Radiator help

[Milks]

Finally on saturday after 6 months of research, saving and searching I picked up my beautiful magnetic blue 02 111s, and I've had a whole 5 days of faultless driving pleasure.

That was until my journey back this evening when the radiator went, p*ssing coolant everywhere

Now reading around it seems a very common problem with this model/year so I'm not too worried. Thing is my nearest specialist is nick whale, 40 miles away so I'll have to get it towed.

Anyone know how much I can expect to pay?

[S1mon.]

I know just how you feel, Had my car for just over a week when i suffered the same fate.

Trying to get an uprated one, not having much luck though

[tanman]

hangar111 are your friends. sadly expensive as front clam off, looking at £600+ (the rad is cheap enough though) as labour charges are expensive due to the time to get front clam off and put back on again. unless of course you want to have a go yourself but theres no way i'd do it, i'm fecking useless at most things!

[VTECMatt]

Sorry to hear your first bill cam in soon.

Don't know whether you know but don't tow it, get it flat bedded. Make sure you get an all Alloy Rad and check the pipes whilst you are there.

[Lotus Lewis]

If you do want to do it your self then here what your have to do ok step by step

1ST.. http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Remove_S2_front_clamshell

2ND.. http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Replace_the_radiator_%26_c...

Hope this helps

[S1mon.]

Will be doing mine myself, should get it done in a day

[AlexT]

I can totally sympathise with you. This has happened to my s2 111S twice now. Please take a look at this thread: http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=140005 on the seloc forums. We are currently conducting a survey there of people that had radiator failures. As you will see a radiator failure can result in a serious accident or worse, a fatality.

Your contribution and additions will be appreciated!

[ptp170]

Might just be a loosened jubilee clip on the return hose. You can get access by popping out the n/s indicator. Might save you a whole bunch of money

[JTBUSH]

S1mon. said:

Will be doing mine myself, should get it done in a day

Took me 2 days to do mine.

Please please please make sure you have removed all bolts before trying to remove the clam. I had followed the instructions to the dot, and was certain all fixings were out. I was pulling at the clam, trying to get it over the driving lights, but it wouldnt come. Sure it was just something that required brut force. Ended up cracking the clam in 2 places before thinking to check the wheel arches again. There were indeed, 2 more fixings. The clam slides off really easily if all fixings are undone, so if there is any resistance, stop and check it.

[Milks]

Thanks for the advice

I've just come off the phone to nick whale who quoted me £650 to supply and fit the standard rad, or £425 to fit one I supply

I'm not feeling very spanner proficient at the moment and I haven't managed to get the elise into the garage yet (still leveling off the access road) so I don't think a DIY job is an option

so £425 (fitting) + £235 (rad) + £100 (transport) = £760
i'm treating this as my induction into ownership

I just hope I haven't induced HGF in getting it home, are there any other warning signs to look out for other than mayo in the oil?

[JTBUSH]

Yeah, blown radiators!

Signs can include - Brown coolant, brown frothy coolant, mayo in the coolant, mayo in the oil, eratic temperatures, blown radiator and cant think of anything else!

[retrorider]

dont bother fitting another standard rad with the plastic end caps if you intend keeping the car as you'll be doing it again in another couple of years.eliseparts do the uprated all ally rads.

[stew-S160]

i replaced the rad, heater matrix and return hose not long after buying mine. was the heater matrix that went, but changed the rad also.

pretty easy job really. even removing the clam is a doddle. best off downloading the workshop manual if you're unsure of anything though.

[Paul RN]

Milks said:

Thanks for the advice

I've just come off the phone to nick whale who quoted me £650 to supply and fit the standard rad, or £425 to fit one I supply

I'm not feeling very spanner proficient at the moment and I haven't managed to get the elise into the garage yet (still leveling off the access road) so I don't think a DIY job is an option

so £425 (fitting) + £235 (rad) + £100 (transport) = £760
i'm treating this as my induction into ownership

I just hope I haven't induced HGF in getting it home, are there any other warning signs to look out for other than mayo in the oil?

Just get the AA Breakdown & Repair Warrenty, it covers up to £475 for repair if you breakdown upto 5 times within one year. It covers HGF for sure, it may have also covered your rad if you'd had the policy.

• edit* its only £65 too

Edited by Paul RN on Thursday 8th November 16:29

[stuthemong]

sympathy from here. I got my 02 111s last saturday. Been in the garage since monday. Collect tomorrow (big oil leak).

Good luck on your repairs!!!

[S1mon.]

Got the front clam off, took a couple of hours.
New rad ordered, hopefully back to gether next weekend.
Having new screen fitted while its off

[DaveR]

Good work chap.

How do you find Elise ownership compared with the Cerb?

You obviously know one end of a spanner from the other so what comparisons/contrasts would you draw in terms of getting your hands dirty with each?

Topical at the mo!

[S1mon.]

Give me the Lotus any day. Every thing is better put to gether, and so easier to take a part with out bits snapping off. Also once the clam is off (quite easy aswell) every thing is accessible.
Parts are way cheaper aswell and much easier to source

[MikeThack]

Excuse me if I'm showing my age and ignorance but I did most of my DIY car mechanics in an age when you filled your radiator up through the radiator cap which also served as a pressure release valve.

Are we saying here that systems today with their "header" tank are in fact completely sealed systems and so a head gasket failure can lead to the cooling system becoming pressurised to the point where it splits the seams of the radiator?

I ask because I've also had the symptoms described in a thread that links to this one, that of coolant spray onto the drivers side of the windscreen. It seems to do it only when it's approaching working temperature and settles down after that. It's been doing this for about a year now actually without any apparent deterioration.

The dealer has said there's a leak from the seam of the radiator and it needs replacing, which is what I was planning to do but if it's the head gasket on the way and the result will be a blown new radiator I need to think again!

Maybe I should carry on topping up and wait and see what happens.

[Lawrence5]

If you have the clam off then consider a new fan (they seize too), stainless towing eye (rust like buggery) and have them visually inspect the heater matrix and hvac resistors which can blow and leave you without an internal heater fan