2005 LOTUS ELISE recommended

WARNING:
• Engine oil is hazardous to your health and may be fatal
if swallowed.
• Take all suitable precautions to guard against scalding
from the hot oil.
• Prolonged and repeated contact with used engine oil may cause serious skin disorders, including dermatitis

and cancer.
• Use protective gloves to avoid contact with skin as far
as possible and wash thoroughly after any contact.
• Keep out of reach of children.
Allow the oil to drain completely before cleaning the drain
plug, fitting a new sealing washer, and tightening securely. Refit
the undertray. Refill with the recommended lubricant (see page 153) via the
oil filler on the camshaft cover, to the top mark on the dipstick,
allowing several minutes for the oil to drain through to the sump before checking the level. Take care not to over fill. Refit the oil
filler cap securely, and check the oil level again when the engine is fully warm (see above).
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exchangers from both frost damage, and metal corrosion. The
Elise is factory filled with a 50% concentration of Havoline XLC
Extended Life Coolant, which contains Organic Acid Technology
(OAT) based corrosion inhibitors to provide long coolant change intervals combined with freedom from environmentally damaging phosphates, silicates and nitrites.
NOTICE: No other type of coolant should be mixed with this
OAT coolant.
Havoline XLC may be identified by its orange colouration, and
by a label around the header tank filler neck. The 50% concen
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tration provides freezing protection down to - 40°F (- 40°C), and is recommended to be maintained throughout the life of the car.
Stronger concentrations should not be used. In an emergency, if an OAT coolant is not available, the
cooling system should be topped up using water only, but the reduction in freezing protection should be recognised, and the
concentration corrected promptly. In areas where the tap water is extremely hard (exceeding 250 parts per million), distilled, de-ionised or filtered rain water should be used for the water
content of the coolant mix. The effective level of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) in the sys
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tem may be measured by your dealer using a hydrometer, but in order to ensure that the required level of corrosion protection is
maintained, the coolant should be renewed every 4 years. For coolant capacity, refer to ‘Recommended Lubricants‘
and ‘Technical Data’.
NOTICE: Using an incorrect coolant mixture may result in ex
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pensive damage to your engine and/or other car parts caused by overheating, freezing or corrosion effects. This damage would
not be covered by your new car warranty.
Coolant Drain /Refill Procedure The cooling system of the Lotus Elise has been carefully
optimised to allow the required cooling performance using the
minimum volume of coolant. This provides for high cooling sys
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tem efficiency, with quick engine warm up and interior heating. When refilling the cooling system, it is vital to ensure that
the correct bleeding procedure is followed, and that no air pockets remain. This operation should be entrusted to your
Lotus dealer.
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Use only a non-mineral type DOT 4 brake fluid from a sealed
container marked with a yellow and black (non-mineral) symbol.
Do not use DOT 5 silicone fluid, or any fluid which has been
exposed to the atmosphere for more than a brief period, or
any fluid suspected of being wet, dirty or contaminated. Do not over fill, and replace the cap securely. Brake fluid, being hygroscopic, absorbs water from the atmos
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phere over a period of time, resulting in a lowering of the boiling
point of the fluid, and corrosion of the hydraulic system. For
optimum safety and brake performance, the brake fluid should be renewed every twelve months by your Lotus Dealer.
WARNING:
• Brake fluid is hazardous to health and may be fatal if swallowed. Keep out of children’s reach.
• Using the wrong type of brake fluid can damage brake system components and result in brake failure causing a
crash in which you and others could be killed or seriously
injured. See ‘Recommended Lubricants’.
Brake Pads The thickness of the brake pad lining material should be
checked at every service, and under no circumstances be al
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lowed to fall below 0.1 inch (2.5 mm). If the brakes are in very frequent or arduous use, as when driving in mountainous terrain,
or on race circuits, it is recommended that they be examined
more frequently. The pads should be renewed if of insufficient
thickness to ensure safe braking until the next scheduled service.
Note that in order to ensure that brake pads with the correct
material specification are used, only genuine Lotus replacement parts should be fitted, and in the interests of safety, pad renewal
should be entrusted to your Lotus dealer.
WARNING: Using incorrect brake pads, or pads below 0.1 inch
(2.5mm) thickness, may cause a crash in which you or
others could be killed or seriously injured. With a new car, or new brake system components, maxi
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mum braking efficiency will be achieved if, for the first few
hundred miles, needless heavy braking is avoided, and the
brake pads and discs are allowed to ‘bed in’ fully before
being used to their full potential (see also ‘Footbrake’).
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Brake Pipes & HosesAt the recommended service intervals, the brake pipes and
flexible hoses should be carefully examined for signs of dam
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age, corrosion or perishing, especially in territories where salt is used on the road surface in the winter months.
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Auxiliary Drive BeltA single, multi-rib type auxiliary belt is used to transmit drive
from the crankshaft to the alternator, water pump, and (if fitted)
air conditioning compressor. The belt is automatically tensioned,
and requires no periodic maintenance other than a visual check of its condition. If the belt exhibits any evidence of physical dam
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age, cracking, fraying, perishing, abrasion or contamination, it
should be renewed. In the case of contamination, the cause
must be identified and rectified, and each of the pulleys must be thoroughly degreased before the new belt is fitted. It is recommended that auxiliary belt replacement be en
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trusted to your Lotus dealer.
Sparking Plugs The Elise uses a direct ignition system with an individual
high tension coil mounted atop each of the four spark plugs and protected by a plastic cover, screw fixed to the engine.
WARNING: The voltages produced with this ignition system can
cause serious and potentially fatal injur y. Never touch
any ignition components when the engine is running or being cranked.
The spark plugs should be renewed in accordance with the
Maintenance Schedule, with the gaps set to 0.043 in. (1.1 mm).
This operation should be entrusted to your Lotus dealer.
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TIRES AND WHEELS
TiresGlossary of Terms:Recommended inflation pressure: The cold tire inflation pressure which is recommended for this car and is speci
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fied in the ‘Technical Data’ section of this handbook.
Cold tire inflation pressure: All tires must be cold, meaning
that the car has been stationary for a minimum of 3 hours, or has been driven less than 1 mile. Adjust pressures only
in ambient conditions.
Maximum inflation pressure: The maximum inflation pres
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sure to which the tire should be subjected. For the Elise,
use only the recommended inflation pressure.
Lotus engineers have worked with tire manufacturers
to produce tire specifications for the Elise which optimise performance on both road and track. To ensure that any
replacement tires are to the correct Lotus specification,
always refer to your Lotus dealer, who will have the latest recommendations.
WARNING: In order to achieve the optimum handling char
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acteristics, the wheel and tire sizes on the Elise are different front and rear. This means that interchanging
of wheels and tires between axles is not permissible.
Failure to adhere to this requirement will adversely affect the handling of the car and may result in an
accident in which you or others could be killed or seriously injured,
The tires should be regularly inspected for signs of cuts,
abrasions or other damage, and for any uneven tread
wear patterns. Uneven treadwear may indicate that the suspension geometry or dampers require attention from
your dealer.
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NOTICE:
• On cars used on a race track or in a competitive manner,
special vigilance is required due to the severity of tire operating conditions, with careful inspections carried
out between sessions.
• Take care when parking to avoid tire contact with high
or sharp edged kerbs. Such mistreatment can cause
internal damage to the tire structure and this may not be readily apparent. The wheel rims may also be distorted or damaged by careless parking, and result in wheel
imbalance or loss of tire pressure. Similar damage may also be caused by potholes, rocks or other highway
debris.
WARNING:
• Damage to wheels and tires may cause an accident in which you or others may be killed or seriously
injured. If the wheels or tires have been damaged,
have them replaced.
• Safety considerations should always be paramount when assessing tire condition and serviceability, and the tires replaced if any doubt exists, or if the
legal tread depth limits are approached.
• Poorly maintained and improperly used tires are dangerous.
• Overloading your tires can cause overheating as a result of too much friction. You could have a blow
out and a serious accident in which you could be killed or seriously injured. See ‘Tire Placard La
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bel’.
• Underinflated tires pose the same danger as over loaded tires. The resulting accident could cause serious injury, or death. Check all tires frequently
and maintain at the recommended pressure. Tire
pressures should be checked only when the tires
are cold.
• Overinflated tires are more likely to be cut, punc- tured or broken by a sudden impact - such as hitting a pothole. Keep tires at the recommended pressure.
• Installing improper tires on your car can affect handling and stability. This can cause a crash
in which you can be killed or seriously injured.

