S1 Elise 2.0 Duratec Conversion
Discussion
It's been a whilst since my last update but there's been enough progress now to make one. The last blog entry left the car with a flat battery and refusing to run.
First task was to get the battery charged up again so we could have another bash at firing the car up. Charging the battery was not an issue however even with it fully up to charge the car still refuse to turn over; the starter motor was spinning but it was not engaging properly with the flywheel. A look at the labels on the side of the starter motor told us that it was the original item, new on the car in 1998. It seemed like all the continual cranking had finally killed it off, so a failed starter motor was diagnosed and a new one was required.
Finding a new starter motor was easy and fitting it was even easier with the rear clam off. With the new starter installed the engine was once again turning over but it still refused to run! Another two nights were spent trying to unsuccesfully fire up the car but it was having none of it. This wasn't aided by the fact that I could not get the dongle for my ECU link cable to work so I was blind to what the ECU was seeing. A bit of a pause and re-think was required.
I first contacted Specialist Components to see if they could help me with my ECU comms issues. After following their advice, trying the dongle on another laptop and with a fresh XP install there was still no joy. The dongle was then sent back for testing and happily for me diagnosed as faulty; a rare occurrence but Specialist Components were very quick to sort me out with a replacement. Thanks to Simon at Specialist Components for sorting me out.
So now I could communicate with my ECU but the car still would not run, it was still spluttering and backfiring. I decided to have a look at the throttle bodies and see if I could identify an issue there. Using a mirror I was able to have a look down the bodies and see what the butterflies we doing, from doing this it was clear there was a problem as when the idle screws were adjusted there was no corresponding movement at the butterflies, and when the screws were completely wound out the butterflies were remaining open. It became clear that the problems were being caused by a sticky throttle linkage so the linkage was completely removed and we tried again. Result.....still nothing, less than nothing in fact as there now wasn't even a cough from the engine, this seemed like a definate step backwards!
Next we decided to check the spark plugs, it is all about suck, squeeze, bang, blow after all. The first plug we removed was wet with fuel and completely coked up. A quick test showed it not to be sparking. A second plug was removed and the same thing was found. Problem found? All plugs were removed and then mounted in a vice. We then heated the tips with a blow torch and scrubbed them with a wire brush. This had the plug tips looking far healthier and a second test showed them to be sparking again.
The plugs were then reinstalled, the throttle bodies were given half a turn on the idle screw, finger were crossed and the the key was turned.
The result?......She fired up and began to idle! I've stuck a rough video on you tube so you can see the results. First have of the vid is on cold start-up so the engine is a bit lumpy, the latter half is with the engine warmed.
http://youtu.be/UWt260Wmy8A
So the engine is running and the coolant system has been bled. We've found a small coolant leak from the modified water housing but it's a minor issue. More to come.....
First task was to get the battery charged up again so we could have another bash at firing the car up. Charging the battery was not an issue however even with it fully up to charge the car still refuse to turn over; the starter motor was spinning but it was not engaging properly with the flywheel. A look at the labels on the side of the starter motor told us that it was the original item, new on the car in 1998. It seemed like all the continual cranking had finally killed it off, so a failed starter motor was diagnosed and a new one was required.
Finding a new starter motor was easy and fitting it was even easier with the rear clam off. With the new starter installed the engine was once again turning over but it still refused to run! Another two nights were spent trying to unsuccesfully fire up the car but it was having none of it. This wasn't aided by the fact that I could not get the dongle for my ECU link cable to work so I was blind to what the ECU was seeing. A bit of a pause and re-think was required.
I first contacted Specialist Components to see if they could help me with my ECU comms issues. After following their advice, trying the dongle on another laptop and with a fresh XP install there was still no joy. The dongle was then sent back for testing and happily for me diagnosed as faulty; a rare occurrence but Specialist Components were very quick to sort me out with a replacement. Thanks to Simon at Specialist Components for sorting me out.
So now I could communicate with my ECU but the car still would not run, it was still spluttering and backfiring. I decided to have a look at the throttle bodies and see if I could identify an issue there. Using a mirror I was able to have a look down the bodies and see what the butterflies we doing, from doing this it was clear there was a problem as when the idle screws were adjusted there was no corresponding movement at the butterflies, and when the screws were completely wound out the butterflies were remaining open. It became clear that the problems were being caused by a sticky throttle linkage so the linkage was completely removed and we tried again. Result.....still nothing, less than nothing in fact as there now wasn't even a cough from the engine, this seemed like a definate step backwards!
