Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Phil, apologies all 'round if I've mislead you or anyone else lacking the sense to have abandoned this thread by now as to the seriousness with which I take this challenging subject. Some may say that the heart and soul of one's vehicle is the powerplant, the very source of its kinetic energy. But I.....no, I believe firmly that the point of transmission of that energy is in fact the essence of the machine, for where would we be without the means with which to apply that force to the driven wheels? A thousand squirrels might be employed to generate that energy (please excuse the shameless plug for a separate thread that has been getting far less response than it deserves), but where would we be without our beloved transaxles to deliver that force to the pavement? Why, we'd be no better off than a beached whale, or a paraplegic named Matt, or a one legged Japanese woman named Irene. Forward motion is essential to the motoring experience, and the care and feeding of one's transaxle is of the highest priority if one intends to maintain that vector into the distance. Not serious? You must be joking! Why of course I'm serious. Humour is the province of the mentally challenged, those who are unable to deal with life's realities with the solemnity and unwavering gravitas they require. Never again doubt the sincere earnestness of my replies to the subject at hand. And along those lines, may I point out that the use of petroleum jelly (and there are many, ahem...) as a means of easing one's self into the cabin of an Esprit will likely soil the Connolly Leather and void the upholstery warranty. That said, I am intrigued by your plans to try various dairy products in your gear box as alternatives to your current cereal toppings. I have always wondered, since my youth and its associated "urban legends," whether or not the introduction of oatmeal into a transmission by unsrupulous "pre-owned" vehicle salesmen does, in fact, provide a temporary "fix" for ailing units they wish to hawk to unsuspecting prospects. Might I prevail upon you, in the interests of science, to include this magic elixir in one of your tests and report the repercussions outcome? As a footnote, may I mention to you and Nick that WD 40 is an excellent "non stick" spray when preparing poached eggs, providing just a hint of "nutty" taste to the end results. Warm regards, John Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
philip600 15 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi Guys, Serious head on now, with regards to ' which oil ? ' Personally when the time comes to replace my gearbox oil I will try & get hold of TAF-X or the equivalent recommended by Lotus. There doesn't seem to be a huge difference in price & there is only 3 litres in there anyway. Regards, Phil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 As previously noted by His Eminence and Supreme Webmaster, "The replacement proposed by Castrol (Syntrans Transaxle 75W-90) is currently being evaluated by Lotus", it would be nice if some sort of expected "timeline" on the eventual recommendation were made known. One month? Two years? Bibs? Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nickh 0 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 and hence we come full circle back to the point i was making in my origional posting on this thread. One can only assume that the quote you refer to John, was taken from some kind of statement released from the factory, but im guessing this was more than a few years(decade?) ago now-or are we seriously to believe that Lotus are still testing suitable products for use in the UN1 gearbox?? Personally i would very much doubt it !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Fingers crossed. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
Bibs 10,703 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 or are we seriously to believe that Lotus are still testing suitable products for use in the UN1 gearbox?? Yes, they are. That's a fact. A 100% true, undeniable fact. I personally assure you that it's 100% the case. I assume you know nothing of what happens at Lotus, you're guessing and being pessimistic for your own satisfaction perhaps? If I say something, there's no reason to believe it's not true and in fact lots of reasons to take my words as fact as they more often than not come off the back of a conversation with Hethel. In fact, some of my quoted remarks on here are word for word from engineers at Lotus who work entirely on keeping our out of production cars on the road sourcing new and replacement parts for those gone obsolete. They don't do this work nor do I pass the info on for our health, thank your lucky stars that we do it so that people like you can enjoy your cars without hefty repair bills more often. Bored of saying it now, I'll not say it again. Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hip! Hip! And Huzzah for the engineers (and their informational conduits) in Hethel! Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nickh 0 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 JESUS!! That's told me now hasn't it!! Sincere apologies for not taking things as seriously as i might and expressing a wrong opinion! I'd better shuffle of quietly then (in my open-toed sandals obviously) and just hope we get the results of this testing before the new owners of Proton pull the plug completely on this loss making side of their business! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 No worries, Nick. Phil's dairy products test results should be available soon. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nickh 0 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Now now John-just behave yourself! (Secretly looking forward to it though- if that's ok with everyone??) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hey, we gotta do something to pass the time while we await the official Lotus results, non? Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nickh 0 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 PS Ordered a new thermostat for my car yesterday from local motorfactors (£4 with gasket!) and its clearly not 'genuine' Will this affect my warranty once fitted? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Tisk, tisk, Nick. This is a transaxle thread, and I would be remiss if I didn't take you to task for this blatant hijack attempt. Now I want you to go to the blackboard and write 100 times... I will stay on topic, I will stay on topic, I will stay on topic........ Your warranty will remain good for as long as your motor doesn't overheat, trust me. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nickh 0 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Of course-a childish schoolboy error on my part! Hence the lines on the blackboard i presume? Not to mention the severe scolding from the headmaster earlier!! Clearly im not having a good day so i'd better get myself straight to bed before i get into anymore trouble! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Sleep well. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
MikieP 40 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) What about this stuff in the USA? GL-5 qualified and since I will be running an LSD? Also, per Castrol, TAF-X is only GL4, not GL5. Any news from Hethel on their eval of the newer oils approved as yet? http://www.castrol.c...ntentId=7036193 Edited January 27, 2012 by MikieP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MikieP 40 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) I queried Castrol USA and here is their reply concerning TAF-X and available subs here in the USA for the Esprit UN1 Boxes: --Please enter your response above this line-- This ticket has been updated by LT - Castrol Representative Thank you for contacting Castrol North America, Castrol always recommends following the guidelines of the engine manufacturer for the recommended oil (i.e. SAE grade, API rating and manufacturer specifications) specific to your application. This information can always be found in the vehicles owner's manual or by contacting the manufacturer directly. Castrol TAF-X is part of the Castrol Classic Oil line of products and is only available through Castrol UK Limited - regrettably we do not offer an equivalent product in North America. Furthermore we do not offer lubricant recommendations for Lotus. Only Lotus is able to identify the equivalent performance aspect and/or make a recommendation for an appropriate alternate product if available. Please contact Lotus for further assistance and to ensure that you service your vehicle with the correct oil. Castrol Consumer Relations Now what? Edited February 2, 2012 by MikieP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 A typical "CYA" response from a corporate minion. On the other hand, it's essentially the truth of the matter. Ain't no one out there performing long term testing on the UN1 'cept Lotus themselves. I suppose we ought to be glad that they are doing it at all, but it would be nice to hear of the progress. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
MikieP 40 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Bit the damned bullet (and broke some teeth) and ordered 6 liters of TAF-X from JAE for $182 plus UPS ground. Hopefully will have the car long term so will need at least one more fill-up down the road and, since TAF-X is apparently going away and nothing heard from Hethel about a suitable replacement, I figured that is my best move since the tranny is currently being taken apart to have the new LSD installed, esp after what I hope wil be a severe boost in available torque being added to the mix once all modifications are completed. Wish there was another, cheaper way, but none found as yet. Yes, am glad Hethel is supposedly investigating this issue, but then again, really? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MikieP 40 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I must correct myself, TAF-X is GL4/5. Bottle I was looking at was Syntrans... not SynTrax. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 It takes a real man to up and correct his GL numbers, Mikie. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky 2,721 Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 Had a long chat about this with guru Brian Angus up at the factory. He says the jury's still out, but Syntrans is nigh-on identical to TAF-X. The key lies in its performance at high temperatures around the crownwheel area. Unfortunately they still haven't had time to fully test it yet. And he assured me that Lotus still have plenty of TAF-X stock! Quote British Ambassador to Florida, New York, Denmark and Newfoundland. And Sweden. Link to post Share on other sites
Iconic Ride 267 Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 "And he assured me that Lotus still have plenty of TAF-X stock!" Yes, I can easily see the incentive for purchasing TAF-X stock. With the ever diminishing supply issue, the par value per share can only go up, with market value exponential increases a near certainty. Are they by any chance listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and is there an IPO in the offing? I know a "sure thing" when I see one. Eat your heart out, Zuckerberg! Seriously, Sparky, thanks for contacting Brian about the testing progress update. We all eagerly await the final results. Quote Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose. Link to post Share on other sites
nigeninja 60 Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 wait , na already brought the castrol alternative,dont really see what the big deal is Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky 2,721 Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 The difference beyween 1300C and 1500C apparently! Personally, I'd risk it... Quote British Ambassador to Florida, New York, Denmark and Newfoundland. And Sweden. Link to post Share on other sites
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