TimSportsTourer

Yea, yea… The trouble is, it's always more fun to drive it than polish it. I'm quietly confident that it will be respectable. I'm sure there's a line somewhere that an Esprit looks beautiful, even when it is covered in crud. If there isn't, I may have to invent one.

Excellent! I've 1500 miles of crud to wash off before then. Ho hum. Duxford is always a lot of fun, though. I look forward to meeting you all.

OK then. I hope I'm in time… 1. Martyn Esprit SE 2. Brian Esprit S3 3. Chris (esprit22) Turbo Esprit S3 4. Mr Pig Esprit S4 5. ChrisJ Turbo Esprit 6. Dave and Bev - Yellow Lotus 7. Owen Esprit GT3 8. leeky33 Chrome Orange Evora 9. Simon Esprit S3 10. Mark Elise S1 11. Len Turbo Esprit S3 or Lotus Cortina 12. Phil Turbo Esprit S3 13. Mark Esprit S4 14. Garry Elise S1 or Elan M100 15. Paul & Karen S1 16. Paul Elite (If Ready in time) 17. Clive Elite504 18. Rob Turbo Esprit S3 19. Dave Freeman Esprit SE 20. Paul Esprit S4 21. Tim Esprit S3 22. Pete 85 turbo 23. Trevor & Lee Elise T49 24. Diego Exige V6 25. Stuart europa twin cam special 26. Stuart's Dad elite type 14 27. Steve A M100 Elan 28. Spadger27 88 Esprit Carb Turbo 29. MikeP Elan Sprint 30. TimSportsTourer Esprit S4

Is it too late for me and my Esprit S4 to sign up? It's just down the road, so it would be a shame or miss out!

Truly a thing of beauty! Welcome, yet again.

Actually, I'm not sure this is true. When I had my last MOT, I was told that they check in the computer to see what the test for a particular car is meant to entail. If your car had ABS when it was built, it is on the list to be checked. From observation at the test, I've no reason to believe otherwise. It's just as well I managed to get the ABS working again, as I too had blithely assumed I could strip it out and ignore it, but this is not so. There's a book on the .gov.uk website here that describes the MOT test. On the subject of brakes, it says: Brakes: Condition including inappropriate repairs or modifications, operation and performance (efficiency test). Note the removal of the road wheels and trims are not part of the test. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) where fitted. Check of the dashboard Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) for ABS, ESC, electronic park brake and brake fluid warning. So part of the check includes that the ABS light illuminates, and goes off, usually after three seconds, I think. What I can't remember is if they check the ABS operation on the rollers, or on a road test, whichever they choose to do. It could be that it's in the roller check, but for mine, the chap opted for a road test, worrying that the splitter would hit the ground under braking when on the rollers, and he may well have been right. Of course, he did get to drive the car, which might have been another factor in his choice. I couldn't say. The road test involved him using an accelerometer to check the car slowed appropriately. It did, it seems. It may be that you can tell the DVLA that you have removed the ABS, just like you can tell them you have changed the colour of your car, but I don't know that this is the case. I do believe that by default, they expect that if it had ABS when it was new, it still has a working ABS function. I did consider making a tiny PCB with a timer chip on it to turn the light off after 3 seconds, but I decided against it, and luckily, managed to get the ABS fixed with expending sums of money that were too vast. Phew. And actually, the brakes are working pretty well now, after a small modicum of fettling.

There's a thing called "seeing your stopping distance". It doesn't strike me as a difficult concept. Is it just me?

Looks like a beautiful car. I just clicked on the uksportscars link - my goodness, aren't Esprits drop-dead gorgeous? I guess I'm preaching to the converted round here but that's a stunning car. I do feel lucky.

Latest highway code version is here. Just some of them still remain. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222583/dg_070566.pdf

At work, we did a project on ways of detecting belt failure before it goes for a client a few years ago. It's hard to do, that much I remember. However, your failure doesn't look at all normal to me. I'm not sure I can say that for sure if the belt has a weird square profile (by modern standards), but it does seem to be due a mechanism which is not conventional or normal. Belts are usually specced for 2-3 times the life that's quoted, largely because of the magnitude of the damage that failure causes. However, it's a bell curve, and personally, I always change belts when I'm at the low end of the curve, and I don't push my luck. Ever. I stick to the recommended change times, even though I'm 99% sure it will be fine for thousands more miles.

So here are some partial answers (to questions which ultimately are mine, of course). The fault codes that were present before the ABS was cleared after the pressure switch was cleaned up and replaced in situ were: A032 open brake switch or hydraulic leak A042 low brake pressure circuit open A056 test 32 failed The ABS said that these faults have been present for 56 out of the last 56 drive cycles, IIRC. There was no obvious leak of brake fluid, and the reservoir was as expected. I guess these switch-fail codes could have come from a harness failure, so I could try shorting the switch wires, to check that it resets. I could also check the ABS switch on the brake pedal (separate from the brake lights switch, yes? 'Cos the brake lights work fine...) Wheel sensor failures etc would show differently in the ABS memory, so I think I should rule out those issues. Otherwise, it looks like the pressure switch, doesn't it? Sorry to keep banging on about this, but all your help is really good for me, and I am grateful. Cheers yet again.

