QUESTION
I recently had a close inspection and ride in an Lotus Essex Esprit turbo.
Engine pulled well on acceleration, without any back-firing or notable miss.
The Lotus Esprit engine had a rough idle to it and was quite noticeable.
I asked the owner if it was necessary to constantly adjust idle, and the answer was - never.
This Lotus Esprit definitely did not have a smooth idle .......... are they all like this?
I asked if it was possible to carry out a leak-down test to determine internal engine wear and I was informed that this could be carried out.
With regards to the dry sump engine, I was told the engine oil level was maintained at 2/3 to 3/4 full to prevent oil dribble from some vent hole near to the filler cap.
Is this normal because this didn't seem right.
I was told that the engine has been filled with the correct weight synthetic oil.
I had no trouble with the driving position.
In fact, the rake would not allow the seat to move back as far as it could go, (leaning against the panel behind it).
With the rake repositioned, I would have comfortable room: but its just ok as is.
The mechanical linkage on the gearbox had good feel.
I have been used of much worse than that with other British cars.
The owner told me the Renault gearbox stick has a spongy feel and some problem he mentioned with its cable operation that he didn't like.
The owner told me he preferred the gearshift on the Citroen gearbox.
The windows do not go all the way down....can they be made too, (even if a gap is left up top)?
Head clearance from roof is OK.
AC worked good and I liked the radio/cassette idea on roof.
Full leather cabin and seats were splendid. Good original condition and no tears.
Front end vision from seating position = none.
Is there a solution for this or, is it simply a matter of getting used of in time ?
On the highway, the owner mentioned there were vapours coming from the engine.
What is this about because I don't understand this comment?
There was a vibration through the steering wheel and I was told it needed new bushes.
Are these readily obtainable?
What figure results must the lower end get to pass leak-down test?
If it goes well on the test, then whats it worth?
If the dry sump engine and Citroen gearbox have non replaceable parts, is it possible to fabricate those obsolete parts and would it cost a fortune?
The paint work is good, but has a few scratches.
The original special size tires need replacing.
I guess it might be wiser to wait for a wet sump engine Esprit, right?
J. H. - Melbourne, Australia
ANSWER
Providing the Esprit engine is standard, the engine should idle at 800rpm just like a modern day fuel injected vehicle (providing the carburettors are in good condition and adjusted correctly)
For dry-sumped Lotus Esprit's there is a designated procedure for checking the oil level in the catch tank.
The correct grade of engine oil is 20W50 for an Essex Esprit turbo.
This is the grade of oil that is stipulated for crankshaft and other engine component design clearances.
The cabin is fairly tight in early Esprit's so its not unusual to discover limitations with seat adjustment and spacing between foot pedals.
As mentioned before the early Esprit with the Citroen C35 gearbox has a very mechanical feel to the shift.
The later Lotus Esprit's fitted with a Renault gearbox have a silky smooth shift providing the translator bearings and rod-ends in good working order (and the shift mechanism is adjusted correctly - see the Lotus workshop manual).
From experience the shift quality is very positive and seamless (unlike the Citroen)
The gear-lever can be moved effortlessly by simply gripping the knob between the tips of the fore-finger, middle finger and thumb.
With any Esprit and many other Lotus vehicles it is not always possible to determine exactly where the bonnet ends when viewed from the cabin.
This is mainly due to the rake angle of the bonnet and drivers eye position.
Drivers soon learn how to adapt and realise the vehicle overall length.
Lotus Marques is not aware of steering column bushes being available as there are no serviceable components shown in the dealer parts list.
Previously Lotus Marques has successfully converted steering columns to use commercially available bearings.
In the case of Esprit's fitted with a wet sump engine, it is normal for the engine to vent through the crank case breather system.
However, with all dry sump engines the scavange pump system removes oil and vapour from the crank-case.
Ultimately this mixture ends up in the catch-tank where the vapours need to be recirculated back into the engine or vented to atmosphere.
An engine with minimal wear should indicate about 2% to 5% cylinder leakage.
Once the engine reaches 25% cylinder leakage then its time to contemplate a rebuild.
Unfortunately it is not possible to comment about the value of the Essex Esprit turbo not unless Lotus Marques carries out a comprehensive vehicle inspection.
Purchasing an Esprit is one thing but owning and maintaining an Esprit requires a deep pocket especially if it is turbo-charged.
You might want to carry out research for yourself and see what happens if you need a replacement multi-stage oil pump for the dry-sump Esprit engine.
These early engines have cast-iron wet cylinder liners and therefore do not have a long service life in a turbo-charged engine.
As this is the first Esprit you have looked at and driven, then it would be wise to look at more examples before making a purchasing decision.
