Fridge Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 (edited) A bad connection would indeed form a resistance, but I think the real danger is running a high and sustained load over such low capacity wiring. I fitted a higher rated alternator to cope with increased load. No problems so far. Though I doubt these remanufactured aftermarket units last. So I'll be getting the original Lucas alternator overhauled at a local outfit at some point in the future. Edited May 21 by Fridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Coleman Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 6 hours ago, Lotusfab said: Not sure why autosparks use 8.75 amp cable in the loom for fans. That can’t be enough to power the three original fans. Its so cheap they should spec 25 amp as standard. The early cars only had 2 fans 1 Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 29 minutes ago, Paul Coleman said: The early cars only had 2 fans Still makes no sence the thin wall wire 25 amp is 50p per meter. There is a very high chance I have already replaced this bit of the loom but can’t remember. There are no signs of overheat on the wire only the connector. I tested it after the crimp repair it was cool when the fans were running. Before with the failed crimp it was very hot. Anyhow, if I ever did it again I would remake the original loom with uprated high capacity thin wall wires. Today I will have the blower fitted and able to start extensive testing. On Thursday the car is going to Tim at Lakeside engineering we are going to spent a couple of hours going over the entire car looking for issues. Still can’t decide whether Evans Coolant is a good or bad idea and the internet seems to reflect this mixed view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 Its funny how some cars are restored and work flawlessly until they are sold! 😀😀😀😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 Done runs well. At the moment pulling cold air from below and operated by a double pole switch. I did have it in automatic mode. Need to do lots of testing to find out the best set up. Thanks Jon Roberts who sent me some pics of his set up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 At the Lotus 70th Fest @jonroberts had a digital temperature gauge, stolen from his wife's kitchen I think, mounted outside of the engine cover which was useful for monitoring engine bay temperature. If you get a Bluetooth one you could monitor temperature via a mobile phone app from the cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 31 minutes ago, Fridge said: At the Lotus 70th Fest @jonroberts had a digital temperature gauge, stolen from his wife's kitchen I think, mounted outside of the engine cover which was useful for monitoring engine bay temperature. If you get a Bluetooth one you could monitor temperature via a mobile phone app from the cabin. Thats I have a digital controller and a separate temperature gauge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 I needed one yesterday on the M5/M42. Thankfully I now rarely drive on those roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 Thing is I am at the experimental stage with the blower. I could have it controlling itself, override switch or coming on with the main fans. Not sure what the best option is so I have a manual control. I have never needed an extra fan even in 10 hours at 35 degrees. My new alternator and 25 amp wire just arrived so I will be busy fitting the alternation looks very decent, if it fits and works it will be a very good upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 Looks like mine. Suspect it is made in China and will last 15,000 miles before going bang. Keep your original Lucas one to be on the safe side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 Has anyone else got one of these? I looks far better than my Lucas, but a lot of things from China do! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 I put about 3,000 miles on my 65W alternator in 18 months, but they should last 90,000 miles or more according to my ex-Lucas pal. I doubt these units will last as long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdoom Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 Careful taking engineers' advice these days, particularly if they're young as the education systems have strayed off course over the decades. Attached is a link to guidance on headlamp output from a local specialist who's done the work, as is evident in reading his bit. No doubt Esprit hit the market somewhat short of fully developed overall, the electricals included. What voltage is measured at the alternator will be less at point of delivery to the lamps or fans, given light gauge wiring and/or suspect connections. Clearly relays and adequate wiring are imperative, noting the drop in lamp output to 83% with voltage ( at the lamp ) down to 12.54 from the design point at 12.8. Not to mention sustaining the precious switch gear on our beauties. As to the engineer's advice on terminal attachment via crimp and solder check out military/aviation/ pro motorsport practices and one sees no such thing. Solder is soundly discouraged by all such sources I've explored. Crimp well. https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 New alternator fitted. Exactly the same charge voltage as the Lucas 14.2 v. All four fans on 13.98 V. My engineering friend is a retired electrical engineer, late 60s. He has been building cars for most of his life and was a director and technical adviser for years at a very prestigious car club. What he doesn’t know about cars isn’t worth knowing. He crimps and then solders the crimp with a high powered soldering iron. He has had crimps fail in the past and finds this method more reliable. I find it more useful to go with practical experience rather than the internet. I read so many conflicting bits of information on line most of it seems to have an objective like selling something. My crimping has improved massively now I have a quality tool paired with the correct crimps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted May 24 Well after about 35 miles my new nitrile rubber exhaust cam gasket is leaking. I put it through one deep heat cycle by deliberately hunting out a traffic jam. To be fair I don’t think the cam cover is warped, but it might be - its difficult to check as my engineering rule is short. Anyhow in my search for perfection I am going to use another gasket made from the original Lotus material and the very best sealant Reinzosil. Its a silcon based compound and has excellent reviews. I am going to clean clean clean as I did before and have a new