Mike6

Sorry will have to pull the car as it seems a new part has failed just six months later. Its the electronic pick up in the distributor. Pete Musgrove tells me they are obsolete but he can recondition them and to stay clear of OEM new ones which can prove dodgy. Why didnt I appreciate this beforehand. Will however come along in my boring day car to gloat over all the brilliant cars on display. Will bring along a selection of tools and trolley jacks just in case anyone needs help on the day.

The cam pulleys should be marked with a dot on both faces with IN or EX. The should line up together at TDC (the easiest way to check is to remove plug 1 and insert a long screwdriver to check that piston is at top of its stroke). The important think to remember is that you view from behind ie against the bulkhead so you will need a mirror to check. EX should be on the left side nearest the exhaust manifold and IN should be on the right pulley.

Thanks John, wise words. The auto electrician phoned back this morning and said the one thing he didnt check was the cam timing and asked me to check which I have - all fine. Which I would hope it was !. Couldnt believe that he spent 8 hours here trying absolutely everything - even gave me a few shocks through the ignition system. He suggested that the characteristics suggest a faulty distributor pick up which he tested at idle but are prone to fail under load. With postage and vat etc the last one cost nearly £100 barely six months ago. Will try and get one through Pete Musgrove at PNM in case the SJ ones are faulty.

Well mechanic was here all day and tested everything and couldnt find a thing wrong. Half the car was stripped down over 8 hours. Car starts first turn, ticks over evenly and revs nicely etc etc but as soon as she warms up under load on the road it is all over the place. Given that I have spent thousands on replacing everything it is galling that under load she jumps about all over the place. The only possibility is it need a full carb rebuild rather than the jet clean I have done or one of the parts I have renewed is faulty, but how the hell can you tell if a new part is faulty - I dont think SJs will admit to that.

Thanks Andy will check all that in the morning. Luckily the cover is still off the plenum - I gave up for the day after refitting the dizzy cap and finding I had shredded my hands. I know petrol got into the plenum when the gasket didnt fit correctly on the float cover and everything flooded so assuming some was still in there a week later. The needle valves are brand new however.

Thanks Andy, I do have the Constant energy system with both advance and retard vacuums. I think its a Lucas 45DM4 I replaced the magnetic pick up several months ago as the old one failed every time the car got hot. I have just rechecked that the pickup leads have not chaffed and all looks ok. I will mention to the auto engineer the possibility of internal failure of the distributor but it is all nice and clean with no oil contamination and I dont feel inclined to strip that lot down at this stage. As an aside I had to chase out a mouse from the garage (its that time of year) and wondered if it or its mates had chewed through any cabling but all looked ok.

Fairly certain it isnt water in the fuel as I cleaned out the carbs and jets including checked regulator pressure and checked for blockages by letting petrol pump freely out of the petrol lines. Today, decided to check for any problems inside the distributor cap but given everything was replaced 6 months ago nothing was found. Last thing I can check when I have reassembled plenum (which had a fair amount of fuel sloshing about inside) is to connect up a spare Ignition Amplifier as I am now becoming convinced its electrical rather than fuel. The Auto Electrician did mention however that its not unheard of for silencers to break up internally and block exhaust flow under load.

Just received my quote of £232 from Adrian Flux. Only covered for 2000 miles annually on a carb turbo Esprit as the car spends most of the time broken down in my garage. Does this sound reasonable or should I try AIB..

Well I think thats me buggered for the Lotus meet at Weybridge. Car started first turn of the key a week after cleaning out the jets etc. Ticked over nicely on the drive and revved without problem but a short distance up the road it started juddering, lost power and limped back home. Almost everything has been replaced on car so at a loss how it was fine when I put it away in the garage to change a few front end hoses. Will check a few more things just in case but now have booked a specialist mechanic to home visit next week.

Mine pops and bangs on over-run and has the SJs stainless exhaust. I believe its a characteristic so enjoy!!!!

Not sure what your problem is. If you marked up alignment of distributor when you set the cam timing ie when cam belt was added and used cable ties on the wheels you should have got a reasonable measure. You then mark up timing in white tipex or similar through the inspection hole and check with timing light. If it is slightly out you can make small adjustments at the distributor body using a long screwdriver via the gap in the carb body to undo the clamp which gives you the opportunity to adjust without having to undo the distributor body where you risk it springing out under pressure from the spring.