Next we decided to check the spark plugs, it is all about suck, squeeze, bang, blow after all. The first plug we removed was wet with fuel and completely coked up. A quick test showed it not to be sparking. A second plug was removed and the same thing was found. Problem found? All plugs were removed and then mounted in a vice. We then heated the tips with a blow torch and scrubbed them with a wire brush. This had the plug tips looking far healthier and a second test showed them to be sparking again.
The plugs were then reinstalled, the throttle bodies were given half a turn on the idle screw, finger were crossed and the the key was turned.
The result?......She fired up and began to idle! I've stuck a rough video on you tube so you can see the results. First have of the vid is on cold start-up so the engine is a bit lumpy, the latter half is with the engine warmed.
http://youtu.be/UWt260Wmy8A
So the engine is running and the coolant system has been bled. We've found a small coolant leak from the modified water housing but it's a minor issue. More to come.....
Love engine conversions. Especially since I'm doing something similar to an old Matra Murena.
I watched the utube clip and it sounds like it's misfiring now and again. It's very rough
Also check your oil level. You might have gotten a lot of gasoline in the oilpan. This happened to me once, but that was with an old carburetor engine.
I watched the utube clip and it sounds like it's misfiring now and again. It's very rough
Also check your oil level. You might have gotten a lot of gasoline in the oilpan. This happened to me once, but that was with an old carburetor engine.
Looking good G, forgot to send you the link to mine by E-mail
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=108...
That should take you there
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=108...
That should take you there
nigelonich said:
I 'think' the ST170 was a Zetec (timing belt) with a duratec badge as I bought one a while back where as the ST150 IS a Duratec (timing chain).
Correct. The ST170 'Duratec' is a marketing trick, it is the old belt driven Zetec with an iron block. The ST150 Fiesta engine is the proper chain driven alloy block Duratec and much lighter.The ST170 is a cracking engine, superb cylinder head, but for this application I think the lighter on is the winner.
Edited by Megaflow on Sunday 29th January 12:39
Edited by Megaflow on Sunday 29th January 12:39
Megaflow said:
Correct. The ST150 'Duratec' is a marketing trick, it is the old belt driven Zetec with an iron block. The ST150 Fiesta engine is the proper chain driven alloy block Duratec and much lighter.
The ST170 is a cracking engine, superb cylinder head, but for this application I think the lighter on is the winner.
ThisThe ST170 is a cracking engine, superb cylinder head, but for this application I think the lighter on is the winner.
Plus a fiesta ST engine can go upto about 330bhp on standard internals ( bar cams ) before you have to upgrade it to a forged setup!
Right, time for a small update.
The engine is now running nicely, it starts from cold and holds a steady 1000rpm idle. The throttle bodies are balanced so the misfiring has stopped. I'll try and get some video for a further post.
Jobs to do before completion are.
• Refill gearbox with oil.
• Replace a worn ball joint.
• Replace / layer up the existing heat shield with new heat shielding.
• Apply heat shielding to the back side of the clam.
• Apply heat shielding to exhaust for protection of offside inner CV boot.
• Refit clam
• Attach oil catch tank to clam
• Install ECU in boot.
• Relocate Header tank in engine bay
• Install boot lid & interior
• Install undertray
It's quite a list but in reality most are small jobs that don’t require too much thinking; putting the clam back on will most likely be the fiddleiest. I plan to refill the gearbox and replace the ball joint this weekend.
For the ball joint replacement I'll be using Elise Parts custom tool. I'll let you know how I get on.
Also from Elise parts I've purchased two sheets of Nimbus GII Twin Heatshield. I'll use one sheet to replace or cover the existing piece of heat shielding that sits above the exhaust. I'll use the other to cover the boot partition on the clam to protect it from the exhaust heat.
I've also bought myself a bit of bling. I purchased an oil catch tank from Ralloy.
Over half the price of an equivalent MOCAL tank but it looks just as good to my eyes. I'll be mounting it on the engine side of the boot partition approximately where the original ECU used to sit. If anybody can tell me where I can find the 710 fluid I need to fill it with, I'd be most grateful.
The engine is now running nicely, it starts from cold and holds a steady 1000rpm idle. The throttle bodies are balanced so the misfiring has stopped. I'll try and get some video for a further post.
Jobs to do before completion are.
• Refill gearbox with oil.
• Replace a worn ball joint.
