Vintage75
Part of things
Posts: 538
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I can see why people would think your engine is about to let go!!
I didn't know the LC had such a problem due to being decat'd but the vac solution seems to work well if you can come up with a system that will only work at tick over.
Good luck. Sorry I can't give any help with this one as it's way beyond me level of tinkering!!
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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My Celica has a one way vac valve from inlet to filler cap  want some pictures and part numbers? Would be handy - I have a vectra vacuum limiting valve and some pipework but it's gonna look like a bloody dogs breakfast to fit it in and make it neat. The issue is I don't think full inlet vacuum would be a good idea - too much of a good thing and all that!! |
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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I can see why people would think your engine is about to let go!! I didn't know the LC had such a problem due to being decat'd but the vac solution seems to work well if you can come up with a system that will only work at tick over. Good luck. Sorry I can't give any help with this one as it's way beyond me level of tinkering!! I'm not about to re-invent the wheel - Julian has found a solution mechanically but in his words it's not pretty!!! Oh and just to point out they (LC's) do have a problem when cats are present - it's just the cats do two things - provide a bit of back pressure on the turbos so some resistance to the oil flow out of the turbos and they are also remarkably efficient at getting rid of the oil smoke!! De-catting just makes the situation bloody awful |
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The Doctor
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 3,449
Club RR Member Number: 48
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That's quite an impressive smokescreen indeed! The only time i've seen something like that was on a car with the turboseals completely shot, luckily (i think?) your problem isn't that!  |
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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That's quite an impressive smokescreen indeed! The only time i've seen something like that was on a car with the turboseals completely shot, luckily (i think?) your problem isn't that! Turbos are fine no play in shafts or roughness in the bearings but they are old design seals ie not total seal so under the right conditions the generate a bit of a fog, some wag suggested whenever I stop I should put the park anywhere lights on and then tap the brake pedal, mobile disco!!!!; |
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Might it be worth putting a scavenge pump between the turbo drain and the crankcase? Would actively pull the oil out of the turbo, while not altering the crankcase breathing system.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Might it be worth putting a scavenge pump between the turbo drain and the crankcase? Would actively pull the oil out of the turbo, while not altering the crankcase breathing system. That was an option considered but I prefer simple as there isn't a lot of space to play with anywhere in the engine bay...... |
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Let me get the situation straight, too much CC pressure is making the turbo seals leak into the exhaust? Do you already have a PCV valve? If not, then that is all you need, plenty on the market and very neat / OEM looking If it already has one, then you need to restrict the 'in' airflow, this will increase the amount of air pulled from the crankcase and in turn the vacuum |
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That was an option considered but I prefer simple as there isn't a lot of space to play with anywhere in the engine bay...... Ah, fair enough. |
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Bloody hell that's good mpg for a big car with that sort of performance.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Let me get the situation straight, too much CC pressure is making the turbo seals leak into the exhaust? Do you already have a PCV valve? If not, then that is all you need, plenty on the market and very neat / OEM looking If it already has one, then you need to restrict the 'in' airflow, this will increase the amount of air pulled from the crankcase and in turn the vacuum It's got a PCV valve but and it's a big but - the set up is horribly compromised. The PCV is attached to the inlet manifold but the pipe work goes to the air box where it meets the rocker cover breather. Think of it as a sniffer pipe that just picks up the fumes from the rocker cover breather at tick over most of the vac produced is lost to the air box, due to the size of the rocker cover breather. Make the opening smaller and you get more vac however there is a risk that the engine then struggles to vent excessive crankcase pressure at high rpm. Richard Brunt's Lotus Carlton website shows the system in some detail and