hedgerley

My first post on the Pistonheads Esprit Forum way back in 2001 was about the Bertone Emotion. There is a bit of info on their current site where they discuss prototypes - Lotus Emotion

Spoke to Black Circles this morning. 285/35/18 not available in the UK but can be ordered from the continent and plenty of stock available. Good news as I am about to put the F1s on the front and I'd like the same all round. Good chat with them as well as they had just got off the phone with Kato and were hugely complimentary of LEW and the forum. Mosty unlike any other marque clubs they deal with and really impressed with the "community spirit". And I got my LEW discount. Cool.

I know tyre choice has been done to death in various forums and I'm aware of everyones recommendations, but I'm after Goodyear Eagle F1s which I have been impressed with on my other cars over the years. Fronts are available but it appears they don't do the rear size. Anyone confirm/deny this?

Sorted my electrical gremlins by replacing the alternator. Car is now perfect, except the battery tell tale has blown. Anyone out there replaced these bulbs? Any advice? The service manual I have describes the pre 98 dash (boomerang) removal but not the revised. Any thoughts appreciated.

Ah ha! At last a picture of a Titanium V8-GT with the Oz Novas. I am contemplating doing the same in the New Year but was trying to imagine what they might look like against the silver/grey. She who must be obeyed has just taken a look and approves, so that decision is made! I have the 02/03 light conversion on order so will be doing that first in January. This car is really getting to me....

Yes it is Titanium, yes it did have 28k on the clock but no, not off eBay. I bought it privately. I'm very pleased with it.

It was interesting discussing this issue with my PO. He had already priced in a discount on his 98 V8-GT because of the liner issue - no remedial work had been undertaken. He was getting sick and tired of explaining this time after time as every one who enquired asked the same question then walked away, despite the very low price. So, I come along having driven several, all priced considerably higher. At 29k miles, mint condition, full history and absolutely no sign of liner leakage, I snap it up at a good

The problem has returned, except now the battery light does not come on with the ignition and does not appear when the engine is running even though the battery is not charging. So, I've been checking the alternator out and there are no loose terminals. However, the earth braid linking the engine cradle to the chassis side rails at the right underside of the engine looked badly corroded and was in fact bright green! A quick prod and it basically disintegrated between my fingers. So, the braid and bolts are now removed and I'll replace them tomorrow. Wondering exactly what depends on this earth braid I re-connected the battery and fired her up. Not only did she start but as far as I can tell all systems are go, except the battery light and no charging scenario of course. I'm pretty much up to speed on the oily bits but electrics baffle me. Can anyone tell me the purpose of this earth and when sorted, will my alternator spring back to life?

Since the battery light went out I've done several long runs and she has run perfectly. Started first time after a week and all voltages are correct. No coolant leaks, all sytems fine. Interestingly, the headlamps no longer pop up when when she starts, as she has always done since I got her. If, as some suggest, this indicates a low battery, perhaps it was never quite right and this minor episode has cleared the problem altogether. Hope it stays that way.

I had to abort a long trip last week at 100 miles or so in, the battery light came on, along with the ABS and ECU lights. Pulled over, checked belts, fuses etc. all OK. Battery light remained on at tickover. AA confirmed no charging = bad alternator. So, got it back home and left it for a week as I work away from home. Went into garage this afternoon to turn the engine over. Battery OK and it fired first time, warmed it up - battery light still on. Voltage check confirmed no charging. I then get in and notice the light varying in brightness with the tickover. A quick prod and the light glows much brighter. Another prod to 4k rpm and the light goes out. So I go out for an hour or so, run the aircon, headlights and radio all the way, no battery light. She ran absolutely perfectly. Back home to check the voltages and sure enough the battery is charging at tickover, up around 14v, with 12.7v showing with the engine off. All seems well. So, should I just put this down to a Lotus foible or should I not trust it on a long trip again before checking the alternator? As others have suggested, could this have been a bad earth somewhere? Anyone have any other ideas?

Yes, they are a TVR specialist, also Rover (some monster racing 75s apparently) and my PO reckoned they did a good servicing job on the Esprit, seemed to know what they were about. No body shop capability though - I asked them about the rear light upgrade just after I got my 98 V8. I've got a private warranty for the Esprit which covers dealer rates so I'll give Murray a go if anything breaks, as it no doubt will at some point..........

