Hi all - planning to buy my first Lotus

[Moggy]

Re the fuel reading, that is part of the fuel pump, you might be able to get this separately but rather way it is a tank out job (not a technical job full day if you DIY)

I believe another option is a hole cut above the pump behind the passenger seat

LCD fuel gauge should show refill after 11ltrs which is an absolute pain if you miss when it goes onto refill.

[Dennis]

If done well that is possible, the reason mine took all day was the fuel filler pipes were stuck/could not be revived from the tank, so had to remov them from the filler neck, all straight forward until they got stuck when putting it all back together

To make matters worse when it got back together the 'new pump was just as 'noisy' as the original (paranoia cost me a few hundred £' )

[Richard]

The tension the roof with the Allen keys (keep your eye on the the moving bits under the tabs to make sure it doesn't mark the paint.

Yes, this is the part which hadn't been done (pins were in their holes, but not tightened). The allen key seems to be missing. Now it's done properly, I think it'll be fine.

LCD fuel gauge should show refill after 11ltrs which is an absolute pain if you miss when it goes onto refill.

This will be something worth watching out for

As Dennis suggests, I'll let the fuel tank fill and go down a few times, see if it starts moving again properly.

[Richard]

Hi again!

Everything seems to be going fairly well. The car now lives in a garage, so the rain/bird mess issues are largely in the past. Stuck with the soft top in the end

It kept being impractical to get to your meetings at the Buckles Inn to join properly (Tuesdays aren't great for me). About a million questions still, but I don't want to fill up your public forum with them! Is the next meeting in January?

[Moggy]

Hi again!

Everything seems to be going fairly well. The car now lives in a garage, so the rain/bird mess issues are largely in the past. Stuck with the soft top in the end

It kept being impractical to get to your meetings at the Buckles Inn to join properly (Tuesdays aren't great for me). About a million questions still, but I don't want to fill up your public forum with them! Is the next meeting in January?

Richard, Yes the next meeting will be 24.01.2017

Fire away with your questions as it is a public forum the info may also be useful to others in the future

[PaulT]

About a million questions still, but I don't want to fill up your public forum with them! Is the next meeting in January?

As Moggy says, we have this section of the forum so non-members can ask, not just about the club but anything Lotus-related. Fill yer boots

[Patrick]

Hi. Welcome to the wonderful world of Lotus ownership! You made a wise choice to avoid a hardtop. I have just traded my Elise S. It came with a hardtop which was a pain to fit and created wind noise around the windscreen, although I did not notice any rain ingress. The downside (or upside depending on your point of view ) was that my wife could not get in or out with the hardtop in place. I found it difficult and wondered if the answer would be a plank on a trolley jack to feed yourself in feet-first

[Richard]

Yes the next meeting will be 24.01.2017

I'll try hard to make it this time it'll be the last one before the MOT is due

I wouldn't have imagined the hard top making it more difficult to get in - I'm always baffled why some people don't see the fun side in the awkward access!

The two issues which stand out at the moment are the odd smell of petrol and the brake lights' reticence to come on. The smell of petrol is strongest when the tank is near full, and when the window is open/the roof is off. There does not appear to be a hissing noise when the filler cap is removed, so pressure must be lower within the tank due to some escaping gas? There's no outward sign of a leak, so I've not been too concerned, but any suggestions would be appreciated. And the brake lights do definitely work, but only when a lot of pressure is used on the pedal. Can this be easily adjusted?

And one more slightly daft question - is this the correct one to buy for one of the original S1 five spoke wheels?

http://www.seriouslylotus.com/wheels-ty ... ige-wheels

Thanks again!

[Patrick]

Hate to say this Richard but maybe it's age related? Always the gentleman I released the edge of the soft-top so Chrissie could get in easily and then slid in sideways myself! Easier if you park across two bays to open the doors wide!

[Rick101]

Petrol smell is sometimes the fuel cap seal afaik.
Not that familiar with your model but worth checking.

[Moggy]

The two issues which stand out at the moment are the odd smell of petrol and the brake lights' reticence to come on. The smell of petrol is strongest when the tank is near full, and when the window is open/the roof is off. There does not appear to be a hissing noise when the filler cap is removed, so pressure must be lower within the tank due to some escaping gas? There's no outward sign of a leak, so I've not been too concerned, but any suggestions would be appreciated. And the brake lights do definitely work, but only when a lot of pressure is used on the pedal. Can this be easily adjusted?

Fuel smell could be the the cap seal or the filler neck pipe which could have degraded.
From memory. The brake light switch is easily adjusted but is also a ball breaker to not only find but reach as it is a blind fingertip search! It is either a ford or vauxhall part but damned if I can recall which.

And one more slightly daft question - is this the correct one to buy for one of the original S1 five spoke wheels?

http://www.seriouslylotus.com/wheels-ty ... ige-wheels

Thanks again!

Short answer is probably no, it doesn't mention S1 or 5 spoke AWI wheels

[Moggy]

Accessible from the front compartment behind the brake fluid reservoir. You just need to twist the switch, set the height, then twist it back to lock the position. Some trial and error will quickly give the correct height to set it to.

Couple of links that might help:-

http://arc.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid ... pid5455638

http://elise.bidouille.info/docs/LotusE ... Manual.pdf

[Richard]

Thanks Moggy - brake lights working perfectly again. There was definitely some guess work in positioning, but it lined up correctly on the third attempt.

Hadn't considered the fuel cap seal

[Dennis]

The brake light switch if off a ford transit, I had to replace mine this year, it was about £12 and ford had it in stock (just for future reference)

[RFM]

The brake light switch if off a ford transit, I had to replace mine this year, it was about £12 and ford had it in stock (just for future reference)

Same as the hazard light switch?