he'd did some investigation to improve the vac at tick over however the solution that he came up with was also compromised and his car doesn't smoke mainly because he has converted to much newer turbos in design. My intention is to leave what lotus did as it is. Add a new vac line connection to a currently blanked off port in the inkjet manifold route the pipe to a one way check valve opened by vacuum but closed by boost then to a vac limiting valve and then connect the pipe work to either the sump or a new dip stick tube with a t-piece fabricated into it. Sump has a removable level sensor in it which would be easy to modify (already modified one before in my Monza thread to take an oil temp sensor, so it should be easy to drill and tap a hole to allow a rubber hose connection. I bought a brand new dip stick tube a while back as part of the project plan so either routes should work. Doing it this way means I keep all the new system on the inlet side of the engine rather than crossing the engine bay with more hoses and I may well be able to hide everything out of sight |
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Jobs to do..... Stop the smoke - pretty much sorted now - just need to find a better sized PCV valve - current one being used is a bit small Wheels re-balanced has improved vibrations at higher speeds but now booked in for full 4 wheel alignment Fix the abs - Rear D/S sensor gone dead - replaced with a spare Give the car a proper clean outside - done and with a few coats of wax looks much better Fit new handbrake grip - In progress was supposed to be an easy job - it's not Sunroof wind deflector - done missed not having it fitted Sort out the electric window control - it's not doing what it should It got a run out on Sunday morning 120 miles, 3 counties and all done by 9.30 am for a big cooked breakfast in a local pub it did illuminate a couple of issues to add to the list  Still to do Full 4 wheel alignment Sort out why boost level is low, Fit boost gauge and link up PDA for data logging Fit the grundig cd changer and head unit Replace the speaker wiring to the back Give the car a proper clean inside Fit the front arch liners Under seal the rear arches Other stuff I'm sure will be added |
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Jul 22, 2014 12:16:47 GMT
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Having now seen this car in the flesh, I can confirm it does indeed exist. After <insert lengthy timeframe> I was starting to wonder if this was a thread of elaborate photoshops.  Looks fully awesome  |
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teaboy
Posted a lot
Make tea, not war.
Posts: 2,126
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Jul 22, 2014 17:49:11 GMT
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all done by 9.30 am for a big cooked breakfast in a local pub Car looks good, breakfast sounds good too... |
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Jul 22, 2014 21:00:29 GMT
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Quite literally the coolest saloon car ever made, love your dedication to this car. Awesome stuff!
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Jul 22, 2014 23:10:39 GMT
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Having now seen this car in the flesh, I can confirm it does indeed exist. After <insert lengthy timeframe> I was starting to wonder if this was a thread of elaborate photoshops. Looks fully awesome Thanks - I'm still working on it pretty much all the spare time I have as if I stop nothing will get done and I'll just use and abuse the car PS by the time I wandered over to the Manta stand what I wanted to look at had left - will catch up at RRG Quite literally the coolest saloon car ever made, love your dedication to this car. Awesome stuff! Only recognized as anything special by proper petrolheads - I question my own sanity for owning it for 14 years!!! Car looks good, breakfast sounds good too... Pictures make it look better than it is - they always do - it needs paint and a fair bit of it but it's against my religion to paint cars - especially ones that are magnets for stone chips..... Going rate seems to be about £5,000 for a proper job and then I'd cry every time a new chip or scratch was added - much better to have a wears it's scars with pride look. |
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Jul 22, 2014 23:32:46 GMT
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Well ever since I've owned this car the plastic handbrake lever grip has irritated me - after being used to the leather of a Senator one it just felt cheap - so back in 2002 I bought a brand new Senator handbrake grip - plan was slide off old plastic one off - slide on new leather clad awesomeness - however the grip got put in a tote bin marked Lotus Parts to be fitted, that box got filled and another started eventually I got to 10 tote bins because I had fun with the car rather than work on it.
Well I want to fit all the parts stored - many have been but the leather grip kept winking at me saying fit me fit me fit me - how hard can it be...........
