJ sells. Needless to say if you can locate an original Federal S2 Silencer Mounting Bracket and are interested in selling it - I am a buyer ! As I noted earlier, the Federal bracket that SJ sells doesn't have proper hole spacing to attach the mounting channel - I can probably get around that by simply drilling a correctly spaced hole. I have a friend down in Florida who has a JPS. I initially went to him for photos on his set-up and the ones he sent looked remarkably like the one on your bottom photo. Oddly, he told me his exhaust system was geri-rigged together and wasn't at all a factory set-up. Looks like he may be wrong ! I sure hope you can locate an original mounting bracket amongst your spares ! Thanks again for the clarification - at least now I know exactly what I need. Lou R

Pretty sure I've finally figured this out. Apparently I'm missing a Federal "Silencer Mounting Channel" that attaches to the Federal "Silencer Mounting Bracket (which is attached to the rear of the gearbox). I think the similarity in names between these two parts was the problem (SJ's web site was also a bit confusing). The Parts Manual wasn't much help in figuring this out either. All I need to do now is locate the correct part. Nothing on SJ's site for Federal cars and the incorrect home market Silencer Mounting Channel I purchased some time ago doesn't fit to the Federal Silencer Mounting Bracket currently installed on my car. Can't use the home market bracket as it changes the height of the silencer which is tied into the different rear valences between home market and Federal cars. I've got a question into Steve at SJ's to see if he can help out - fingers crossed. Worse case I can drill another hole in my bracket so the home market channel will fit. Also looking at how the S3's are set-up (based on DRIESTONE's photo) - might be a solution there as well. Thanks ! Lou R

Thanks for the responses. Seems odd that Lotus went with this mounting method - I'd be worried the rings would slip off the bracket. Also, home market cars have the Silencer Mounting Channel (different from the Silencer Mounting Bracket which attaches to the rear of the gearbox) while Federal cars do not. I couldn't tell from the provided photos if the rings were attached to the channel or the bracket. Regardless, now I have an idea of what Lotus intended so I'll go out there today and have another look and see if I can make it work. I guess I could always find another way to secure the silencer but I was just trying to stay as original as possible. Thanks very much for your responses. Lou R

Hi All, Another seemingly simple problem I can't seem to resolve on my Federal S2. In this case, for the life of me I cannot determine how to attach the silencer to the rear of the car so it is safely secured. I've got the Federal style Silencer Mounting Plate (installed on my gearbox) and the mounting rings. The rings provide the support for the silencer but I cannot see how/where to attach them to the Silencer Mounting Plate. I've seen photos of home market cars and the silencer doesn't appear to attach to the Euro version of the Silencer Mounting Plate. I've thoroughly reviewed the Parts Manual and I do not seem to be missing any brackets, hangars, etc. to aid in the support of the silencer. The rings have to attach to something otherwise they provide no purpose. Can anyone shed some light on this ? Thanks, Lou R

Thanks for the responses. I'm certain everything is correct for the manual tensioner currently installed on the car. I don't think a workaround like a shorter stud or thin head bolt will work - that belt flutters about when the engine is running and the belt clearance needed likely won't be available with the proposed remedies above. I haven't received confirmation yet that A/C cars (or all S2's regardless if they were A/C or not) were equipped with the automatic tensioner. If it turns out that all S2's had the automatic tensioner installed at the factory then that's what I'll likely go with. Lotus specified the automatic tensioner for a reason (easier to access for servicing ?) - I don't know what that reason is ! Steve, the compressor belt has to run on the outer groove of the compressor pulley and the inner groove on the crank pulley - any other belt positioning doesn't line up with the accessories and all of the belts (A/C, alternator and water pump) are then askew. The belt set-up I have now works for all of the accessories (although the alternator belt is a bit askew). Lou R