• Replace / layer up the existing heat shield with new heat shielding.
• Apply heat shielding to the back side of the clam.
• Apply heat shielding to exhaust for protection of offside inner CV boot.
• Refit clam
• Attach oil catch tank to clam
• Install ECU in boot.
• Relocate Header tank in engine bay
• Install boot lid & interior
• Install undertray
It's quite a list but in reality most are small jobs that don’t require too much thinking; putting the clam back on will most likely be the fiddleiest. I plan to refill the gearbox and replace the ball joint this weekend.
For the ball joint replacement I'll be using Elise Parts custom tool. I'll let you know how I get on.
Also from Elise parts I've purchased two sheets of Nimbus GII Twin Heatshield. I'll use one sheet to replace or cover the existing piece of heat shielding that sits above the exhaust. I'll use the other to cover the boot partition on the clam to protect it from the exhaust heat.
I've also bought myself a bit of bling. I purchased an oil catch tank from Ralloy.
Over half the price of an equivalent MOCAL tank but it looks just as good to my eyes. I'll be mounting it on the engine side of the boot partition approximately where the original ECU used to sit. If anybody can tell me where I can find the 710 fluid I need to fill it with, I'd be most grateful.
Another bit of work done today on the Lotus, nowhere near as much as I'd have hoped for but never mind.
Two jobs were done today. The first was a replacement of a sealing o-ring that sat between the engine and the throttle bodies. I'd managed to damage one of the four o-rings that seal the bodies against the head. Although the car seemed to be running fine it was something that bugged me so I contacted AT Power and asked if they could sell me another set of o-rings. AT Power were very helpful and generously sent me out a new set of o-rings free of charge. With the o-rings to hand I removed the throttle bodies with the engine in-situ and replaced the damage item. The bodies then needed re-installed, a small amount of re-balancing, and the throttle position sensor reset. Once done everything was up and running again.
The next job was to replace a duff lower ball joint. For this I'd purchased Elise Parts ball joint removal / installation tool. The tool is pretty simple in its make up and function clamping round the ball joint and pushing it out of the wishbone.
So. Tool on.
Tighten left bolt..........
Tighten right bolt..........
Tighten left bolt..........
Tighten right bolt.........
And........bend tool........
I'm pretty sure that's not the way it was supposed to work
Rubbish tool? Operator error? Extra stuck ball joint? Who knows, I'll say no more on the subject. Suffice to say I spent the rest of today's tinkering time removing the lower wishbone in full so I can take it to my local garage who'll press out and replace the ball joint with their hydraulic press.
Lastly as promised some video from when I re-balanced and set up the throttle bodies.
http://youtu.be/TgyTxggmDDk
As you can see the engine idles nicely enough but to my eyes it seems to be running a little rich with puffs of black smoke on hard throttle blips. It also tends to bog a little on sharp openings of throttle from idle. Don't think there is anything I can do about either of these issues with the car as it is. The ECU comes with a generic map for the Duratec engine and AT Power throttle bodies but I think it will need a couple of hours fine tuning on Wallace Performance's rolling road once it's back on four wheels to get things running just so.
Anyway, that's all for now. Next on the list of things to do is fitting new heat shielding. Oh, and refitting that wishbone.
Two jobs were done today. The first was a replacement of a sealing o-ring that sat between the engine and the throttle bodies. I'd managed to damage one of the four o-rings that seal the bodies against the head. Although the car seemed to be running fine it was something that bugged me so I contacted AT Power and asked if they could sell me another set of o-rings. AT Power were very helpful and generously sent me out a new set of o-rings free of charge. With the o-rings to hand I removed the throttle bodies with the engine in-situ and replaced the damage item. The bodies then needed re-installed, a small amount of re-balancing, and the throttle position sensor reset. Once done everything was up and running again.
The next job was to replace a duff lower ball joint. For this I'd purchased Elise Parts ball joint removal / installation tool. The tool is pretty simple in its make up and function clamping round the ball joint and pushing it out of the wishbone.
So. Tool on.
Tighten left bolt..........
Tighten right bolt..........
Tighten left bolt..........
Tighten right bolt.........
And........bend tool........
