Roy Lewington

If you are not sorted this the belt on my 1988 x180 (910 engine): Gates extra service 6462 EXL AVX 13x800La 192BE

Iain Tyrrell, this guy is a legend. I think we are missing the point here. It is not about how to start your particular engine. Basically what he is saying is spin the engine over 5 or more revolutions to get oil pressure and circulation throughout the engine and don't allow excess neat fuel to flood the bores of a cold engine. How you do it is up to you. It is very easy to wire a separate push button switch direct to the starter solonoid meaning you can crank it without ignition. The same can be achieved by an on/off switch to the ignition coil which could also act as an anti-theft device. Roy.

I appreciate that the blue belt is superior. It was just a personal preference I didn't want one because, well,-----------it was blue. I don't think they do it in black.

There are plenty of additives on the market (e.g. Ethanolmate) whose claims are quite impressive. 250ml treats 250 litres. No idea if they work.

I heard the same. Esso 99 octane, although it has an E5 sticker on the pump doesn't contain any ethanol.

I've done a few cambelts on my X180 and this is how I do it. It's been mentioned before but stands repeating. Line the marks up to check all is well. Slowly turn the crank whilst cutting the belt in half longways with a sharp Stanley knife. Remove the cut half. Slacken the tensioner and half push on the new belt. Cut the rest of the old belt off and push the new one fully on. Tension and check the marks. Job done apart from the annoying requirement to drain off some of the coolant and disconnect hoses. Roy.

Cambelt is due for a change. It was a Lotus belt fitted Feb 2018 and has done 3000 miles. So what are the current change recommendations? There seem to be plenty of belts available going from £45 to well above £100. Lotus and non-Lotus. I do not want a blue belt on my car. 'Lotus Bits' advertise a German-made belt and I quote 'Made from the same HSN material as the OEM Lotus one, allowing generous change intervals potentially as much as 50000 miles'. So what is the current advice. My gut feeling is to go with a genuine Lotus belt and change it every 4 years. Any thoughts? Roy.

I blame the NHS---no longer fit for purpose, good job you haven't got cancer. This country is in a mess. Enjoy what you can while you can but please keep helping the forum with your excellent advice and help. Good luck Roy.

I think there is a slight biased edge on the sealing ring. maybe it's in the wrong way round. Just a thought.

My X180 Starting from cold, full choke, no pedal. Starts and idles (lumpy) until I can pick it up on the throttle. Choke returned as soon as possible. Warm or hot, a bit of throttle, starts first time. I would guess the service does not involve anything on the distributor so remove cap and clean, especially the pickups for each ht lead. make sure all ht leads are pushed firmly home. Check the ignition advance be twisting the rotor arm on the shaft against the springs. Check the vacuum advance by sucking on the tube. Roy.

I replaced mine with an alloy job from SJS. Light and very efficient. A lovely piece of kit, expensive but worth every penny--oh every pound actually. Roy

Oil Temp. I fitted a sump plug from Matt Lewis Racing (Dorking) which takes a temp. probe. Probe thread is 1/8th npt although I think an M10x1.0 is supposed to also fit. Plenty of gauges online, I fitted a KOSO unit under the dash which is easily removable if a future owner didn't like it. Works fine. Roy.

A complete waste of time and money. Trying to sell the idea to petrol heads is difficult. Maybe you should take up knitting. Roy.

OK Phil thanks for your advice, bin it I will. Not worth taking a chance on. Roy.

Looks like Phil has the answer here, needle crystals. I did put some in a metal dish in boiling water for 5 minutes but no change. I guess if Mobil put a warning on the container that this could happen you probably wouldn't buy it. Just to be on the safe side I have drained it off. On a slightly different note the oil I drained and filtered looks good again. Should I use this in my daily run-around or is it no longer a 'complete oil' with these crystals missing? Roy.