picked up my v8

[mlumb]

collected my recently bought v8 yesterday morning,its the updated dash model in se trim.
first impressions on the 100 mile trip home were very good.
i would say over all its a little easier to drive smoothly than my cerbera was at first and makes a better motorway car.throttle very stiff though!
very flexible power delivery from low revs even in top gear.
however im wondering if i need to get the geometry checked 'cos theres a fair bit of kick-back through the steering and tramlining,in general the car feels a bit 'wobbly'going down the road.
any ideas?
cars done 42k with full main dealer history.
mike.

[adrianmugridge]

Mike

I've had my V8 ( Sport 350 ) for about 6 weeks now ( been of the road for 3 of those, but that's another story ) and I've found the same two things as you. The throttle is very stiff which I found makes it hard to get a smooth gear change, especially 2nd to 3rd. i.e. if I push it in 2nd and change up, I'm a bit slow with the revs again so it tends to make it jerk a bit. The second thing is also as you say, it can skip about all over the road and the steering wheel gets yanked out of my hands sometimes, this can be worse sometimes under braking. So, given that you have the same two observations I'd say its a case of TADTS !!

Adrian
www.adrianmugridge.co.uk

[RobbRacer]

Hello All,

Wanted to introduce myself and ask some basic newbie questions. Just picked up an black on black 01 Esprit V8. Bought the car in Miami on the way back from a rally in Europe I just completed and to be candid did not really intend on buying a Lotus.
Still not quite sure how this eneded up in my garage.

Had the car a week and its certainly interesting. Car seems stable looks beautiful and brand new with 11k miles. I need to get a B service done ASAP as a precautionary measure a little early, but car drives fine although its not the easiest thing to drive. Has the ECM torque upgrade and aftermarket exhaust.

My first qustion for the experts is there is a fair amount of heat eminating from the transmission hump inside the car. I believe I read this was normal but wanted to confirm. Even if it is normal is there a way to minimize it? My wife feels like the heater is on and it blows on both her and my legs. Not romantic

Second, anybody in the northern Florida area can tell me where I should get the car serviced? Would love to here from any owners near me.I assume Jax is the closest place as I live in Gainesville. I believe I read the B service is about 6-8 hundred. I beleive I read I must get the cam belt service done as preventative measure and this is covered by LCU but need to schedule in advance??

BTW I justed ordered new custom HRE 545 rims for the car since I hate the current ones. If anybody is interested I will be selling them in about 4 weeks when my new ones come in.

Please send any responses to my email if you dont mind

[e-mail]

Thanks,

Robb

[mlumb]

cheers Adrian,i must admit im surprised by how much the car does move around on bad surfaces,its almost like scuttle shake.
i think id like to get the geometry checked anyway just to be sure,i also wondered if the dampers are past there best at 42000 miles.
anyone any suggestions for a check up without going back to birmingham,im in south yorkshire.

on another matter the car seems a lot less creaky inside with the roof out so im going to sort the seals to stop the squeak!just an observation.

think ive got a slight exhaust rattle too,where do they normally break?

thanks mike.

[rob.e]

RobbRacer said:

My first qustion for the experts is there is a fair amount of heat eminating from the transmission hump inside the car. I believe I read this was normal but wanted to confirm. Even if it is normal is there a way to minimize it? My wife feels like the heater is on and it blows on both her and my legs. Not romantic

Ok first things first.. if your transmission is in that hump then someone's fitted the engine in the wrong way round.. the transmission is normally found behind the engine, under your rear luggage area

You are correct though, its normal for the centre tunnel to get hot. You've got the coolant pipes running thru there (radiators are at the front of the car like a 360 modena).

cheers
Rob

ps welcome to ph.

[rob.e]

mlumb said:

cheers Adrian,i must admit im surprised by how much the car does move around on bad surfaces,its almost like scuttle shake. i think id like to get the geometry checked anyway just to be sure,i also wondered if the dampers are past there best at 42000 miles.

Dampers should be ok still at that mileage but worthwhile checking plus tracking and tyre pressure also. What sort of tyres do you have on? In my experience rubbish/cheap tyres tend to tramline more than a premium brand. The only time i get any tramlining is when driving in the ruts left by trucks - i have bridgestone s02's all round.

mlumb said:

anyone any suggestions for a check up without going back to birmingham,im in south yorkshire.

Gordon Lamb in sheffield, JCT600 in leeds, Peter Smiths is in Dery?

mlumb said:

on another matter the car seems a lot less creaky inside with the roof out so im going to sort the seals to stop the squeak!just an observation.

Tightening the bolts that hold the brakets in place will help. Also, take the roof out and squirt some grease into the holes that the tongues go into at the front.

mlumb said:

think ive got a slight exhaust rattle too,where do they normally break?

Its normal for the tailpipe trims to come loose. Lotus have resolved this on all new exhausts but its a simple fix in any case - just find someone who can weld and get them to put a couple of blobs on the back to hold it on properly. To check that it is the trim rattling, get someone to rev up to the point where it rattles. Touch the trim (with a cloth or glove) and you'll prob find that the rattle stops.

cheers
Rob


ps - lets see some pictures that goes for you too Robracer !

[RobbRacer]

I knew I was gonna get made fun of for posting that improperly. Yes I am aware of where the transmission is but could not articulate properly the area where I meant. Should I call it the gear shift hump?? Its ok I deserved the shot. :-)It seems air emminates from the area and Im glad it is normal although god damn it gets hot. Not going to burn somebody but enough to where I don't want to where shorts with my leg resting on it, and the wife not too pleased with the air flow through a mini skirt. Is there any way to minimize that air flow somehow ??

