Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: Grumblebuns on Saturday,December 21, 2013, 11:56:24 AM
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Picked up 74/3747R this past summer. The car was put up for sale after the engine blew a head gasket following a complete engine rebuild and a complete restoration. According to the PO, he found a head bolt finger tight when he was trying to figure out the cause. He put the car up for sale shortly after, as is.
After taking a closer inspection of the car in the comfort of my garage, I'm coming away more impressed with the detail work that the PO put into the car. The car is fairly stock. The non stock items are the Nissan F10 brake master cylinder with the boosters removed, Dave Bean cassette water pump, Spax shocks with new DBE springs. The interior is in very good condition. The carpet has a little wear and the drivers side seat has a tear in the seams which is typical and expected for a car that has around 70k miles. I need to finish replacing the head gasket and reinstall the motor/tranny.
I'm hoping to have the car drivable by the end of December and assess what else needs to be done.
Oh, the car is a JPS #188.
Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca
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Wow, A great looking and well kept JPS. Good luck with it... please send more pics when it's road ready! ld
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Sweet.....what a great find
mike
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She looks great!
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Looks like I haven't updated my progress in quite a while.
Over the winter while the engine was out, I adjusted the valve clearances, installed a new head gasket and head and turned the engine over by hand with the flywheel. Didn't feel like anything was interfering and all the timing marks lined up so buttoned everything back up. After the engine and tranny were mated and during the torqueing of the bell housing bolts I discovered one of the threads in the bell housing holes stripped. I swear I didn't do it. Re-separated the engine/tranny and called my neighbor who happens to be a mobile mechanic to install a helicoil for me.
The engine/tranny installation back into the car was uneventful. I just had to be super careful not to scrape or chip any of the paint in the just detailed and painted engine bay and frame.
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Congratulations!!! It looks great!!! :trophy:
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Nice progress and photos, Joji! :coolpic:
And apropos, just as I received the fabricated springs for the 5th gear detent plunger and am about to go to the garage and mount them before doing a test drive 8)
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:coolpic: looks great :beerchug:
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I finally made enough progress on 3747R for an update report. Started up the car for the first time yesterday, the details are on another thread:
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=831.0
I figured out the reason for the high idle this morning. It's been so long that I messed around with the Strombergs that I forgot that each carb has it's own separate idle adjustment. Yesterday I backed off on the front carb only. This morning I noticed the adjustment for the rear carb, backed off on it, problem solved. It idles beautifully at 900-1000 RPM.
As the engine started to come up to temperature, I noticed coolant starting to leak from the cap on the header tank. I'm suspecting that it was the original cap. Once the engine cooled down, I replaced it with a used spare that I had laying around. Restarted the car and watched it warm up. The replacement cap was holding pressure and I was waiting for the cooling fan to kick on before 90 deg C. When the temperature gauge hit 100 deg C and the fan still not started, I shut the engine down. Doing a continuity check on the Otter switch contacts showed the switch still open. obviously Tango Uniform.
Appears that I'm dead in the water till I get a new switch ordered and installed next week. I'll also take the opportunity to install a fan relay and override switch at the same time.
I did notice the difference in current draw between the gear reduction starter and the OEM starter (on my S2). Where the S2 would pretty much peg out the ammeter on start, the gear reduction starter would draw less than 10 amps at a much higher cranking speed. That was pretty impressive, a worth while modification.
Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca
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Way to go, Joji!! You're making great progress! You need to finish this one so you can finish the YBB!
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Your starter feed bypasses the ammeter, I hope! You must have a greedy solenoid on your S2.
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I still haven't figured out the lack of amp discharge on cranking the starter with the new wiring arrangement.
Received and installed the new otter switch. The old one came out rather easily, the new one went in even easier. That has me worried a bit. Unfortunately during the otter switch swap out, I lost the entire volume of the coolant in the radiator. However, tested the switch today and it works, but at an uncomfortable high set point. I was ready to shut off the engine at around 95-100 deg C when the fan finally kicked on. This car will definitely need a fan over ride switch.
Although it has never happened to me in the years that I've driven a Twink, there have been too many horror stories of the otter switch popping out under pressure. I'm hoping that my retaining bracket will minimize that possibility. I need to fabricate a spacer to take up the space between the bracket and switch.
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I think it is a really curious thing that they decided to go with the push in otter switch rather than one that is threaded... Did you also replace the rubber grommet?
I think you're smart to work up a retaining mechanism. Of course another option is one of those aluminum radiators from China. They are really inexpensive at a bit more than $150 delivered! Of course that brings along other things that have to be done to use it.
