Broken Heater

[jamie_barrow]

My heater in my S2 Elise has stopped working. The light still comes on when you press the AC button but the fan doesnt want to play. I checked the fuse which is fine and am now stuck as what to do.
Does anyone know if this is a common fault and if so, what the likely problem is. Ultimately, does anyone know how I can fix it without taking it to Lotus?

Many thanks,

Jamie

[rfoster]

I'm afraid that it's probably a failed resistor pack, if the fuse is still intact. A relatively common fault due the position of the pack, where it can lie immersed in water. The dealers had a recall to drill a hole below in the pan below to allow the water to escape.

To change this is a pain in the arse clam-off job I'm afraid. Depending on the age of your car it may be worth speaking to the dealer who you bought it from to see if it's a warranty fix or tough luck - I suspect the latter.

[Alimac]

Just had mine done under warranty, pain but a common fault apparently

[111rdw]

Me too. Picked the car back up on Tuesday. Mine was 3 months our of warranty and the dealer was only able to get £120 contribution from Lotus. V. expensive fix for such a stupid thing

Dave

[kambites]

I'm going to replace mine myself this summer. Not a difficult job but takes a while (and needs two people).

[Sparkie17]

Mine went 6 months after warranty ran out..... got the restistor pack changed at a specialist....£30 parts.....a whole days worth of labour in removing and replacing the front clam Yes it is a common fault apparently and its because the part is located low down in the car and is prone to water ingress. My garaged siliconed it up well this time, may last a few years now....at least the car is warm and does not fog up now!!!

[jamie_barrow]

Many Thanks. Think I will attempt it myself rather that pay circa £700 for the clam off.

[kambites]

If you're going to do it yourself, read the Lotus service bulletin designed to resolve the matter. It involves drilling holes in the tray that the resistor pack sits on to let the water drain properly. Also, smother the new one, especially the terminals, in something waterproof (grease of some kind) to stop them from rusting.

It's possible that the resistor pack will have taken your fan motor out with it, so check that it all works before you put the clam back on.

[hbaumhardt]

You can move the resistor pack to sit on top of the heater or totally remove it and just run the fan on setting #3.

[kambites]

hbaumhardt said:

You can move the resistor pack to sit on top of the heater or totally remove it and just run the fan on setting #3.

That's another option yeah. I'd still grease it up though, wherever you put it.