Elise Newbie S2 Indicator Woes

[Numbnutz]

Yes thats correct.

 

Mine has lasted years 4 or 5yrs like this. The tricky part is getting the position to mount the P clip right. I asked CN to do it - here is one we did earlier sir.

[Izzimad]

Thanks for the reply Numbnutz.

 

To save me making an expensive mistake and drilling a hole in the indicator in the wrong place. Can anyone give me the measurement from the end of the the indicator to the centre of the required hole?

[Numbnutz]

I don't know how far it is and would have to remove mine (eek). If you are really stuck I will when I get home.

 

Do you have any of the old ones left? If not, go to your local Lotus dealer and ask them if they have any old broken ones they don't want - if not, do they convert the lenses?? Failing that ....

 

Measure the hole where the indicator goes ..... upper flat bit to lower flat bit. Call this (A)mm

 

Measure from top clip on indicator (where it would sit/locate in the hole against the upper bit of clam) to (A)mm and draw a line on the back of the indicator. This should be about where the lower flat of the clam lines up to.

 

Place your P Clip (with the hole against the centre of the lense, and the round or top of the P pointing towards the end of the lense (not middle) as per the pic) and guess (the tricky bit) how much of the curve of the P clip should overhang the line.

 

I think you may need to flatten off the remnants of the broken clip too - can't remember. If you are very nervous about its position, glue or duck tape it on and do a trial fit. The top of the P should just fit and touch the clam enough to hold it in place without rattling.

 

If it is too far towards the centre - you can pad it out with tape and foam on the P (or clam).

 

Or ... alternatively - Just call Christopher Neils and ask them for a modded 2nd hand one - about £30 I think. Then copy it.

[Izzimad]

Thanks again Numbnutz.

 

You're right about this being an official Lotus fix. It's documented on one of their service bulletins possibly issued Sept 2003. I have the diagram from that which shows that the long end of the p-clip should be positioned 40mm away from the flatter under side of the indicator.

 

I've decided that I'm getting fed up with messing around with it myself and have arranged for the Lotus Dealer to do it (at my cost). Should bring me some peace of mind and no-more having to watch out for flying indicators. Bit surprised though as the local Lotus dealer seemed oblivious to this official fix until I mentioned it.

 

After all the recent heavy rain and driving through a number of large, unavoidable puddles. I noticed that my passenger side mudflap was loose. Have therefore ordered some replacement scrivets in order to fix it back in place. Starting to find out that the Elise is a little more fragile on British winter roads compared to other cars I've driven. I've reverted back to my old Impreza WRX for the worst weather days this week and last. The Subaru makes for a less eventful journey but nowhere near as exciting to drive - looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Elise ASAP!

 

 

[Numbnutz]

Is it a documented offical fix?... ha ha. I just thought that the more handy lotus dealers just converted them for customers.

 

Don't let them charge you too much - I paid £20 or £30 for my secondhand already converted one, and kept my old (OS) one (i.e. it was not exchange) which is now a spare in case it ever fell out again - but it has been fine for years. The only bug bear is that the rivit has gone a grey/black colour over time if you look carefuly. But I'd rather that than see them going airborne on the M62 in rush hour!

 

Before I found this fix, I used wide selotape to hold the bottom in, and replaced it every few weeks.

 

As a rule, once the gritters have been out, I don't use the elise unless the rain washes the slippy sludge away. Mine has no traction control (Honda'd) and no ABS so snow and ice are more than an adventure.

 

I'm sure the WRX is enough safe fun this time of year!

[StokieAfro]

I too have moisture in the front indicator sounds like I should leave it to Chris Neals when she goes in for her next service...

[Izzimad]

StokieAfro, I managed to easily remove the indicator on the other side without issue (mainly to find out what a unit complete with clip should be like). As long as you have a flathead screwdriver with a decent reach, you should be able to find the clip via the access hole above the air intake. Just be careful and don't apply too much force incase it breaks. I've been told that to help it back in, especially if it's a cold day - warm the clip with a hair dryer, that way it'll be more pliable and less brittle. You should hear a definite click if its gone back in properly.

 

It's been a week since the P clip mod indicator was fitted and it's held out so far.

 

My car has been making squeaking noises from the front suspension. Only happened when the weather is dry. I decided to let Allon White Sports Cars (from whom I bought it) take a look. I have four months warranty left so thought best to get it checked out. No issue was found, they just applied some lubricant to the joints etc on all the suspension. I had heard that it can be the tell tail signs of a worn steering rack, relieved to find it was nothing. The car has also had a damp carpet under the drivers seat which i only notice recently. Ive had to de-ice the inside of the screen due to the moisture in the car. I mentioned it to them and they had a good look around the tub to check for holes. Nothing was found awry there either. I'll dry it out and keep checking it when it rains. I'm really glad it's got aircon as the screen clears relatively quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StokieAfro]

I bit the bullet and removed mine last night and Kel surprise the clip had already broken and there are witness marks behind the seal that the lens had probably bounced down the road at some point. That explains the moisture.

Decided to remove the second one out of interest and this one had the clip siliconed back together with an extra dose for of silicon for good measure...

I was planning on trying the elastic shock cord tactic I've seen on SELOC in the mindset that this would make future removals a piece of cake.

[Izzimad]

Bad luck StokieAfro on having both units with the problem. The bungee fix did a good job for me for a while. I struggled to get bungees of the right thickness, length, and hook size as all of my local shops had the typart hat was far too big. I ended up ordering mine from amazon - 4mm mini bungees x10 for a couple of £. I initially had problems finding anything inside the clam to secure the bungee without the need to modify it in some way. I secured mine via the top part of the oil cooler grill in the end.

 

The P clip fix for me is still doing a great job. Lotus Silverstone did a good job of positioning the P clip to provide sufficient purchase on the clam and allow enough flexibility to allow removal.