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Always use the size and type of tires recommended
in this handbook.
• Using incorrect tires or tires which are excessively worn or improperly inflated can cause a crash in
which you can be killed or seriously injured.
• Please note your car is not fitted with a low tire pressure tell tale lamp so it is especially important
that you regularly check the tire pressures.
When driving on wet roads, surface water is squeezed
out from between the tire and road. However excessive
speed or water depth can overwhelm the water clearing capability of the tread and lead to a condition called 'aq
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uaplaning' or ‘hydroplaning’, where the tire rides on a film of water and provides little or no grip on the road surface,
leading to a loss of control. This condition is more likely
to occur with worn tires having little depth of tread, or with incorrect tire pressures. Drivers should keep a vigilant check on tire wear and condition, and moderate their
speed in adverse weather conditions.
Tire Care Wear indicators are moulded into the bottom of the
tread grooves at intervals around the tire, indicated by small pointers on the outer tread blocks. The tires should
be replaced before being worn to this minimum legal
tread depth. The cold tire pressures should be checked every week,
or every 1,000 miles (1,700 km), whichever is the sooner,
and corrections made as necessary. See ‘Technical Data’
at the back of the handbook for tire pressures. For track
use, tire condition and pressures should be checked be
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fore each run. Under-inflation will cause excessive wear, rapid deterioration of the tire sidewalls and heavy steering,
whereas over-inflation results in a hard ride and increased susceptibility to tire damage. Both conditions will cause a degradation in the handling qualities. It is important that the tire pressures are adjusted only
when the Tires are cold (when the car has been standing for a minimum of 3 hours, or driven less than 1 mile), as the pressures may increase by 0.3 - 0.5 bar (4 - 8 lb/in²)
when the Tires are warmed to normal running temperature.
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