A good question, and embarrassingly, I don't have a clear answer. Because the dealers (or the factory) have done all these things, I don't have a clear record of the errors. I've checked all my e-mails and I don't have a record there. It may be that the dealer or the factory noted it, so I'll have a phone around later to check. I know there have been up to six different errors, but some of them may have been from when the battery was flat before I got it. Recently, I think (from memory from Friday) 42 and 56. However, I've looked in the manual to check these, and they don't make sense, so it's probably my memory that's at fault. Does that help, Sailorbob? Really, I've been taking the word of the dealer, the factory and GST that the switch is the culprit.

Andy, I've gone back to basics and I've started re-reading the workshop manual about the ABS, with the rest of this thread to follow. I must have missed something important. I don't have the brake warning light - just the anti-lock warning light. As I understand it, the only component that could be to blame is the part labelled 32 on page Page 1 33.03A in the parts manual, so it's part number A082J6137S. Regardless which part of the switch is to blame, I still need to replace both halves. So I'm stuck for the Australian one you point out, or the Paul Matty version of the same. Two switches in a mounting, replacing one switch assembly. It's true other things like the accumulator could be shot, but the pump runs sensibly for normal amounts of time, and only every 3-5 brake presses. The pressure holds from week to week if I don't drive the car, and the brake warning light isn't on. So I can (and will) do the things you suggest (next week, when there's time, I hope!), but I can't just replace a single switch, can I? Cheers again!

Andy, Thanks for this advice. I'll give it a go (though it seems likely to be next week before I get a chance - please don't be insulted that I haven't done it yet!). However, I have to ask this - regardless of which switch is broken, I still have to get a new sensor assembly of some sort anyway, don't I? So if I'm replacing both switches together necessarily, what do I gain? Cheers.

I've spent some time reading this thread, and I've learned a lot. I wonder if you guys can offer advice on a couple of specific question, then. I've read pretty much the whole of this thread, but it's long, and I may have missed the answers above, and if so, I apologise. I think there is something new here, though. Background: My car is a very early S4. My ABS light is permanently on. I, my dealer, my Indy expert and the factory all think the pressure sensor switch is the problem. After two trips to the dealer, and two more to Hethel, the sensor switch is now cleaned up and replaced in the system and the TechScan applied to clear the faults, but the light is back on. It seems likely that my best bet is to replace the switch. Having read this thread, there are some other things I might do too, like replacing some sweating hose, etc, but I still believe I need a new pressure sensor switch. Options: 1) The much talked of Australian switch system. My Indy expert says that he's only know one of these, and it did eventually work, but it took several goes, blew up some other stuff along the way, and was a proper pain. 2) Paul Matty make a system with two switches, a t-piece and a piece of hose, together, I gather, with some wiring and a bracket. They've sold 4 or 5 at £400 + VAT. They say they've had no problems, but I can't check that. 3) Some of the other sources of switches people have listed in this thread. Questions: 1) Has anyone here had the Paul Matty kit? How is it performing? 2) Which of options 1-3 should I choose? Relevant gossip from the factory: One of the issues that has troubled me has been finding the right socket to get the sensor out! The reason it was hard to find was that there was a guy who was working on a replacement sensor. (We've all heard of that). He's now back on the production line, and had taken the socket with him, though it is now found again. From the team in the factory, there's no Lotus alternative to these third-party solutions, and I didn't hear a single word of the remotest chance that they would get round to finding one. I appreciate that this is reasonably well known, but in case anyone is harbouring covert hopes that there is something still happening, I'm convinced there isn't. And in the present environment, there certainly won't be. Thanks for helping!

At last, I've had a moment to do this, and it has all worked fine. It seems that the right tool is a 10mm ratchet ring spanner, since there isn't clearance for a socket. I took off the nuts and washers, but then was able to move the heat shield far enough on its bolts to slip the leads behind without removing it far enough for spacers etc to fall off. It was actually quite easy, once I settled in kneeling in the boot. It's still tedious and annoying that this is necessary, but it's at all bad really. Now that it's done, the engine is running smoothly, which is nice. Thanks for your reassurance that this was the right thing to do, Sparky/Vulcan. Cheers.

I guess Sparky must be right, Travis. There really isn't room in my car- the leads themselves are a bit tight, never mind the connectors, so it must depend on who did what to the car before. It's really tight. I am now resigned to loosening the heat shield. I tried for about two hours last night to slip them through, but failed totally. Can't pull the old ones out, never mind pushing new ones in! Thanks for helping, though.

Yea. I should know better. I've lived on this plant for a good while. But plug leads? I thought you couldn't make that hard. Recalibration time. The Esprit really is ludicrous. But I've never loved a car as much - even an Elise!

Life being what it is, I'll have to live with a POS AA-man botch job for a little longer, then. No more spare minutes till next week at the earliest, I think. How foolish of me to imagine that I could just go change a set of HT leads like on a car. My mistake.

Arghh! You gotta love Lotus, at times like this. Ah well. Tomorrow, then. Or next week. Thanks, Sparky. Does it have to come out, or can I just loosen it? Cheers.