Thanks Laura

Havent we had free entrance tickets over the last few years for cars on the line up. If this isnt planned this year then will need to buy a few.

Hi John Got the set from SJs and told him the car so hopefully I got sent the correct set. Have checked their site just to make sure and the gasket in the overhaul kit looks exactly the same as the one in HC gasket set. Infact the stock code on my invoice states SJ910E007 so presumably thats for the 910 HC turbo engine.

Thanks everyone for the advice, much appreciated. I had set the float levels as you describe John but rechecked again. I then noticed that on the lids and near to the jet housings there are a number of holes (?) which seemed to have been filled with lead in manufacture. They were a bit proud compared to the other surfaces where the gasket fits. The original gasket was a fairly thick thing whereas the new gasket in the kit is wafer thin rubber. It occurred to me that this new gasket might not seal the chambers properly hence allowing petrol to get into the air chambers. I therefore smoothed all these before refitting and she started first turn. It ran a bit lumpy and revs were dropping so I upped the throttle adjuster a turn and she ticked over nicely although probably a bit on the rich side. I drove up and down the drive and engine revved responsively and gave her a good rev past 3000rpm with no ill effect. I am tempted to take her out for a drive but we go away for a week tonight on a landmark Anniversary and if I break down somewhere I would not be forgiven. At least I can also put it out of my mind and assume it will run fine.

Thanks Andy. I have contacted an autelectrician who will look at problem for me unless I can get her started in next few days. Was worried about overfueling but if it is normal for the fuel to blow out of spark plug hole then will tinker with floats and try and get her started again. Meanwhile battery on charge to make sure full cranking is available.

Well kit arrived so refitted with new gaskets. New float needle and thoroughly cleaned all jets andchecked jet float heights - set to 15mm as per manual. Tried to start car and think it almost catched a few times but then flooded. Removed spark plugs which were soaked with fuel. When everything dried checked whether spark at plugs - all firing nicely but noticed a fair amount of fuel blowing out the plug holes. Is this normal. Took float covers off again and levels looked very high, with some fuel even looking like it had blown into plenum. Everything inside float chamber including all jets soaking wet. Again is this normal on trying to fire up car. Checked fuel pressure at regulator and spot on 4psi . So fuel pump delivering at correct pressure, strong spark at plugs but perhaps too much fuel???. Does this suggest I may have opened up jets but all I did was clear with the help of a needle from a wire brush. I am tempted to lower floats and recheck again tomorrow but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Glad your ok but another Esprit leaving its country of birth???. At least that must make the value of my banger go up by 2p.

Andy - Yes it seems the accelerator pump jets were blocked - must make some difference to running of car. Also managed to get the float pins out following your advice. Thanks. Just waiting for kit

My later carb turbo had some leaks under the rubber 'o' rings where the carbs attach to the manifold. I would check these in the first instance.

Agree I got my car very cheaply but with all the comments about 'had my car for years and nothing ever needed doing' I though it best to put forward a different perspective. A lot is down to luck but buying through an enthusiast or Lotus expert should take out some of the guesswork. These were/are supercars and will sooner or later require significant expenditure either through repairs or diligent maintenance and buyers should be aware of this. As a guide I would say a minimum of £10k for purchase with £2-3k in your back pocket for work in first year.

Just to paint a more balanced picture, mine has been a real problem. As soon as you touch one thing something else in the line goes wrong. I do all my own mechanics but have spent an absolute fortune in parts over the last 6 years of ownership. Just when you think nothing else can go wrong the car finds another way to let me down. I could give a long list of examples but suffice it to say you can be lucky or unlucky and it doesnt always link back to how much you have paid for the car or whether it comes with a big batch of bills. These cars get bodged but I certainly agree you would have better luck buying through a Lotus expert or a club member. Expect to pay out whatever you buy and you will not be disappointed.

Arent shims case hardened, in which case removing some of the coating will make the shims softer and more subject to wear.

Andy Thanks for that. Does that book explain what that jet does that sits away for the cluster of 4. They were both completely blocked at the bottom hole on mine and I am intrigued as to what effect that might have had.

molemot - thanks, does that mean I push the pin towards the split end or the other way.