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Hi everyone Due to currently rebuilding my S2 Carbs and a previous build of my S1 DHLA's where on both occasions I disturbed the accelerator pumps due to corrosion on the spring. As most of us know you should avoid disturbing the pump as it is factory set to deliver fuel at a set rate, for the Esprit it is 7.5ml to 20 pumps of the throttle. In the past like many I have connected the carbs to a fuel supply and pumped the throttle watching for an even jet of fuel from the pump jets by looking into the air intake, then tried to adjust accordingly, this method has worked well in the past so no worries but it is not accurate like the method the equipment manufacturer u…

Just wondered if anyone had tried to fix one of these up fuel pipe assemblies using the original fittings and some new nylon pipe? It is numbered A912E2335 in the parts manual, SJ say it is obsolete and make an stainless braided alternative, but I prefer the simple look of this if I can do it The inner nylon (?) tube was rubber coated, though that has perished and mostly broken up. I thought I shrink wrap would make that look about right. The long piece also had a plastic spiral wrap on, which I've removed but is perfectly resuable. Any thoughts, warnings or tips? Doh...forgot to attach the photo.

Which petrol do people use and o you worry about Ethanol degrading hoses ? I used to use Esso Synergy Plus/Supreme that had zero ethanol in it, even though it was still badged as E5. As of 1st September they are introducing ethanol into it. Do I need to worry about this? Should I use some of those additives from the likes of Castrol that apparently counteract the ethanol ? What are others doing ?

Hello Lotus fans. I'm hoping you might be able to grant me some knowledge on getting my Esprit 1989 turbo running sweetly again. I've had the car since the start of the pandemic and only driven a handful of times. Bit by bit I'm working through its faults: replacing the alternator, wheel bearing, bushes etc. I noticed a strong whiff of fuel whilst driving and saw a big fuel leak when I was changing the oil. This lead me to believe that the carbs needed an overhaul as they hadn't been done in years, yet in hindsight I think the leak was coming from a perished fuel hose. Anyhow, I've rebuilt the carbs with a kit from Southwest Lotus and Eurocar…

Hi all, Hopefully someone can help. Having looked in my manual ( which seems to only have a diagram of the US set up with charcoal canister) I am trying to figure out how to connect my fuel fillers , tanks and breather system on a late S2 2.0 I have the straight style filler hose ( not the curved one). My tanks have one connector on top , so it is clear that large bore pipe on the tank connects to the filler neck using the big bore straight fuel pipe. However, on each filler neck there are two other pipe connections, one which is approx 14mm diameter and one which is about 6mm. I’ve scoured the internet and forums, but failed to find a diagram/ descrip…

An airbox backplate is required for converting to IR induction rather than the original Strombergs fitted to my Federal S2. I've a loaner item from my mate who's gone this route many years back for his S1, but is it equivalent in volume to the one fitted to S2/S3 cars?

The ram pipes on my DHLA carbs are 48mm with just 15mm clearance to the filter plate. Shouldn’t there be more clearance using smaller length pipes?

OK, what am I doing wrong? Heard an air leak on the front carb (nearest bulkhead) which I suspect is the cause of my slow dropping revs and lots of popping on overrun. Sounds a bit like when the choke is on. Have since replaced the spacer O rings twice and following Tim Engel's very detailed process of 'soft' mounting the carbs using Hylomar AF on the O rings to create an extra seal but the leak is still there. The only way I managed to remove the leak was to crank up the mounting bolts as tight as they would go therefor crushing the O rings and creating a rigid mount. I did this before following the soft mount procedure and the slow dropping revs persisted, especia…

Hello, I recently purchased a 1977 S1 Esprit (148H) off BAT and I’m hoping I can get some help from the community to get it back on the road. Unfortunately a number of missing parts were omitted from the description of the car in the listing. I’m currently missing LH filler neck, filler hose, LH tank, fuel pump, flow lock and a number of hoses. Because I don’t have the old tank as a reference SJ is having trouble letting me know what is the correct tank to purchase. Also apparently the filler neck is no longer available. Does anyone know where I could purchase a used LH filler neck? Also does anyone have diagrams/pictures of the fuel line routing and fuel pump mounti…

I'd appreciate if someone could take a look at the attached photos and advise if this is the correct routing of the cross-tank/fuel pump line for an S2 (Federal). I purchased this hose assembly from SJ a number of months ago and it isn't a very comfortable fit at all. I would have thought Lotus would have done something different but, of course, I may have installed it wrong so any clarification would be appreciated. The stainless steel line that exits the pump and crosses the chassis is fine - the problem is with the feed line to the pump and the corresponding tank lines - it's a sloppy fit ! I wish I'd have made my own line - I likely would have made it differently …

Did tanks for Colin @Choppa last week down at his lovely place in Dorset. Stayed over and we had a drink or six, smashing. This job was notable as it was the first time I've had to butcher a tank insitu to get it out. No way was that LH tank moving with the engine in place. Forunately I had my Milwaukee reciprocating saw handy. It was messy.