Having driven an NSX, albeit some time ago, and several Esprit over the years (as well as my own V8-GT which I've had 6 weeks) there is no contest. The NSX is a car that my Grandmother could drive down to Sainsburys for her weekly groceries and she could probably do good job down a decent A road - and thats the point. You have to drive an Esprit, engage with it, get involved, really get your act together if you want to get the best out of it. Ultimately its much more rewarding then a Honda! As for the looks, no contest. People actually stop and stare and want to chat about the Esprit. I don't know anyone amongst my fellow Petrol Heads who would give an NSX a second glance. Buy with your heart, but engage your brain first........ and get a well sorted Esprit. As for garages in Scotland, Dreadnought over in Callander did a good job according to my PO. I will probably give Murray in Edinburgh a chance to impress me before I go searching for an independent when the time comes.

Re your dead horse......... Just for clarification, the expansion tank is situated at the back of the wheel arch, the header tank is the one in the engine bay with the pressure cap. Its likely that the expansion tank could indeed be empty, but if the header tank is empty then yes, something is amiss. As per my comments on the other thread, check the cap and gasket first. A lot cheaper than delving into more complex causes.

Yes, the long tube that screws into the header tank is the level sensor. As you will see on the other thread, I lost a whole header tank of water on my newly acquired V8-GT 2 weeks ago. Problem was a petrified and split cap gasket, now sorted. However, the light stayed on when I filled up the tank and I suspected the electrics to - however the float had stuck in its tube. In fact, when I removed it it was filled with gunk from the system, was dirty brown in colour and generally a mess. Several runs under a hot water tap and lots of shaking removed the muck and got the float moving. I plan to have the whole system flushed out at the next service and refilled as to be honest, it was like mud and sand in there. God knows what the insides of the collant circuit look like.

Just back from the highlands. Fantastic roads that I know really well, awsome in the Esprit, even if I rarely got the chance to fully extend it as she who must be obeyed was sat with me (overtaken by a Fiat Punto anyone?). I must go back and do Tomintoul to Braemar again on my own, although the first snows of winter have arrived up in Glenshee so will probably wait until Spring now. So, the car never missed a bit but I do have a very damp carpet in the boot, at the lowest, rearmost well, right behind the rear panel. No luggage was wet (surprised how much stuff I got in there by the way) and none of the 'pull out' carpet is wet, just the bit glued to the boot floor, down in the rear well. I checked the drainage holes for the rear hatch, no blockage. Any ideas how/where the water gets in? We did come through a lot of rain on Fiday and today.

I had a brief water loss problem on my newly acquired V8-GT. On one run I lost an entire header tank full. As it was mostly streaming down the outside of the tank I suspected the cap (nothing in the oil by the way). Once cooled and lifted, turns out the gasket was perishing, warping and had in fact split completely. So, new cap, new gasket installed a few days ago and water loss zero, so far. Also noticed it takes a lot longer to heat up when standing. I to haven't seen over 100 whereas it did go higher when I first drove it a few weeks ago. Off on a jaunt up the West Coast of Scotland tomorrow. I'll post any problems but don't envisage any.

All this negativity...... After reading the interviews with the MD and several threads in other forums, I think its certain the new Esprit will appear late 07. By all accounts the development programme is well advanced, with the V8 engine decided, the final shape signed off and wind tunnel testing in full swing. They have over 160 engineers assigned and it is reckoned to be the biggest project they have undertaken. So come on, lets be a bit more positive!

Picked up my 98 V8-GT 2 weeks ago. Everything I ever expected and more. Mint condition, totally standard but with original Lotus Sports exhaust. 29k miles, to which I've added a thousand in the past two weeks (and I work in London Monday to Friday - I live in Scotland - so only take it out weekends at the moment). Runs perfect, no problems so far. A very well looked after example, a tradition I will continue as this is my deposit on the new Esprit due late 07!

Don't think so. I did nearly 400 miles last Friday. Saturday morning, first twist of the ignition, up they popped briefly. Its had regular runs all weekend and this morning, same symptom.

New here tonight, had my V8-GT exactly a week and have a related 'problem' - the pods elavate and lower when I start the car. Is this part of a 'system' check or something, do all Esprits do it, or is the start of an electrical gremlin?

I've had my 1998 V8-GT exactly a week and had this very problem today. The coolant warning light came on and sure enough, once it was all cooled down and I removed the cap, the header tank was completely empty. The outside of the tank was wet with warm coolant. I thought it had ruptured at the joint. However, I noticed the gasket in the cap was split - thats where it was leaking from. And yes, the red plastic prongs are level with the joint so I refilled to that level, fixed the cap and went for a blast. All seems well.