| Introduction | Some of the following procedures were photographed by Sanjaya Vatuk and documented
by either him or myself . They
are the closest you will find to a Chilton's or Haynes manual for the Esprit.
Sanj is currently in the process of rebuilding the engine in his Esprit and I
know he has taken lots of pictures. Hopefully we will be able to bring you
more procedures from his great work in the near future.
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| Removing the Binnacle | Unlike most tasks on an Esprit, removing the instrument binnacle
(dashboard/instrument cluster) is relatively easy. The procedure varies
slightly for the 88MY-89MY versus the 90MY-97MY. The reason for this is that
in the first two years, the panel that holds the gauges was actually bonded to
the leather binnacle cover. To remove it, you would actually remove the entire
instrument cluster pod. In the later years (starting with the 90MY), you
actually remove only the leather binnacle cover and the instruments can remain
in place.
On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 3. Click Here for Sanj's step-by-step procedure on removing the binnacle cover.
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| Removing the ECM and Mem-Cal | Upgrading the Mem-Cal on the Esprit ECM to the latest software version is
one of the ways to improve performance, smooth the idle, and reduce stalling.
If you ever decide to upgrade yours, both Lotus Cars USA and Sanj have upgrade
programs for a small fee. To upgrade the software, you must first remove the
ECM which sits on top of the right hand fuel tank and extract the Mem-Cal cartridge
from it.
On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 3. Click Here for Sanj's step-by-step procedure on removing the ECM and Mem-Cal.
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| Removing the Door Trim | Weak window motors are a common ailment in the earlier Stevens Esprits
(prior to the S4). The window would stop moving halfway through its travel. In
order to remedy this problem, you may have to remove the window motors, or
adjust the window tracks. In order to get access to these, you must first
remove the leather door trim panel. On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 2. Click Here for Sanj's step-by-step procedure on removing the door trim.
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| Rebuilding the Chargecooler Pump | There are two common reasons why you may need to rebuild your chargecooler
pump:
On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates an 8. Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on removing and rebuilding the pump on any chargecooled 4-cylinder Esprit (SE, S4, S4s, GT3, and Sport300).
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| Refilling the Chargecooler System | If you have rebuilt, your chargecooler pump, or had a leak, or you flushed
the cooling system on a single header tank Esprit, you will need to refill the
chargecooler system. The following procedure will show you how to properly
refill the system.
Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on refilling the chargecooler system on a 4-cylinder Esprit (SE, S4, S4s, GT3, and Sport300). On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 2. |
| Installing a Blow Off Valve | Michael O'Sullivan and his buddy Gary Gill did an excellent job of
documenting the process of installing a Blow Off Valve (BOV) on Gary's Esprit
S4s. They were even kind enough to provide all the images and files in a
format very close to what the Esprit Fact File already uses, thus making it
easier to include it here. Great job guys!
Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on installing the BOV on a 4-cylinder Esprit (SE, S4, S4s, GT3, and Sport300). On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 9.
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| Installing a Blow Off Valve - Easy Way | Installing a Blow Off Valve is a good idea. It servers two main
purposes. First, it preserves the life of your turbocharger and second it
increases performance slightly. The reason for this is as follows. A
turbocharger increases engine horsepower by increasing the amount of air being
pushed into the cylinders. This works well while you have the accelerator pedal
pressed because the throttle plates are open and the air being pushed by the
turbo is allowed to enter the engine. When you lift off the accelerator between
shifts, the throttle plates close and the turbo is trying to force air into a
closed compartment. Since the air has nowhere to go, it forms back pressure on
the turbine itself. This has the nasty effects of slowing down the turbine as
well as applying undue stress on its bearings. Once you release the clutch and
get back on the gas, the turbine has to spool up again before it can provide
boost. The BOV solves this problem by providing an alternate path for the air to exit when the throttle plates are closed. The air can be vented to the atmosphere or re-circulated back into the intake. The disadvantage of venting air to the atmosphere is that it makes a "pfffftt" sound between shifts that sounds not unlike that of an 18-wheel semi. The advantage is that you can install it within 30 minutes with absolutely no drilling into any engine parts. Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on installing the BOV on a 4-cylinder Esprit (SE, S4, S4s, GT3, and Sport300). On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 3.
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| Installing Air Horns | Prior to the S4, the Esprit had nice, European-sounding air
horns that were in character with the car. The horns didn't always age well
leading to the dreaded disease I call Sad Cow
Horn. So in late 1993 Lotus replaced the horns with electric units. The
problem is they make the Esprit sound like a Buick. So many owners have decided
to replace the horns on their newer cars with the proper air horn sound. Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on installing the air horns on a late model Esprit (S4 or newer). On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 3. |
| Replacing the Esprit's Springs | Atwell Haines did a wonderful job of documenting the procedure
of replacing the springs on an Esprit. I haven't added his pictures yet, but you
can read his description now. Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on replacing the springs on an Esprit. On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 8.
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| Replacing the Timing Belt | A long time ago Jim J Seippel documented the procedure for replacing the
timing belt on his 84MY Turbo Esprit. It was the first procedure that was
documented in the Esprit Fact File. It doesn't have the fancy pictures that
other procedures here have. So if someone wants to take the task of taking
photos of the process the next time they change their belt, I will gladly add
them to this page.
Please note that the procedure here is for a 1984 Turbo Esprit. It should work for other models of the same vintage, but always consult with the proper service manual for your model year when tackling such a complex task. Click Here for a step-by-step procedure on replacing the timing belt on a 84MY Turbo Esprit. On a Difficulty Scale of 1 to 10, this procedure rates a 9.
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