Failing2Excel

Washing the ethanol out isnt that bad, if you know youve got to do it in advance and have some time/space to do it. Trying to do it 1 gallon at a time, running backwards and forwards between home and the petrol station... thats not fun, especially when you dont know how far youll have to go before you can get E5. Yes, vaguelly aware of megasquirt, same sort of thing as speeduino, ME221 etc, popular for good reasons, cheap and simple. My Land Rover is a 3.9 V8, broken so badly that nobody can fix it, partially due to electronics, but may also have had very bad bore wash. Waiting for some nice weather to investigate, since I've no garage. As for EFI-converting an Excel, it may not be a great idea, since the standard carbs produce great power. Just doing the internet equivelant of thinking aloud, I presume since the standard carbs are worth quite a bit, theyd be worth selling (or putting to one side to make the conversion reversable) so then some ITBs would be needed (or a single, but that would probably reduce power, so whats the point), a throttle position sensor, a MAF sensor, crank and/or camshaft position sensor, and probably a few others that I cant recall. The fuel pump and injectors are cheap, Id guess that an early Toyota item might be a direct fit, but thats a long shot. Injector placement is tricky, either a new inlet manifold, or drill holes in the standard one, but thats hardly optimal. Then all the tuning to get it running well, increased insurance premiums because its modified (Im only 21!) All that hassle and expense for 5% fuel savings? Definately not worth it. The problems Ive got with making the leap are 1.) Prices have gone up a fair bit, and 2.) The MX5 fastor - this is the term I use to arbitrarily compare "fun" cars that arent MX5s to an MX5, because when I had my SS1, everyone told me I was a moron for not buying an MX5 (Despity the SS1 being 100kg lighter, almost entirely rustproof, far more unique, etc etc). And looking at Excel prices, for the less money I could get a really nice MK1, MK2 or MK3 MX5, with money left for mods when the desire for more power inevitably strikes. The other quite similar, very temping car at that price range is a TVR 350i, now Ive never driven either, but from what I know and from what Ive read, the Lotus appears to be the better car, its galvanised, its got a solid roof, 4 seats, etc. On the other hand, the TVR has a Rover V8, so parts are cheaper and options for increasing power are plentiful. As tempted as I was to buy someone elses unfinnished project Rover V8 engined Excel, I still think Id better wait for a running driving example. I presume that a Rover V8 engined Excel is worth far less than one with its original Lotus engine? Anyone selling?

Ahh okay, so there are a bunch of seals that are far more hassle than its worth to change, noted. When I had trouble finding E5, I ended up having to wash the ethanol out of E10, which worked out to be even more expensive since youre basically throwing away 10% of the fuel, and the octane of that remaining fuel is terrible since ethanol has an octane of 108 or something iirc. Brake pedal, I agree. I find VAG cars to be the worst, although I suspect all german cars are the same, likewise with floor mounted accelerator pedals, horrible, cant stand them. My current daily, a Subaru Legacy, is excellent. If you slam on the brakes, it stops instantly, and theyre progressive enough to make heel-n-toe very easy. Is the brake bias adjustable? I understand why the fronts will lock up first, because if the backs locked first it would spin very very easilly. Is it possible to get the brake bias perfect, so that the fronts and backs lock up? On my land rover thats what happens, unless Ive got something really heavy over the rear axle to stop them from locking. Electronic ignition and EFI arent particularly expensive to add these days, speeduinos and so on are dirt cheap, and if it reduced fuel consumption by say 15%, and meant I could run on regular E10 rather than premium, thats quite a substantial saving over the course of a few years. And justifying 30mpg, its not so much a bottom line thing, its not like Ill have to eat plain rice to scrape enough money together for my next tank of fuel, but its more of an "is it worth it" feeling every time youre standing at a que in a petrol station behind someone who cant decide is they want the snickers or the mars bar. It stings a lot less is you go there half as often and it costs you half as much, but then you do have to drive away in something far less interesting like a diesel Skoda.

Yes, there are 2 main issues with E10, although they apply to E5 in places where E5 has ethanol (Most of England, E5 has no ethenol in it, but in the north, and in Scotland and Wales, its 5% ethenol) 1.) It attracts water, so if you leave your car to sit for a while, particularly over winter when theres lots of condensation, you get water in the fuel tank, and thats bad for obvious reasons, as well as causing rust est, which is all crap that can block your fuel filter or the jets of the carbs etc. 2.) It eats most types of rubber, so most old cars' fuel lines will not tollerate it, and again, the rubber will perish and all those bits go somewhere, either the fuel filter or the carburettor. Ive had to rebuild carbs on small outboard motors because of ethanol, and that was before E10. So given the car wont sit for a while, if I change the fuel hoses, is there any reason I cant run E10/95ron? The reason I ask is because back when I had my Scimitar SS1 I once really struggled to find E5 sometimes. That and also obviously its more expensive, and over a few thousand miles the savings add up.

