newby advice needed

[scotty]

I am a brand new S3 owner. I love my new and scruffy 1982 esprit but like most of them it seems to have a few niggles. Having picked it up I have driven it about 100 miles to it's new home. (quite chuffed it made it). It drove pretty well but seemed to run very cold. The whole way on the motorway it didn't seem to ever get much over 70c. Is this normal? or could the electric fans be stuck on? I wasn't able to check as I finished the journey in a storm and the wiper had packed up and water was flooding in the sunroof! The oil pressure looked pretty good - dropping to about 5 on idle but picking up well to about 35/40 at 3500rpm. The other problem was fillng up with petrol where I seemed to end up covered. Is there a tank breather blocked somewhere? If so where is it? Finally if anyone has a workshop manual (and owners manual), -even a scanned in copy on disc I could really do with one or advice on where to get one. Ebay seems all out. Thanks in advance for any help.

PS love the LEW site and forum

[Goose]

Hi! Strange... I too am a new S3 owner... 1982... 100 miles home...!! Filling up with petrol - open both fuel caps - that seemed to work for me. Don't know about anything else yet!

I have just bought a second hand manual for the S3 and Turbo - arrived today. It is a bit of a beast but I am happy to photocopy sections and send them on if that is a help.

PS - Although this is my first post I have been looking at LEW for a couple of weeks now - great site.

[matk]

Scotty

Fueling is a normal issue with these. Try taking BOTH filler caps off and what I do is fill one side until it brims and then do the other. The balance pipe between both tanks is quite narrow and it takes a while for the levels to equalize between the tanks. Incidentally if you fill only one side (Divers side on RH Drive) the guage will show full and then drop dramatically over the next hour or so as the fuel equalizes into the other tank. This is normal!

Be very careful with the temp. When I got my S2 i didn't know that the temp guage was broken and wouldn't read over 85. Also the fans weren't working. Consequently sat in traffic on a hot day and melted the cylinder head without realising, cost

[silverfrost]

Welcome to the forum Scotty,

Great choice of esprit you have made, think most of your pouints

have been answered good luck with the motor im sure she will serve you well!

regards dan

[jimmybondi]

Scotty

Fueling is a normal issue with these. Try taking BOTH filler caps off and what I do is fill one side until it brims and then do the other.

Best method (worked for me):

fill from the one side and ask your wife/girlfriend to suck out the air from the other filler neck...

sorry, couldn't resist...

[scotty]

Guys, thanks for all your help. My other half wasn't overly impressed with the idea of helping fill the car up!

I think I will have to go over the cooling system with a fine toothcomb and check it out. As for the wipers I haven't figured out what is wrong there but thanks for the offer of help. I work away a lot and am now massively frustrated that I can't just step outside and have a tinker as the car is 200 miles away! Cheers again, Scotty.

ps what does anyone think I should be paying for a secondhand/replacement bonnet for a 1982 S3 as mine is a bit knackered?

[markt]

Try www.lotusbits.com for a 2nd hand bonnet - Got some newish stuff in late last year. Or give Steve @ SJ a call and see if he's got stock.

[kccparis]

Welcome to SCOTTY and GOOSE!

Both of you will find this forum invaluable for Esprit ownership!

Lets see some pics from both of you please!

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Welcome to both of you guys....

Bonnet - also try:

South West Lotus

Boss Motors (Bedford)

Douglas Valley Breakers

and Nick Warren, who reads on here from time to time - he seems to have quite alot of Esprits & spares!

Price? Hmmm dunno? I'd probably want to pay no more than a ton for a second hand one, knowing I'd have to get it repsrayed. (but of course, what you WANT to pay and what you HAVE to pay are not always one and the same! )

[WayneB]

Scotty and the Goose.........sounds like the name of some American sit com

Welcome to paradise(or hell) depending on how you look at it chaps:blink:

You can get the Esprit to fill on one side , but it takes forever at about 1/3 to 1/2 trigger opening on the pump.

You would hear the fans kick in when it comes up to temp(90 degrees on mine) as the fans make quite a racket.

If it was a cold day, they might not come on at all.

Edited January 15, 2006 by WayneB

[f1karting]

Best method (worked for me):

fill from the one side and ask your wife/girlfriend to suck out the air from the other filler neck... 

sorry, couldn't resist... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I could think of much better things for the girlfriend to be doing...

her..

me..

[Goose]

Cheers for the welcome!

I've just spent the last day replacing the exhaust and the silencer back plate... designed never to be removed I think ! I am waiting on a manifold to downpipe gasket from SJ Sportscars but once that arrives I will finish fitting it and do a 'how to' guide, probably beginning of February.

I have also just replaced the handbrake lever so I will put together a guide for that too.

As time goes on and I have completed replacing what will feel like most of the car (although might not go as far as Troy (amazing work by the way!)) I will try and put together some more guides... the fuel sender is next...

Right, back to the garage...

Goose

PS WayneB where did you find that picture of me?