I am working on getting the best idle jets and tuning for my US spec 11984 Turbo. I have removed all the emission equipment and fitted a catalyst bypass exhaust from SJ. I have a new 123 distributor fitted courtesy of Barry Spencer too. The carbs have been ultra-sonically cleaned and rebuilt with a new rebuild kit. Factory idle jets were 52 and everything I've read suggests these are a little too lean and contribute to the off idle/ 2000-3000rpm 'stumble'. Often folks over come this by going with large idle jets. So here is my 'dumb' question. What is the difference in carb/mixture performance if you fitted say 54 idle jets with the idle mixture screws turned…

I just got my fuel pump working, ran it fore 30s and i flooded cyl 1-2… the sparks was out and fuel got all over 😅 So should the fule pump stop when it reach the right presure? Or is it just the needle valve in the carb that stops the fule? I have one wire down by the fule pump thats not conected, white and pink anyone know where it should go?

Anyone know a cross reference or a source for a Bosch 0 280 120 313 Throttle Position Sensor. It's for my 1986 Lotus Turbo Esprit HCI

Hi All, I need to replace the fuel pump relays on my 1987 turbo HCI. Do you know where they can be bought. I have been on SJ Sportscars site bu did not fond them. Cheers Bernard

Just a note of caution. After not driving my S1 Esprit for a few to many months due to Covid lockdowns I finally had a chance to drive it last weekend The car started fine but then immediately started to run on only 2 cylinders so I turned it off to investigate. When I got out there was a large pool of petrol spreading under the engine !!!! Luckily I could push the car away and mop up the petrol without incident Investigations showed that the front Dellorto was flooding with fuel coming out the trumpets soon after the ignition turned on the fuel pump. It was a relatively easy fix by just removing the carb top cover and cleaning the float valve and ensuring ev…

I have a leak around the spindle between the barrels of the rear carb. I'm guessing there's no seal there, only on the ends of the spindle so is it likely to be a worn spindle? Fuel only leaks when engine is revved. Cheers, Pete

I bought my Lotus Esprit Turbo 1984, US specification a few months ago. Some troubles started a few weeks ago. I couldn't solve it, so I'm looking for help on this forum. The car runs steadily while the engine is running at low speeds and moderate throttle. 1. When I add throttle sharply, the engine loses power and starts bouncing like a kangaroo. 2. When I add the throttle slowly, the engine slowly increases the speed, but after a while I feel some misfirings / loos of power / judder and then the engine stops working for a while. Eventually it recovers a bit, but starts to jerk. When I release the accelerator pedal for a while, the engine recovers and…

Hello, I have an Esprit S2 (1978). It has been off-road over the winter. Usually, when I turn the ignition key, I hear the fuel pump clicking. I suspect the fuel pump relay has seize. In the past I can tap it with a spanner to loosen it. Any members have a drawing or picture of the S2 fuel pump location. Thanking you guys in advance

I have a 1981 dry sump and can't find the relay and fuse for the fuel pump. I'm only geting 10V at the pump...

In the DHLA45 rebuild kit I have, the new float needle valve is larger than original but has a smaller input and can no longer accept the original plastic filter (discontinued btw). I could: 1) Drill out the input side of the new Valve seat to accept original filter 2) Install new Needle valve without original filter. Any advice on which is better? Thanks, Patrick

I have a sticking throttle cable on my one Esprit Turbo and I am a little worried as I know of one Esprit Turbo that dropped an exhaust valve when a similar thing happened. With the cable, part number CO79J4055F, does this include the outer "Bowden" cable and does this outer cover extend right to the throttle pedal. I may just look at replacing the inner cable which I can get made up locally. Is it possible just to thread a new one through or am I looking at plenty of problems.

This is a great video on how to trouble shoot the Bosch CIS injection system. Esprit Turbo HCI 1986 - 1987 and 1988 Stevens USA. Although the engine in the video is from a 70’s Porsche 911, the injection system is the same. You just need to check your workshop manual for the Lotus spec’s.

As the car is temporarily off the road with the gearbox removed I thought now might be a good time to tackle replacing both of the fuel tanks. They are not obviously leaking but as I cant really inspect them I thought id have a go at replacement. Cutting off the crossover spigot pipes to ease removal as per Sparky's post appears to be a common way to ease the tanks out and I was wondering what is the preferred way of removing these pipes without immolating myself or more importantly the car? Chain cutter and lots of wet rags? Retardant expanding from in the tanks ? Doesn't look a fun job so any advice welcome.

Just did a weekend away to the LOG40, and got to spend lots of time watching my fuel gauge enroute. Mine will register above the full line when filled, then give me 130-160 miles before dropping to the full mark, and continues to read higher than actual fuel to around half full, then begins a race towards the bottom of the gauge below half tanks. My temp gauge works fine, so I assume the voltage regulator is good. Battery voltage is steady. So barring the usual issues with fuel shifting in corners and the difficulty in fully filling some cars tanks, what is your experience with the Smiths fuel gauge as fitted to the early eighties cars? I'd assume my sender is twea…