Yellow and Green

Nothing goes there. Those are the bolt holes that you attach the bracket to when you pull the engine.

I can't think of any correlation to running the battery down and the immobilizer. The immobilizer is very easy to bypass, though it's not in a very accessible spot and we don't really like to advertise how to do it on a public forum. Have you fully charged the battery since it went low? What are the exact symptoms you have when trying to start? No crank? Crank and no start? What is the red light on the center of the dash doing during this?

Great news! Just one of those crazy Lotus things.

See the wiring diagram. It’s not the flasher module because the same module is used for hazards and flashers. Check fuse A2 in the front compartment. Then, when it’s not that, turn your hazard flashers on and off about 10 times in rapid succession and your turn signals will work again. Keep in mind (after looking at the wiring diagram) that the turn signal wiring all goes through the hazard switch, so a dirty contact there will cause a problem (hence why you are turning them on and off a few times).

You aren't going to get very far without the wiring diagram and a lot of good guessing. I'll try to PM you the wiring diagram after posting this. But before you go through all this trouble, why not just order an ignition switch from the vendors and replace it? It only takes about 10 minutes once you have the right part. I built a harness to accomplish what you are trying to do while I was waiting for the parts to ship. As the previous poster mentioned, you need two switches: one constant contact to turn on all the accessory power, and a second momentary switch to turn over the starter. It's worth noting that neither of these will bypass the immobilizer, so you'll need to operate that as normal. You can build a harness with spade connectors to avoid hacking up any wiring if you still choose to go that route.

My car has the single filler and I’ve essentially come up with two ways to fully fill the car: 1) Fill it full blast until the pump clicks off, then wait 2 or 3 minutes and top it off 2) Set the pump at about half speed (lock the handle half open) and let it fill slowly. I can typically get about 16.5 US gallons in after the low fuel warning starts to flash. I have measured my car at 23 MPG highway at 80 MPH, and about 18 in typical city driving. The V8s do have larger equalizer pipes than the earlier cars, but it still is slower than the pump. This feature just gives me time to tell more people at the station that, no, it’s not a Ferrari.

No need to take the intake off. You can reach under it from the back (towards the front of the car) and get it back on the nipple. Mine is more of a formed hose that makes it a bit easier to install. It’s the manifold vacuum for the fuel pressure regulator. Good luck!

Hi Ray, The key blank is a JMA "OPWYP" (JMA 2111). You can order them easily online and bring them to a locksmith who knows how to cut "sidewinder" keys. The normal stores with key-cutting machines like WalMart will have no idea how to do this, so find a competent real locksmith. New lighted key blanks are still available, but I don't think you can buy them without buying the whole lock set. Replacing the whole lock set requires you to change the ignition lock (fairly easy) and the door locks (less easy). I've posted a pic of what the current lighted key looks like, along with the JMA blank. Jake

There are some variances based on the year of Esprit. For the 99 (or any V8 with the wing mounted to the boot lid), yours is operating correctly. For those models, you get the locking strut that holds all that weight in the “up” position. To lift that giant wing up would take a very strong piston Personally I prefer that arrangement because I can never accidentally open my trunk up and collide with something, but I could also understand the opposite appeal! Jake

Nah, that's not high at all. 100C equals only 212F, and most manufacturers these days aren't turning on cooling fans (aside from with the A/C) until 220F or more. The Lotus manual even says not to worry about high temperatures unless you get to the warning light level - but I would never let mine go that far. Keep in mind that the gauge is not linear; that is, it has the widest "swing" in the normal operating temperature range (82C - 100C). If it appraches 120C, then it's time to start worrying a bit. An engine is most efficient at warmer temperatures, so don't be tempted to remove the thermostat or install a cooler one. I've seen some on these forums who believe it will help prevent liner leaking issues, but that logic is completely counter intuitive. Once the thermostat opens at the stock 82C, there is no difference whatsoever. The only thing a cooler thermostat accomplishes is making your car less efficient, more of the time. (** all assuming the car hasn't been modified from stock requiring changes to the cooling system design **) Enjoy that car. It's working perfectly! Jake

What do you consider a little warmer than you'd like? The ECU should tell the fans to come on at 100 degrees C. Jake 98 V8 #5651

Hi Matthew, Apologies if this seems elementary, but I've seen similar symptoms in cars that did not have the cooling system bled properly. Are you certain you have the air completely bled from both the radiator and the nipple near the thermostat? What's leading me to that suggestion is how quickly you say it cools down. I'm wondering if you are vapor locked just bad enough that you can drive along normally without overheating, but don't have the capacity to cool when beating on the engine. It's probably super-heating the area near the coolant sensor, but perhaps not the rest of the system. My technique for doing this is to use a coolant pressure tester to pump up the system when it's cold so you don't have to dump hot coolant on yourself. It's a long shot, but I'm hoping that it is a $0 fix for you. Jake