Peter H.

I know there are lots of posts about electric windows on this forum. I have read most of them, but not all of them....so apologies if this is a repeat. If you are new to electric window problems, I would highly recommend you read the other posts in conjunction to this one. PROBLEM: Windows very slow in rising up and eventually stop before fully closing. Needed to wait a 4-5 seconds before being able to lower window. SOLUTION (Part 1): I removed the window motor and lift mechanism (other posts cover this) and attached the motor directly to 12v supply. The motor performance was improved, but not significantly and when the window arm reaches its limit, it still cuts out and cannot be moved in the opposite direction with out waiting a few seconds. The cause of this was the copper thermal switch inside the motor housing (it is about 20x10x4mm). This is covered in another post, so I'll not go into it here other than to say I soldered in a new thermal switch (from Amazon HERE). It needs to be mounted externally as there was is enough space inside the motor housing. I've never opened up a motor before, but they are surprisingly simple and robust inside. Mine was filthy inside and looked like it had some water ingress. SOLUTION (Part 2): Having replaced the thermal switch and reinstalling the window motor, it was still very sluggish....but no longer cutting out. I removed the whole mechanism again, and also removed the motor from the lifting arm. Without the motor attached, I was expecting the lifting arm to rotate easily about the cog mechanism. In my case I found this to be really stiff, even after I released the coiled spring. This is not something that can be dismantled, but I did managed to work in some grease and improved it quite a lot, but to be honest, it was still a bit to stiff for my liking. After trying out the mechanism again, it improved, but not by a great deal. What I did realise at this stage was that although the window is very slow going up, it really flies coming down......this is how I came by an easy modification. The coiled spring on the mechanism (see photo) is intended to tighten and build resistance when the window movement goes down. This resistance is then released to assist the window going up. With the window mechanism on the work bench, I found that the spring was just about overcoming the rotation stiffness I mentioned earlier and would be of little help in actually lifting the window. To improve the performance of the spring, I used a grinder to cut a further groove (90deg to the existing one - see arrow point in photo) in the pivot point. This allows the spring to be rotated 45deg before slotting back in, which gives it much more tension than it had before. I reinstalled the mechanism and was really please with the results...its not perfect, but much much better than what it was. The upwards lifting is much better and the downward stoke is a tiny bit slower, but barely noticeable. To improve this further, I feel the solution is to further release the resistance when the window arm rotates about the cog mechanism. It seems far to stiff, but it as previously mentioned, it is not something that can be dismantled or adjusted, but I am sure there is a solution out there. Anyway, I hope this is helpful.

I do follow the auctions and have sold an Austin Healey through Silverstone's....very pleased with the result. If you feel the car has a good history and presents well, then I would suggest either Silverstone's or Historic's. I do follow Anglia Car Auctions... there offerings tend to be more modest and perhaps don't have the 'buyer reach' that the other two have.

Wow, looks really good. When you say the cost is reasonable, what sort of £££?

I have some suspension parts to shot blast and powder coat. Does anyone know who could do this in the Berkshire/Bucks area?

Hi guys, I'm about to replace the rear springs, shocks, discs, pads and bushes on my 88 Esprit with 64K miles. While I am at it, I just wondered if there is anything else I should be doing. e.g Wheel bearings: there is no evidence they need doing, but at 64K miles, should I do them anyway? Radius Arm Rubber Mounts: they look in reasonable order, but should I do them anyway? Nuts, bolts, washers: Should I be replacing all these whilst doing the bushes. They came off fine and have some surface rust, but seem in reasonable order?

I have the paper 'Service Note' manual for this year and it is without doubt the bible for these cars. Unfortunately, I can't part with it, but I got mine from South West Lotus Centre for around £80. Not that I would have bought one, but there seems to be cheaper (probably pirate copies) service note manuals on ebay for all the other Esprits, but not the 1988 x180. If there are a handful of pages/sections you need, I'd be happy to scan and email them to you.

😂

Hello Pete, to be honest, I have not had to get under the car since I took this photo. I had hoped to crack on with refurbishing the rear suspension, but have been pottering with other things and not yet got around to it yet. I was really please with it, only two things to remember: Set the lifter so it lifts on the overlapping join between the sill and the floor pan. This is where the strength is. Get some long axle stands to transfer some of the weight once lifted. I bought Sealey AS3000 Axle Stands

Thanks guys for the info.

Thanks for the response Atwell, I'm not sure, but have attached a photo of the seal.

I have an 1989 X180 and I get a sort of crackling noise in the cabin whilst driving. It seems to come from the glass roof, but I wondered if anyone had found a solution to it?

If you can't dehumidify or concerned about electricity costs, then the next best thing is good ventilation. I large vent on two opposing walls, allows natural through air ventilation. If you think about it, by and large, that's what a cocoon is doing.

Someone bagged a bargain HERE

It's rare to see one Esprit in an auction, but there are three for sale in this month's CCA Auction A pretty good condition S3 has a guide price of £14 to £18k which sounds like a bargain.

Just to add to what Barry mentioned......ebay is great for low volume and low delivery cost of fixings (particularly stainless steel)