Maintenance & Reliability
Discussion
Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I don't have an Esprit, but they have been my favorite sports car in the world for as long as I can remember. These days, the asking price is low enough that I've been considering a second hand Esprit. I am a motorcycle mechanic by trade and I understand that mechanical experience is helpful in owning exotic cars, especially if you really should be driving a Toyota. But you only live once, right?
I have a few questions regarding Esprit maintenance and reliability.
1.) Valve adjustment - Do Esprits require valve adjustment? I Think I read that the V8s have hydraulic tappets, but what about the 4 cylinder models? The reason I ask is that it seems Ferraris and Lamborghinis do. I hope thats just an Italian thing.
2.) The Transmission - This seems to be one of the biggest complaints about the Esprit. Are they reliable if driven with mechanical sympathy? What about upgrade/replacements? I know the Esprit is raced, so are their race transmissions available? And are the more common failures repairable, or do they just go completely to hell when they break?
3.) Turbos - Something pretty rare on motorcycles. I have heard from a lot of riceboys that turning a turbo motor off right after running on boost leaves the turbo spinning without oil pressure, which is bad. They use something called a "turbo timer" to prevent this. Do Lotus turbos suffer from problems related to shutting the motor off immediately after driving?
Well, I think that is enough questioning for my first post. So far I have been impressed by what I've seen of the Lotus community, particularly this forum and the Esprit Fact File. I'm looking forward to being a part of it.
Clifton
Clifton said:
Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I don't have an Esprit, but they have been my favorite sports car in the world for as long as I can remember. These days, the asking price is low enough that I've been considering a second hand Esprit. I am a motorcycle mechanic by trade and I understand that mechanical experience is helpful in owning exotic cars, especially if you really should be driving a Toyota. But you only live once, right?
I have a few questions regarding Esprit maintenance and reliability.
1.) Valve adjustment - Do Esprits require valve adjustment? I Think I read that the V8s have hydraulic tappets, but what about the 4 cylinder models? The reason I ask is that it seems Ferraris and Lamborghinis do. I hope thats just an Italian thing.
2.) The Transmission - This seems to be one of the biggest complaints about the Esprit. Are they reliable if driven with mechanical sympathy? What about upgrade/replacements? I know the Esprit is raced, so are their race transmissions available? And are the more common failures repairable, or do they just go completely to hell when they break?
3.) Turbos - Something pretty rare on motorcycles. I have heard from a lot of riceboys that turning a turbo motor off right after running on boost leaves the turbo spinning without oil pressure, which is bad. They use something called a "turbo timer" to prevent this. Do Lotus turbos suffer from problems related to shutting the motor off immediately after driving?
Well, I think that is enough questioning for my first post. So far I have been impressed by what I've seen of the Lotus community, particularly this forum and the Esprit Fact File. I'm looking forward to being a part of it.
Clifton
Clifton,
As you said you only live once. If you are a mechanic by trade, owning an Esprit will be no problem, just sort of a Busman's Holiday for you.
As far as valves, the V8's do have hydraulic lifters and no need for adjustment. But, the 4 cyl models do require it at service intervals of 15k or 20k mi. It is fairly extensive, but not really all that difficult. The valves are adjusted by use of precision shims which ride atop the valve collet, under an inverted bucket tappet. You must measure the gaps, remove the cam tower, measure the shims, do the math, acquire the appropriate shim, reassemble, measure again dry, disassemble, goop it up and do the final assembly. Figure 3-4 hours for this.
As far as the tranny is concerned, it is very reliable if driven sympathetically as you suggest. That is not to say you need adopt a 'Mother Mary' style, just be prudent about power shifting, high HP mods etc.. I have been inside my box of 45k mi. and it was unmarked. Synchros were still very serviceable (replaced them while I was in there). And this is a car which is run spiritedly often and tracked occaisionally. Also, my car has the less robust Citroen C-35 Box rather than the later Renault sourced unit.
The reason for 'Turbo Timers' is to allow for turbo cooldown after a spirited run. This keeps the oil pump running cool oil over the turbine bearing until it cools off. Quick shutdown is a No-No as it traps the oil inside the bearing housing once the oil flow stops, super heats it, turns it to coke and results in premature turbo failure. Either a minute idling once at your destination, or a cooldown drive the last mile or so is sufficient to maintaining a healthy turbo. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE
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