It is not that bloody simple I can now tell you
plastic grip will not slide off - the release button won't let it
So out with Mr Stanley that removed it
Now I can see what the issue is
So the handbrake grip goes on first and then the button goes in after
The handbrake arm is made up of two halves - held together with steel rivets (H/D 10mm diameter)
If anyone is every stupid enough to do this here's my advice
Remove gearlever gaiter
Remove handbrake Gaiter
Remove center console
Remove Driver seat
Chock rear wheels if car is on a slope - the bumper on the back of the LC is easily cracked when it's unbraked travel is stopped by a Merc (by comparison the Merc bumper seems to be made from titanium)
Release handbrake
Dot punch the two rivets in the centre
Select first a 4mm and then an 8mm drill
Drill with 4mm all the way thro
Then it it with the 8mm drill bit (don't be tempted to go up in 1mm increments - the rivett at around 6mm or 7mm will spin happily round with the drill)
You need to drill to 8mm as the rivetts need to become spacers into which you can place 8mm dome cap head bolts.
the lower rivet is also the pivot for the pawl and once this rivet is removed the pawl can release the rod that is attached to the button
The upper rivet if left in place won't allow the rod to pass so it's gotta be removed too.
Now the button is released you can slide on the new leather grip
Then feed the rod and button back in
Then you need 4 hands, first one hold the pawl in place, second one holds the hand brake lever up, third one feeds in the spacer and M8 cap head, 4th one tries to put a lock nut on it.
once that's back together the upper rivet replacement is a POP
Stand back and admire..............
Alternatively think why the heck did I ever think this would be a good idea
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,975
Club RR Member Number: 71
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So in checking for wiring issues in the passenger front footwell related to the window control issues I have I had to take the kick panel off - to take that off the sill covers had to come off, might as well sort the wiring out to the rear speakers then.....
Background so most know the car wasn't one of the original build run but was sort of special (needs) this means that lotus took the occasional short cut with the spec and probably lost a few bits when it was stripped to a shell for paint. Anways I thought lotus had lost the whole loom for the rear speakers because they ran bell wire from the HU to the rear speakers and never fitted any tweeters.
I fitted tweeters when I fitted the proper sunblind containing parcel shelf but had no wires, local RR and ABS member Gewy (Paul) supplied a complete rear to front footwell loom and whilst I hadn't been looking forward to this job Paul had made the effort to get it out in one piece to the least I could do was fit it
Turns out half the loom was still in place - Lotus had lost the rear section so rather than make up a new rear section they ran additional wires from HU to rear speakers so my job was made easier as I just had to strip out the bell wire......
Yeah rear seat base and bolster had to come out - this was handy as I'd found my new seat base clips so of course I fitted those......
Seeing as the bell wire went to the HU I pulled that out.........
Seeing as the head unit was out I might as well fit the Grundig unit................
As at midnight tonight I had a working 10 disc player connected to a grundig head unit with working FM (downside was all the leads were laid in the car rather than hidden) but hey workings is workings
It would have been 11pm but as I've said before I'm starting to forget stuff fine if it's trivial (family birthdays, the aniversary of when I met lisa and stuff like that) but when it's the fact that the Aeriel lead must be connected to the back of a grundig unit for it to work well lets just say it's bloody irritating when you forget the important stuff!!!!
Oh and the wiring for the HU is a rats nest full of vipers - bearing in mind Lotus hacked in for the rear speakers and in the time I have owned the car it has has a blauplunkt, kenwood and a clarion HU and both times I had to "adjust" the wiring - so of course I'll just "adjust" it again - No hopefully I'll do a proper job as J905 donated enough of it's loom to make a neat job of a botch.
still the tote bins are getting emptied but the bloody windows still aren't working as they should!!!
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froggy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,099
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Jul 23, 2014 12:34:10 GMT
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Actuators on the t25 turbos are really soft , I had to re set base boost on mine as I could hear one of the gates tinkling on idle it was that loose . Base boost is only around 3.5-4 psi from memory
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Jul 23, 2014 20:01:38 GMT
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as you probably know, C20LET engine has cam cover breather to inlet manifold, one way valve to stop the cam cover/engine pressurising when boost pressure is above atmospheric
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want some pictures and part numbers?
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