Can you help me? Please? The No 2 HT lead in my car is broken. A nice AA man replaced it with a POS old thing draped over the top of the engine, and now the engine works OK. So No 2 was definitely broken. However, there's no going back, since he snipped the No 2 lead to cannibalise it. I now have a nice new set of Magnecor leads, but I can't put them in. The old ones run round the back of the engine and behind the heat shield and thus behind the turbo. However, there isn't enough room to get even the thin end of an old lead out, never mind the new ones in. The gap between the engine and the heat shield is only slightly wider than the cables, and much narrower than the narrow (coil) end of the leads. The leads must have been replaced when the turbo was out two or three owners ago. How am I meant to run the leads? Or do I have to unbolt the heat shield, chargecooler bracket etc... I rather hoped this would be a relatively easy job, but apparently, no so. I've reviewed the workshop manual to no effect, and I've had a search round here and drawn a blank too. Sorry if I've missed something along the way. Cheers, all!

Yep - still on! See you there, all being well. It should be an excellent day out. We need more of the more mature cars... Cheers.

A cross-post for my friends on MLOC - the Midlands Lotus Owners Club about a day out to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. I apologise if I'm treading on toes here, but it feels like an OK thing to do to spread the word. I think there are over 70 Lotuses signed up at the moment. Lots of other forums have had similar cross-posts, so there's a pretty wide attendance now. You have to sign up to MLOC to get your name down, but since that's free, I hope it's an acceptable price to pay. MLOC is a pretty friendly place, and Chatsworth is a pretty interesting venue, so I hope it will be a great day out. The pictures from last year are pretty impressive, and it would be particularly cool to get some older cars (i.e. not Elise/Exige variants) there too. With luck, I'll meet you there! There's a (long) thread about it, with signup details here: http://www.midlandslotus.co.uk/forum/topic/60707-mlocchatsworth-2013/ Event Title: MLOC@Chatsworth2013 Event Author: DeanB Calendar: MLOC Community Calendar Event Date: 21 Jul 2013 (Single Day Event)Following on from the success of our tenth birthday celebrations at Chatsworth last year, on Sunday 21st July 2013 we will be doing it all again! The deal is this - Meet in the Derbyshire Dales at 7.30am An hour's run on some of the best and most scenic roads in the Dales and Peaks (while traffic is light) Pre-booked breakfast at Hassop Station Cafe between 9 and 10 am approx. Another hour's run taking in some even more spectacular views Arrive at Chatsworth House between 11 and 12 noon approx - we have an area to the side of the house set aside for our exclusive parking Catered picnic at 1pm Raffle Car of the day competition The cost will be £5 per car parking at Chatsworth, £5 per person for a hot sandwich and tea or coffee at Hassop, £1 or so to cover postage and printing, and £10 per person for the picnic buffet which will include a pud and a drink. All those that would like to come along will need to pay for everything except their breakfast in advance - there will be a facility to do this via the club store soon. People can skip the run and come straight to Chatsworth if they wish, but will still need to pay the parking etc in advance via the shop. Those that came last year know what to expect. Those that didn't may wish to search for some of theMLOC@Chatsworth 2012 threads and albums for a look-see. We got lucky with the weather during a very wet summer, and I think we all had a great time. The day allows us to enjoy driving the cars, explore and enjoy one of the most beautiful parts of the UK (including of course Chatsworth House and Gardens), have a good look at lots more Lotuses (nearly 60 last year, hopefully even more this), meet and chat to fellow enthusiasts, and enjoy some good food. What's not to like? It is an early start, but worth it I reckon. Those that are travelling a distance may want to try finding a nice B&B for the Saturday night and make a weekend of it. There is plenty to see and do. Deanb

I drive a manual car at home - my Esprit, obviously. I drive lots of autos when I'm travelling for work, and have a series of rental heaps each week. For me, the problem with auto boxes is that I can never get them in the right gear at the right time. They will always insist on changing gear half way round a bend, when I REALLY don't want to be dumped into lift-off oversteer (for example). I hate that experience of lack of control. However, a good paddle shift (and I've only ever driven one such) I found a bit of a thrill. It wouldn't change gear unless I told it to, and when it did, it all happened in the bat of an eyelid, which I thought was excellent. I could concentrate more on co-ordinating the throttle and the steering. Torque-converter gearboxes can, I suppose, be a useful faff-saver in town driving or on highways, but for driving when it matters (which is why we do it, I guess), I've never been able to make one sufficiently obedient. Paddle-shifts - not so. So I'm sort of a fan. Different, but good in a new way. My ha'pporth...

I hit a rabbit in my old Elise. I got it with the front number plate. I thought it had broken the number plate, but it had shattered the front clam behind that. The hole was big enough to put my hand into. I think it was £4000 of damage, including a whole new front clam. Our cars are made of glass, not steel. I've found (to my cost) that they can be fragile in fights with wildlife. Grown-up cars probably fare better than ours. Next time, I'll just stand on the brakes to shed absolutely every last mph that it's safe to lose before impact. At the rabbit had the decency to die in the process, but there was a lot of fur to clean out of the radiator too. Yuck.