Copyright © 2012 Lotus Marques
I recently had a close inspection and ride in an Lotus Essex Esprit turbo.
Engine pulled well on acceleration, without any back-firing or notable miss.
The Lotus Esprit engine had a rough idle to it and was quite noticeable.
I asked the owner if it was necessary to constantly adjust idle, and the answer was - never.
This Lotus Esprit definitely did not have a smooth idle .......... are they all like this?
I asked if it was possible to carry out a leak-down test to determine internal engine wear and I was informed that this could be carried out.
With regards to the dry sump engine, I was told the engine oil level was maintained at 2/3 to 3/4 full to prevent oil dribble from some vent hole near to the filler cap.
Is this normal because this didn't seem right.
I was told that the engine has been filled with the correct weight synthetic oil.
I had no trouble with the driving position.
In fact, the rake would not allow the seat to move back as far as it could go, (leaning against the panel behind it).
With the rake repositioned, I would have comfortable room: but its just ok as is.
The mechanical linkage on the gearbox had good feel.
I have been used of much worse than that with other British cars.
The owner told me the Renault gearbox stick has a spongy feel and some problem he mentioned with its cable operation that he didn't like.
The owner told me he preferred the gearshift on the Citroen gearbox.
The windows do not go all the way down....can they be made too, (even if a gap is left up top)?
Head clearance from roof is OK.
AC worked good and I liked the radio/cassette idea on roof.
Full leather cabin and seats were splendid. Good original condition and no tears.
Front end vision from seating position = none.
Is there a solution for this or, is it simply a matter of getting used of in time ?
On the highway, the owner mentioned there were vapours coming from the engine.
What is this about because I don't understand this comment?
There was a vibration through the steering wheel and I was told it needed new bushes.
Are these readily obtainable?
What figure results must the lower end get to pass leak-down test?
If it goes well on the test, then whats it worth?
If the dry sump engine and Citroen gearbox have non replaceable parts, is it possible to fabricate those obsolete parts and would it cost a fortune?
The paint work is good, but has a few scratches.
The original special size tires need replacing.
I guess it might be wiser to wait for a wet sump engine Esprit, right?
J. H. - Melbourne, Australia
ANSWER
Providing the Esprit engine is standard, the engine should idle at 800rpm just like a modern day fuel injected vehicle (providing the carburettors are in good condition and adjusted correctly)
For dry-sumped Lotus Esprit's there is a designated procedure for checking the oil level in the catch tank.
The correct grade of engine oil is 20W50 for an Essex Esprit turbo.
This is the grade of oil that is stipulated for crankshaft and other engine component design clearances.
The cabin is fairly tight in early Esprit's so its not unusual to discover limitations with seat adjustment and spacing between foot pedals.
As mentioned before the early Esprit with the Citroen C35 gearbox has a very mechanical feel to the shift.
The later Lotus Esprit's fitted with a Renault gearbox have a silky smooth shift providing the translator bearings and rod-ends in good working order (and the shift mechanism is adjusted correctly - see the Lotus workshop manual).
From experience the shift quality is very positive and seamless (unlike the Citroen)
The gear-lever can be moved effortlessly by simply gripping the knob between the tips of the fore-finger, middle finger and thumb.
With any Esprit and many other Lotus vehicles it is not always possible to determine exactly where the bonnet ends when viewed from the cabin.
This is mainly due to the rake angle of the bonnet and drivers eye position.
Drivers soon learn how to adapt and realise the vehicle overall length.
Lotus Marques is not aware of steering column bushes being available as there are no serviceable components shown in the dealer parts list.
Previously Lotus Marques has successfully converted steering columns to use commercially available bearings.
In the case of Esprit's fitted with a wet sump engine, it is normal for the engine to vent through the crank case breather system.
However, with all dry sump engines the scavange pump system removes oil and vapour from the crank-case.
Ultimately this mixture ends up in the catch-tank where the vapours need to be recirculated back into the engine or vented to atmosphere.
An engine with minimal wear should indicate about 2% to 5% cylinder leakage.
Once the engine reaches 25% cylinder leakage then its time to contemplate a rebuild.
Unfortunately it is not possible to comment about the value of the Essex Esprit turbo not unless Lotus Marques carries out a comprehensive vehicle inspection.
Purchasing an Esprit is one thing but owning and maintaining an Esprit requires a deep pocket especially if it is turbo-charged.
You might want to carry out research for yourself and see what happens if you need a replacement multi-stage oil pump for the dry-sump Esprit engine.
These early engines have cast-iron wet cylinder liners and therefore do not have a long service life in a turbo-charged engine.
As this is the first Esprit you have looked at and driven, then it would be wise to look at more examples before making a purchasing decision.
Copyright © 2012 Lotus Marques