Also, any help from north florida guys on where to take the Esprit for its service would be greatly appreciated. Want to get service done ASAP.

I live in Gainesville,Fl

Thanks,

Robb

[ErnestM]

Dimmitt in Clearwater is the best. I had some work done by the dealer in Jax and just was not convinced that they really cared about the Marque (They are a Jag dealer as well)...

If you try Dimmitt (they can also arrainge covered transport of your car), tell Chris Warren (Exotic Service Manager) that Ernest M sent you. The Lotus tech's name is Jason and he is an avid Lotus enthusiast...

ErnestM

[mlumb]

cheers Rob.
i thought of Gordon Lamb but didnt know if they were any good,ill give them a call.
all dampers are ok i think,since the car had a full check over by the main dealer before collection,that is to say they are not leaking.
Tyres....toyo proxes t1's on front almost new,michelin on back.
mike.

[RobbRacer]

Ernest,

Thanks for the info. I will give them a call . Clearwater is not too far, and I may just drive it there for the ride. Can you tell me how much they charged you for the B service? I was told should be between 6-800 bucks.

I also definatley have a problem as far as actual hot air comming from both sides like a hair dryer. Was told by another member some cars were not insulated properly. I would think this is an easy fix.Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rob

[RobbRacer]

BTW-since Im new -I thought id contribute some cool pictures of the Gumball 3000 rally I just did in Europe. Was probably the craziest thing I did in my life. Exotic heaven.

http://rill.smugmug.com/gallery/120585/1/4335566
password FORD

Robb

[ErnestM]

RobbRacer said:

Ernest, Thanks for the info. I will give them a call . Clearwater is not too far, and I may just drive it there for the ride. Can you tell me how much they charged you for the B service? I was told should be between 6-800 bucks. I also definatley have a problem as far as actual hot air comming from both sides like a hair dryer. Was told by another member some cars were not insulated properly. I would think this is an easy fix.Any thoughts? Thanks, Rob

Rob, anytime I have had service done, it has also included a host of other stuff on top (Dimmitt has a marvelous body shop so I have them respray stone chips, fix stress cracks, etc) so it's hard to pin it down exactly but I would think 6-800 would be on the high side...

Your air problem sounds like some kind of ventilation related issue. I'm not trying to be a wise-a$$ here but do you have the heating/AC set correctly? Also have you looked underneath the dash (yes - tough to do but everyone must do it at least once - rite of passage) to make sure the ventilation hasn't been "fiddled" with?

The only time I experience hot air is when I turn the heater on - and that has been infrequent due to Florida weather...

By the way - you should consider getting together with us the next time we have a show or gathering. I usually announce them on this board. You might want to consider LOG this year. It will be in Birmingham...

Hope to see you around!

ErnestM

[rob.e]

RobbRacer said:

BTW-since Im new -I thought id contribute some cool pictures of the Gumball 3000 rally I just did in Europe. Was probably the craziest thing I did in my life. Exotic heaven. http://rill.smugmug.com/gallery/120585/1/4335566 password FORD Robb

Nice pics Robb.

So what exactly is that? Mustang? We don't get those over here:

[RobbRacer]

Ernest -No problem on the wise ass question. No the heater is not on. No I have not looked under the dash. the truth is I had the car a little over a week and Ive only drven its twice. Im simply too busy at the moment.

I am awiting a repsonce from the dealer I purchased the car from in Miami to see what they will do since I have a 30 day warranty. I probably will have to ship the car back there for repairs of the Hot air from the hump issue. Once I know the status of that, I will call Dimmit.

As far as the question about the pictures above. It is a Supercharged Saleen Speedster. Initially made by food by modified by Saleen like AMG for mercedes. About 375 HP and my true love at this point. without offending anyone I doubt the Lotus would have made it through what we did without a mechanical issue. It truly was an endurance event. Got more attention in the rally than many of the ferraris in Europe, and almost everybody loved it, except for a few true car snobs.

Robb

[GKP]

Just going back to your hot air problems for a mo'...have a quick peek to see if the rubber gaiter around the gear lever is ok. They can split and then let hot air into the cabin by wafting it from under the console trim.

[lotustt]

"Not going to burn somebody but enough to where I don't want to where shorts with my leg resting on it, and the wife not too pleased with the air flow through a mini skirt. Is there any way to minimize that air flow somehow ??"

Please show pics of your wife in mini skirt!!! Oh and your car to.

[RobbRacer]

Thanks for the help. Car currently getting the b service and cambelt adjustment at Matherny in Jax. Outrageous price 100 bucks. Also they looking into the heat problem from the gearbox. Hopefully its just something small as mentioned above. Would be glad to post a pick of car but not sure how. No upload button. As far as the wife in a skirt. Think I'll keep those images to myself-lol

Thanks,

Robb

[ErnestM]

RobbRacer said:

Thanks for the help. Car currently getting the b service and cambelt adjustment at Matherny in Jax. Outrageous price 100 bucks. Also they looking into the heat problem from the gearbox. Hopefully its just something small as mentioned above. Would be glad to post a pick of car but not sure how. No upload button. As far as the wife in a skirt. Think I'll keep those images to myself-lol Thanks, Robb

Robb:

the code is:
[ pic ]your url here [ /pic ] (get rid of the extra spaces in between the brackets)...

Cheers

ErnestM

[dasspoot]

Let me know what you find out about the hot hump. Got the same thing in my '01 V8
Steve