Hi All, Was wondering if someone could help me with a problem on my S2. My car is an A/C car but is equipped with a manual belt tensioner (eccentric hub). The stud that protrudes from the tensioner seems likely to interfere with the compressor belt (see photo). Can anyone confirm if any of the A/C cars used the automatic tensioner exclusively ? It seems odd to me that someone would go to the trouble to revert back to a manual tensioner (from an automatic one) which also requires a different front engine cover. My car had sat for quite a few years when I got it so I guess anything is possible ! There is a reference in the Parts Manual that implies the A/C cars used the automatic system but I'm not entirely convinced. The auto tensioner and the corresponding front cover are both available from SJ (that's the good news). Can anyone shed any light on this ? Thanks, Lou R S2 Tensioner 1.pdf

Hi Steve, I'm going to have to give this a closer look. I didn't just make up that note indicating it was supposed to be attached behind the actuator (although it's been so long I don't remember). I suspect you are correct in that it was siliconed to the bulkhead (inside the cabin) as there were traces of old silicone on the cap. If I can get it to fit I'll likely replace it on the bulkhead. It was very easy to agree it was not part of the car when I wasn't sure what to do with it. Lou R

Gis, Thanks ! I only referred to them as "motors" because that's how they're listed in the Parts Manual. I'm glad I'm not missing any parts aside from the pins and safety clips - I can easily find substitutes that will work since none of the usual suppliers seem to offer them. Yes, both of my actuators are still working - good thing since they also do not seem to be available (at least in original form). I'll reconnect everything as per your description and hopefully all will be working as designed. I've attached a photo of my bluish/green cap which my own notes indicated was behind the actuator. If no one else has one (and nothing seems to be described in the Parts Manual) then maybe I can just forget about it and not worry. Thanks again. Lou R

Hi All, I have a few final questions/issues to resolve before I can wrap up the HVAC on my S2 and mount it in the car. I've attached a few photos below to help explain my dilemma. Hope you don't mind me reaching out to you for some help on my S2 HVAC. I'm close to finishing it up and mounting it but I came across a couple issues I thought you might be able to shed some light on (you seem to have the most knowledge of the Esprit S2 HVAC than others on the forum). Photo 1 is the flapper valve arrangement under the bonnet. Photo 2 is a closeup of the 2 connectors that connect to the square rod on the flappers. Photo 3 shows my vacuum motor. I'm confused on how the vacuum motor attaches to this mechanism that moves the flappers. The vacuum motor doesn't have anything attached to its end (the arm that comes out of the motor). Is there another arm that I'm missing that should be attached to the end so that it can be (somehow) attached to the square rod ? Mine wasn't attached when I took it off the car and the Parts Manual doesn't help much in the illustration or parts identification. If anyone has a photo of what it looks like once it's assembled I would greatly appreciate it if you could forward it along. Lastly, my notes indicate there's a small greenish/blue cap that is supposed to be installed behind the vacuum motor. I'm pretty sure I have the part but it doesn't seem to fit well and when I put it against the firewall it would seem it would limit the movement of the vacuum motor's arm. can anyone provide clarification ? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Lou R

Thanks again Steve. I suspected it was related to the HVAC because of the silicone on the hose. For the life of me I couldn't visually align the mounting holes in the panel to anywhere under the dash. Guess I didn't look hard enough. Anyway, I'm glad this was resolved before I reinstalled the heater/A/C matrix - looks like it should go in before the heater. Thanks again ! FYI, I found a note I had written out some time ago regarding the Bowden cable for the heater box. The note just gave some simple directions I would have most likely forgotten. One item my note did state was the water valve was attached to the pedal box ! Another mystery solved !