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I had the switch pop out a couple winters ago. Too little anti freeze, apparently. Also cost me a new heater valve. :-[
After trying for some time to get the switch to stay put (but without luck), a local Lotus friend told med that Reliant Scimitar uses the same otter switch and a small spring clip, to hold it in. I attach a photo showing it.
I bought a new grommet and clip from http://www.qrgservices.co.uk and re-used the switch. Good email-communication, fair price (total 15 UKP, half of it VAT and shipping) and fast shipment. :)
It's not so easy to see on my lousy mobile photo, but the clip has a round hole for the grommet+switch and each of the 'ears' has a rectangular hole that grips the edge of the switch so that it can't move out further than on the picture. The clip is made of 'spring metal' (direct translation), so that it compresses and grabs the switch. :pirate:
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Take the rad out and solder a 22 mm x 1.5 nut to it. Lots of rad fan switches available in that size. No more worries and a greater choice of on/off temps.
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Take the rad out and solder a 22 mm x 1.5 nut to it. Lots of rad fan switches available in that size. No more worries and a greater choice of on/off temps.
That will probably be my next step if my home made retaining clip doesn't work.
Peter, how is the clip secured to the radiator? It appears that the clip fits between the grommet and the radiator.
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MGBs seemed to have similar problems (or concerns ?) with otter switches going AWOL. There is a clip with that design, I think you push it on first around the rubber seal and then assemble the otter switch. Which isn't helpful if you've already filled the radiator ! But it's this sort of thing ; http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=28986#top (http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=28986#top)
Similar designs used on the early Esprit and SJS in the UK also list the clip. I can't confirm it's exactly the same as the TC although it does look very similar. Listed as "clip for fan switch" on this page http://www.sjsportscars.co.uk/index.php?mod=10 (http://www.sjsportscars.co.uk/index.php?mod=10)
Apparently one common trick is to use a zip tie around the clip and radiator panel on MGBs, again I can't comment on how well that works because I've never tried it, but it does seem a reasonable "get you home" type of bodge.
On the cut-in range problem I have vague memories of 2 or 3 switches being offered with different temperature ranges for hot or cold climates just like the different thermostats that Lotus offered. That could be for the Esprit or even me getting mixed up with other cars (MGB again ?) but might be worthwhile asking your local specialists.
Brian
(no clip on mine, just assembled clean with lots of silicone sealant to glue it in ;) )
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Generally it is not a good idea to use silicone sealant where there is high pressure, hot fluids -- especially coolant. It can result in the silicone to lose its bond, become slippery and allow the gasket/sensor to be more easily pushed out. Not quite sure why coolant reacts with the silicone more than oil does but I have seen it quite a few times.
Not a big fan of the MGB style rad fan switch. If you are sticking with it, make sure you get the "long" rubber seal not the short one. And always secure it with a good quality zip-tie round the rad tank. Unfortunately this will not be as effective on a Europa rad as it is so much thicker.
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Yes, the clip fits between the grommet and the radiator. And since the grommet does not move, the clip - and more important the switch - don't either. :D
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I have seen the grommet (with the switch and the clip) "move", quite rapidly. "Exit pursued by a bear." so to speak. Don't use a high pressure rad cap.
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(part quote)
Not quite sure why coolant reacts with the silicone more than oil does but I have seen it quite a few times.
I think it's down to the correct material for the job (or rather the incorrect material in that case :) ) These days there seems to be lots of different formulations which are technically silicones and marketed as such, but with differing properties. I'm not familiar enough with the chemistry to know the details, but I do have several grades in my workshop with differing application ranges, one of which is specifically for waterpump assemblies. The material does work, the Elan waterpump has been in since 2010 and the otter switch March 2011 with no leaks so far. (tempting fate there ::) )
Without knowing the details in the case you've seen it's not sensible to say "ahh, definitely the wrong stuff" but it does sound like it on first glance. The trouble is silicone is sold for everything from fish tanks and window frames to applications at 200C. Even at our local motor factors there's at least 3 grades sold in almost identical sized tubes so it's easy to pick up the wrong stuff.
At a pure guess from your description of the material going slippery I'd say it's absorbed ethylene glycol or whatever is used as anti-freeze to degrade it. Most soft elastomers absorb water to some extent, but usually not enough to cause problems like that.
Brian
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I really like the spring retaining clip but used what I had at hand. Instead of a zip tie, mine is secured by a piece of safety wire through/around the side of the radiator. Wire should last longer than a plastic zip tie, is thinner and thus easier to thread through the radiator, and I think can be twisted as tight or tighter.