cam cover coming that is perfectly straight. If this doesn’t seaI then I can’t see how it is possible to permanently seal the exhaust cam cover. I have lost count of how many times I have done this job. They always seem to fail eventually with heat cycles. I have never used the original gasket material or this sealant, so will be interesting to see the result. The gasket vulcanises and bonds to metal under heat. I am planing on pushing this car to it absolute limit so I need everything spot on. I don’t want any weak points at all on this car and have tried to build in a level of redundancy where possible or exceed the design limits where able. With this in mind I decided to bypass the loom for the Kenlowe fans, as David Jinks has done. I want the fans running all day without issue. I estimate the fan load is about 18 amps, so I am installing thinmwall 26 amp cable fused and connected directly to the positive on the starter. I plan to have an addition blade fuse mounted in the glove box for quick change. I have already installed the wire which was very tricky to route without removing all of the trim. It took a day and I have still got to complete the job. The car is driving amazingly well after all the additional work! Still going to be ramp checked this Thursday. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonroberts Posted May 24 Report Share Posted May 24 On 21/05/2022 at 14:00, Fridge said: Looks like mine. Suspect it is made in China and will last 15,000 miles before going bang. Keep your original Lucas one to be on the safe side. The Lucas originals are dead simple to rebuild and parts freely available but I bought one of these 65A Ebay specials a few years back as the price was too attractive. It failed in less than a week due to poor assembly of the brush assembly in manufacture. I fixed it and its run perfectly ever since. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonroberts Posted May 24 Report Share Posted May 24 31 minutes ago, Lotusfab said: Well after about 35 miles my new nitrile rubber exhaust cam gasket is leaking. When I spoke to Garry Kemp about his nitrile gaskets he was explicit they must be fitted absolutely dry, no sealant, nothing. Mine have started to move about a bit and are beginning to leak because of that but they are so much simpler to install or refit than the paper gaskets I'll continue to use them. Of course if your covers are warped then that's going to frustrate you. Test fit without a gasket and run a feeler gauge all round the perimeter to determine high/low spots you may be able to dress out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jonroberts Posted May 24 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 24 On 21/05/2022 at 19:02, Lotusfab said: He crimps and then solders the crimp with a high powered soldering iron. Everybody has his own technique but in the aviation world electrical connections are crimped only. The reasoning behind that is, if soldered, that the wire wicks up the solder and creates a spot where flexible meets rigid. Unless the wire is retained in position, it is more susceptible to fracture at that point than just crimping alone. I guess if you can keep the soldered area to the spade end of the crimp only you could avoid that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Report Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, jonroberts said: The Lucas originals are dead simple to rebuild and parts freely available but I bought one of these 65A Ebay specials a few years back as the price was too attractive. It failed in less than a week due to poor assembly of the brush assembly in manufacture. I fixed it and its run perfectly ever since. Thats a worry! 2 hours ago, jonroberts said: When I spoke to Garry Kemp about his nitrile gaskets he was explicit they must be fitted absolutely dry, no sealant, nothing. Mine have started to move about a bit and are beginning to leak because of that but they are so much simpler to install or refit than the paper gaskets I'll continue to use them. Of course if your covers are warped then that's going to frustrate you. Test fit without a gasket and run a feeler gauge all round the perimeter to determine high/low spots you may be able to dress out. Thanks Jon they were fitted dry and no traces of oil. I check the cover and couldn’t detect anything I also dressed the surfaces. I fitted an S and J gasket and that lasted for some month and then failed. I may try the feeler gauge test I only checked it with an engineering straight edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Report Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, jonroberts said: The Lucas originals are dead simple to rebuild and parts freely available but I bought one of these 65A Ebay specials a few years back as the price was too attractive. It failed in less than a week due to poor assembly of the brush assembly in manufacture. I fixed it and its run perfectly ever since. Have you still got the 65amp on the car? Maybe it was a one off? I will do a lot of driving in the coming days and try and get it to fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted May 24 Report Share Posted May 24 (edited) You'll need to drive a lot of miles Fab. As I said above, I've put about 3,000 miles on mine. I do expect it to fail at some point in the future though. Report back in a couple of years. Fortunately I've a really good starter and alternator/dynamo refurbishers near me in Middlesbrough who will replace the bearing of the new item and restore the original alternator in time. They did my Lucas starter whilst I had the car in bits and mine works a treat. Edited May 24 by Fridge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Report Share Posted May 24 Just finished the fan wiring, it was pretty simple apart from removing the trim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Coleman Posted May 24 Report Share Posted May 24 I fitted a pair of the rubber cam cover gaskets and although they haven't leaked they are rotting and starting to crack Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Report Share Posted May 24 My new cam cover is waiting for install with a new gasket.the gasket seems far more substantial than previous ones its much thicker which would help seal the casting imperfections. The gasket is made from the same material as the original Lotus specked ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted May 24 Author Report Share Posted May 24 I am going to try using this RTV compound it seems to have very good write ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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