I've been putting my car back together after a long restoration and came upon the part on the attached photos. Does anyone have any idea what this part is and where it goes ? I suspect it's part of the HVAC system but I can't seem to align the mounting holes with any of the existing holes on my car. Pretty sure I've gone over the entire car and have looked everywhere but I'm coming up empty ! Anyone have any guidance ? Thanks, Lou R Part 1.pdf Part 2.pdf

Steve, Thanks for the photo. I suspected the capillary tube entered through that tiny hole but my tube has a fitting on the end that is supposed to be attached to something inside the matrix. Naturally, the fitting is too large to fit through the tiny hole so I'll have to be creative and either try to remove it/reattach it (so I can slip it through the hole) or drill out the tiny hole and find a grommet or some silicone to fill the void after the tube is inside the matrix. I replaced the heater core when I overhauled the matrix a number of years ago - it has a clamp attached to it to hold the capillary tube. Maybe the fitting on the end is redundant - I'll check the original core tomorrow to see if it has a fitting. Regardless, seems I should be able to straighten this out. It's difficult to tell where the water valve attaches to. My valve definitely has a mounting bracket but I can't find a suitable hole to rivet it to without interfering with something else. I can't see the attachment point on your photo but when I look in the general vicinity of mine there's nothing there to attach to. Our cars are one serial number apart - they're probably the same. I'll just have to study it a bit further to figure it out. If you come across any additional info that might shed some light on the mounting point I'd be grateful if you could forward it along. Thanks again for the help. Lou R

I'm finally putting my car back together after a long restoration. It's been so long I seem to have forgotten some finer details and my disassembly notes don't seem to provide any guidance. Specifically, I can't remember where the capillary tube from the water valve enters into the heater matrix and rests against the heater core. My car is an A/C car so I've got the larger matrix. I've looked at it carefully and I can't find any entry points on the plastic cowling. Can anyone provide some guidance on where the capillary tube enters the matrix ? Also, I'm assuming the water valve attaches to the firewall ? Again, nothing in my notes. Many thanks for a ny assistance. Lou R

Alistair, You may want to check with SJ on the brackets. Although not listed on their website I was able to source the 2 rear compressor brackets and the belt tensioner. You can buy a Sanden SD508 from Vintage Air here in the US - not sure how much the shipping would cost. I also saw the condenser on SJ's website - I found an NOS one a few years ago in Italy. Lou R

Ben, I had my S2's interior recovered in Crypton Suede but I used Caviar (black). I bought it online here in the US from customer.service@joann.com. I bought 8 yards for about USD 200. Not sure if it is widely available outside of the US not do I know of any non-US sellers. At least you can get it if you can find a good color match. FYI, the upholsterer I used said it was somewhat difficult to work with on tricky corners as it doesn't want to stretch very much. Anyway, I'm very happy with the end result of using this fabric. I have some photos somewhere which I will try to post. Lou R

Interesting. My potentiometer had 2 leads connecting it to the circuit board. I surmise the PO somehow managed to separate the pot from the circuit board and decided to run some wire between the circuit board and the pot as an easier means to make the repair. Regardless, my pot is broken so a new one is required. Since the wires are already soldered to the PCB I think I might just as well solder the other ends to the replacement pot. I'll follow Esprit Freek's advice and locate a new 10K Ohm pot. Steve, thanks for providing the earlier thread - I like the improvements you made and suspect I'll do the same to ensure it doesn't vibrate loose over time. Thanks very much for helping me out ! Lou R

Steve, the thermistors used on the later Esprits (noted above) look to be entirely different from those used on the S2. I think my best option at this time is to first replace the potentiometer. The potentiometer referenced by LOTUSMAN33 appears to be an on/off switch with no capability to rotate to decrease the A/C temperature (?). Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong - electronics are way out of my wheelhouse ! I searched the forum for your earlier thread but came up empty. As I noted above, electronics are not my area of expertise so if anyone can recommend a potentiometer that will work in my car's A/C I'd be most grateful. LOTUSMAN33, please correct me if I'm wrong about the potentiometer you referenced - sorry but I'm a novice here ! My car is just starting to go back together after a very long restoration. The body came out of the paint shop about a month ago, the chassis is completed and the engine and transaxle have been rebuilt and placed in the chassis. I'm hoping to mate the body and chassis in short order and then install the harness and the million or so other items. Interior is also re-upholstered and ready for install. I'll provide more photos as I progress. Esprit Body.pdf Esprit Chassis.pdf