Im far too young to remember the times of leaded fuel (thankfully, nasty stuff) and from what Ive read, one used to adjust the ignition timing (and presumably the carburettors?) when running on higher or lower octane fuel. Do Excels need high octane fuel? Obviously leaded petrol is no longer sold, so do they suffer from issues with valves and valve seats? Thanks

Sounds good, will it lock all 4 wheels? Some of the non-ABS cars Ive drive, they feel like the back brakes do absolutely nothing. 30mpg sounds managable, but not great. Is there anything to be gained by switching to electronic ignition or EFI? Without ruining the magic obviously. Also - is it difficult to change/update the fuel lines to ones that are E10 compliant? Of course, I daily drove a non-ABS land rover, and never felt that the brakes were lacking (it was on offroad tyres, which werent great in the wet). The only "Ohh sh1t" moment I had was when someone pulled out of a blind junction unexpectedly and I stopped only a couple of feet away.

What would you say is the minimum I should expect to spend on something I could use frequently? Doesnt have to be anything fancy, frankly it wouldnt bother me if it didnt have any paint at all. Will they stop the car sufficiently? Obviously Ill have good tyres on, but am I going to have a crash and go "well that wouldnt have happaned if I had a "propper" car, or an MX5 or whatever" I guess "reliability" and "low maintainance cost" arent the same - At best Id call myself a novice when it comes to actually working on cars. I've got the understanding of how the things work etc, I'm doing an engineering degree after all, but what I dont have is the knowledge or experience to know when I'm about to break something, or to know what I cant do. Id like to think that I could rebuild an engine, by following a book etc - but I've no doubt that reality is quite a long way away from what Id like to think. Thats fine, I'm not after all out straight line speed, I've used up my SAC already, I want something nimble and fun. Yeah, Id say that the thing with electrics is, if they work, dont mess. And if they dont work, you arent left stranded (unless its dark)

Tyres, certainly. Suspension and brakes - those are bits Id want to see what the standard ones are like before upgrading, because I wouldnt want to ruin the ride etc. Only reason Id touch the engine is either for better reliability. Fuel economy and power would take a back seat.

Yeah, that sounds bonkers, have you had that on a dyno? Engines fitted, with gearboxes and exhausts all mounted, complete interiors etc? Also, a more general Excel question - what are the brakes like?

How competant of a mechanic would I need to be? I dont have a lift, or even an engine hoist, but Im studying engineering and Im keen on cars, Ive done an engine swap before (With a mate, on a small, fwd daihatsu) and as mentioned, I havnt got a garage or big shed or anything. How economical can you get the V8 to be? My 3.9 efi manual discovery averaged around 14mpg, high 17s if I was careful, and about 12 around town, including racing corsas at the lights... If I could get an Excel (or similar) to do 30mpg+ then that would be excellent, I could even use it everyday! Mileage - Well this really depends a lot, Id definately drive it at least once a week, to make sure everything works and that the fuel doesnt go stale etc etc, so Id manage at least 1500 miles a year, otherwise its not really worth having at all. Depending on how reliable/economical/enjoyable it was, I could use it 4 times as much, possibly even more if I took it on longer journeys as well as the daily commute.

Well guys - a bit of a thread revival! In the end, I wimped out and bought a subaru instead - but I still fancy something RWD, so I'm saving up for something interesting. (I really fancy a Lotus or a TVR, something british) With excels - is there an LSD available for them? Also, as a product of the 21st centuary, is there a trodden path into an EFI conversion, rather than the carbs? I'm the furthest thing from a purist one can get, but I do like my cars to look relatively unmodified at a glance - so if an engine swap is a good idea, Id love to learn more! Ive seen a couple of V8 conversions (Rover V8 and Chevrolet LS). Im a fan of the Rover V8, but it doesnt make much power and it doesnt rev brilliantly (at least not in land rover form) so I'm not sure if its a great engine for a sports car, and obviously theres no point butchering a good one. Power steering isnt a must, neither are electric windows, or electric anything for that matter. Just stuff that works! Not too fussed on colour, but I must say that I dont particularly like the red. Interior wise is where I do get a bit fussy - I dont like the cream, or the brown, or the blue, Id strongly prefer to have the grey or black interior. Prices seem higher than ever before - whats the general consencus on this? Are the prices staying high, going higher, or soon to come down? Obviously a modified, frequently driven, un-garaged example isnt going to hold its value or appreciate as well as a mint one locked kept under a roof and only driven 3 times a year, but thats not an option for me. If I buy one, it'll live outside, be driver quite often. Not in the market for one just yet, I probably need to save some more to get into a driveable example.

Hi guys! Im new to the forum and to lotuses/loti in general, so apologies if this isnt the best place to post this. So after a quick dabble with a Scimitar SS1, I am completely converted to the lighweight RWD classic sportcar. I had a few minor complaints about the SS1, so Im hoping that an Excel (or one of its siblings) might be the answer. The SS1 wasnt very practical, only had 2 seats and quite a small boot. And very little headroom with the hardtop. Also mine being the 1600 CVH engined one it was quite slow and very unrefined. So, is a lotus the answer to my problems? Does an Excel drive like a propper sports car, as well as being practical enough for day to day use and long journeys? Perhaps theres a different model I should look into? (Not the Elan) What sort of price should I be looking to pay for something in decent condition? Im not after a show car, but also not a project which is going to spend more time broken than running. Thanks!