I'm pretty sure that's not the way it was supposed to work
Rubbish tool? Operator error? Extra stuck ball joint? Who knows, I'll say no more on the subject. Suffice to say I spent the rest of today's tinkering time removing the lower wishbone in full so I can take it to my local garage who'll press out and replace the ball joint with their hydraulic press.Lastly as promised some video from when I re-balanced and set up the throttle bodies.
http://youtu.be/TgyTxggmDDk
As you can see the engine idles nicely enough but to my eyes it seems to be running a little rich with puffs of black smoke on hard throttle blips. It also tends to bog a little on sharp openings of throttle from idle. Don't think there is anything I can do about either of these issues with the car as it is. The ECU comes with a generic map for the Duratec engine and AT Power throttle bodies but I think it will need a couple of hours fine tuning on Wallace Performance's rolling road once it's back on four wheels to get things running just so.
Anyway, that's all for now. Next on the list of things to do is fitting new heat shielding. Oh, and refitting that wishbone.
Mini update.
As the weekends work didn’t go as well as I’d hoped I put in a couple more hours on the Lotus last night and spent it hacking away at my roll of Nimbus GII Twin with tin snips. The result is a new rear heat shield.
My original plan was to line the existing, and rather scabby looking, heat shield with the Numbus but I now think I’m going to ditch the original shield and just use the new Numbus shield on its own.
I’ve also ordered up a set of Aero-Quip style connectors that will allow me to connect braded JIC -6 hose directly to the standard Lotus fuel pump. This will let me make a much better job of the fuel return line which at the moment employs Jubilee clips; something I was never 100% happy with.
In other news Wallace Performance turned around my wishbone in double quick time. The ball joint has been replaced and the wishbone is ready to be reinstalled.
More updates soon.
As the weekends work didn’t go as well as I’d hoped I put in a couple more hours on the Lotus last night and spent it hacking away at my roll of Nimbus GII Twin with tin snips. The result is a new rear heat shield.
My original plan was to line the existing, and rather scabby looking, heat shield with the Numbus but I now think I’m going to ditch the original shield and just use the new Numbus shield on its own.
I’ve also ordered up a set of Aero-Quip style connectors that will allow me to connect braded JIC -6 hose directly to the standard Lotus fuel pump. This will let me make a much better job of the fuel return line which at the moment employs Jubilee clips; something I was never 100% happy with.
In other news Wallace Performance turned around my wishbone in double quick time. The ball joint has been replaced and the wishbone is ready to be reinstalled.
More updates soon.
Update time.
Saturday was Lotus day, another load of work done on the project.
First step was to bring the rear clam out of hibernation and get it ready for reinstallation. Because the inlet and exhaust are around the other way on the Duratec (When compared to the K) the heat shielding in the engine compartment is on the wrong side. A second roll of Nimbus GII Twin was used to shield the boot partition from the heat of the exhaust manifold.
With this done the oil catch tank was then bolted to the clam, I have positioned it where the original ECU used to sit. My plan is to cut hole through the boot partition and mount the new ECU in the boot itself on the opposite side of the partition to the catch tank.
The next job was to finalise my fuel return line. The Aero-Quip style connectors that would allow a direct connection to the fuel pump came within three days from the US. Coupled with a 90deg Aero-Quip fitting these would make for a jubilee clip free fuel circuit. Now, if anybody has tried to access an Elise’s fuel pump through the port behind the passenger seat they will know there not much room to work with. This caused problems because the combination of the new fuel fitting and the 90deg bend meant that the complete connection is much longer than the original plastic item. Fitting the connection has previously been described as “fiddly” but I’d call that an understatement. A F***ing B***stard is probably more accurate a description! The problem is that the distance between the fuel pump nozzle and the chassis is exactly the same length of the connection once tightened up. Obviously before the connection is tightened up it is fractionally longer, making it impossible to get into position.
After an hour of skinned knuckles and swearing we were getting nowhere fast so we finally conceded that we’d have to drop the tank to get the fitting on.
This was a pain to do but it’s a simple job and with the tank dropped the connection popped on with no issues.
The tank was then re-installed, you can see how tight the fitting is against the chassis in this picture through the access port. At least we know it can’t fall off….
A further picture of the fuel return line running through the bulkhead and back to the fuel pressure regulator. Looking at it now it was worth the effort.
With that job done the next task was to install the new exhaust heat shield I’d made earlier. The decision was made to re-use the original shielding and sandwich it together with the new item made from Nimbus GII Twin. This was simple enough, the new heat shield was riveted to the old one and then the two were riveted back into place on the chassis. Job done!
With the heat shielding in place, the fuel line fixed and wishbone re-installed the next job was to put the rear clam back on. This was one job I wasn’t looking forward to, as the clam feels so flimsy and fragile, still, it could not be avoided.
So,
Spacer washers were held in place with tape.
And the clam was manoeuvred back into position. The keen eyed amongst you will notice the lack of exhaust pipe. Luckily on the Janspeed system that is fitted the tail pipe is detachable, taking this off made getting the clam on much easier as we didn’t have to worry about threading the pipe through the hole in the calm during the refit.
A view from above shows how snugly the engine fits.
A second from the side. Note how wet the floor is. That's because the clear skies in the first picture had turned to a blizzard by the end of the afternoon.
It feels like we’re on the home straight now but there are still a few head scratchers to solve. The first is a neat way of mounting the ECU in the boot; the second is finding somewhere to mount the header tank. Answers on a Postcard please.
Saturday was Lotus day, another load of work done on the project.
First step was to bring the rear clam out of hibernation and get it ready for reinstallation. Because the inlet and exhaust are around the other way on the Duratec (When compared to the K) the heat shielding in the engine compartment is on the wrong side. A second roll of Nimbus GII Twin was used to shield the boot partition from the heat of the exhaust manifold.
With this done the oil catch tank was then bolted to the clam, I have positioned it where the original ECU used to sit. My plan is to cut hole through the boot partition and mount the new ECU in the boot itself on the opposite side of the partition to the catch tank.
The next job was to finalise my fuel return line. The Aero-Quip style connectors that would allow a direct connection to the fuel pump came within three days from the US. Coupled with a 90deg Aero-Quip fitting these would make for a jubilee clip free fuel circuit. Now, if anybody has tried to access an Elise’s fuel pump through the port behind the passenger seat they will know there not much room to work with. This caused problems because the combination of the new fuel fitting and the 90deg bend meant that the complete connection is much longer than the original plastic item. Fitting the connection has previously been described as “fiddly” but I’d call that an understatement. A F***ing B***stard is probably more accurate a description! The problem is that the distance between the fuel pump nozzle and the chassis is exactly the same length of the connection once tightened up. Obviously before the connection is tightened up it is fractionally longer, making it impossible to get into position.
After an hour of skinned knuckles and swearing we were getting nowhere fast so we finally conceded that we’d have to drop the tank to get the fitting on.
This was a pain to do but it’s a simple job and with the tank dropped the connection popped on with no issues.The tank was then re-installed, you can see how tight the fitting is against the chassis in this picture through the access port. At least we know it can’t fall off….
A further picture of the fuel return line running through the bulkhead and back to the fuel pressure regulator. Looking at it now it was worth the effort.
With that job done the next task was to install the new exhaust heat shield I’d made earlier. The decision was made to re-use the original shielding and sandwich it together with the new item made from Nimbus GII Twin. This was simple enough, the new heat shield was riveted to the old one and then the two were riveted back into place on the chassis. Job done!
With the heat shielding in place, the fuel line fixed and wishbone re-installed the next job was to put the rear clam back on. This was one job I wasn’t looking forward to, as the clam feels so flimsy and fragile, still, it could not be avoided.
So,
Spacer washers were held in place with tape.
And the clam was manoeuvred back into position. The keen eyed amongst you will notice the lack of exhaust pipe. Luckily on the Janspeed system that is fitted the tail pipe is detachable, taking this off made getting the clam on much easier as we didn’t have to worry about threading the pipe through the hole in the calm during the refit.
A view from above shows how snugly the engine fits.
A second from the side. Note how wet the floor is. That's because the clear skies in the first picture had turned to a blizzard by the end of the afternoon.
It feels like we’re on the home straight now but there are still a few head scratchers to solve. The first is a neat way of mounting the ECU in the boot; the second is finding somewhere to mount the header tank. Answers on a Postcard please.
impboy said:
hi to gregorfuk please can you tell me who made up the gearbox adaptor plate for you as i want one made up to mate a zetec to an audi transaxle hope you can help
regards keith
Sorry Keith the adaptor plate came with the kit. It's easy to see how you'd go about making one if you had the box and engine in front of you, but it is something I never had to do.regards keith
Another two sessions on the car the week and it feel like we are almost there.
First job was to fit the exhaust tips back onto the exhaust system. I was hoping that it would be possible to connect the tips through the hole in the rear clam but unfortunately the angles weren’t right and I could not get the pipes to slide into one another. This left a choice, remove the calm or remove the rear silencer..... I went for the silencer option as handling the clam is always nerve wracking (keep it clean people
). The silencer was duly removed and the exhaust tips attached. The silencer was then negotiated back into position underneath the calm, a fiddly job to say the least.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the end of the story as it became clear that the new exhaust system had offset the silencer box by about 15mm to the near side. This meant that the exhaust tips no longer sat centrally in the hole in the clam. So the exhaust silencer came back out and 15mm was cut from the tail pipe end of the silencer. The silencer was then reinstalled, bolted up and the result can be seen below. Perfectly central exhaust tips!
Next Job was to relocate the header tank. The original tank position was too close the airbox inlet making it impossible to route ducting pipe to the airbox. Thankfully the original position wasn’t too far off and there was scope to relocate the tank further to the left on the bulkhead. The header tank bracket had already been removed from the bulkhead, it’s simply stuck in place using Tiger Seal, so relocating the tank was simply a matter of sticking the bracket back to the bulkhead a couple of inches to the left. A simple job leaving an OEM looking result.
The third job was to locate the new ECU. There had been a bit of head scratching about whether to mount the unit in the engine bay or the boot. Eventually it was decided that it would be neater, and kinder to the ECU, to mount it in the boot. Making this mod involved the first and only alteration to the Elise calm, cutting a hole from the engine bay through to the boot. As small a hole as possible was cut and the ECU was then mounted to the boot wall using extra strong Velcro. Again the result looks almost OEM and once the boot carpet is back in the ECU will be hidden from sight.
The last job done was routing pipework to the breather tank. There are two fitting on the tank and two breathers on the engine, one on the rocker cover and on from the crank case. We found one of the old pipes from the K installation fitted the job perfectly for routing to the rocker cover, using some Ford spring clips that came with the Duratec added further to the factory feel.
We have still to plumb in the pipe from the crank case as we need a 16mm hose joiner, this is on order and will be a 5min job to fit.
There’s only a few jobs left to do now. But it’s all simple stuff like refitting arch liners, the boot release + lid, and the passenger seat. One more session should have the car back on four wheels and ready for a test run!!
I’d best go buy a TAX disk!
First job was to fit the exhaust tips back onto the exhaust system. I was hoping that it would be possible to connect the tips through the hole in the rear clam but unfortunately the angles weren’t right and I could not get the pipes to slide into one another. This left a choice, remove the calm or remove the rear silencer..... I went for the silencer option as handling the clam is always nerve wracking (keep it clean people
). The silencer was duly removed and the exhaust tips attached. The silencer was then negotiated back into position underneath the calm, a fiddly job to say the least.Unfortunately that wasn’t the end of the story as it became clear that the new exhaust system had offset the silencer box by about 15mm to the near side. This meant that the exhaust tips no longer sat centrally in the hole in the clam. So the exhaust silencer came back out and 15mm was cut from the tail pipe end of the silencer. The silencer was then reinstalled, bolted up and the result can be seen below. Perfectly central exhaust tips!
Next Job was to relocate the header tank. The original tank position was too close the airbox inlet making it impossible to route ducting pipe to the airbox. Thankfully the original position wasn’t too far off and there was scope to relocate the tank further to the left on the bulkhead. The header tank bracket had already been removed from the bulkhead, it’s simply stuck in place using Tiger Seal, so relocating the tank was simply a matter of sticking the bracket back to the bulkhead a couple of inches to the left. A simple job leaving an OEM looking result.
The third job was to locate the new ECU. There had been a bit of head scratching about whether to mount the unit in the engine bay or the boot. Eventually it was decided that it would be neater, and kinder to the ECU, to mount it in the boot. Making this mod involved the first and only alteration to the Elise calm, cutting a hole from the engine bay through to the boot. As small a hole as possible was cut and the ECU was then mounted to the boot wall using extra strong Velcro. Again the result looks almost OEM and once the boot carpet is back in the ECU will be hidden from sight.
The last job done was routing pipework to the breather tank. There are two fitting on the tank and two breathers on the engine, one on the rocker cover and on from the crank case. We found one of the old pipes from the K installation fitted the job perfectly for routing to the rocker cover, using some Ford spring clips that came with the Duratec added further to the factory feel.
We have still to plumb in the pipe from the crank case as we need a 16mm hose joiner, this is on order and will be a 5min job to fit.
There’s only a few jobs left to do now. But it’s all simple stuff like refitting arch liners, the boot release + lid, and the passenger seat. One more session should have the car back on four wheels and ready for a test run!!
I’d best go buy a TAX disk!
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