2005 LOTUS ELISE set

integral self diagnostics have switched out the anti-lock function.
See ‘ABS tell tale lamp’.
WARNING:
• The increased control that ABS provides should not induce you to take more risks with your safety. ABS will
not prevent a skid caused by abrupt steering movements,
or attempting to corner too quickly.
• Always maintain a safe following distance from other cars relative to the road surface and weather conditions.
Obey all traffic laws.
• Risk of accidents due to inappropriate speed cannot be reduced even by ABS. The driver is responsible for the
judgement of safe speed.
• The control unit of the ABS is set for standard tire size. If non-standard Tires are fitted, the control unit may mis-
interpret the speed of the car, because of the variant data
it receives from the wheel speed sensors. Fitting non standard tires would seriously affect the performance of
your ABS.
• The amber ABS tell tale in the instrument panel should light for about 4 seconds following ignition switch on, and
then go out. If the lamp remains lit, or comes on whilst driving, a fault in the anti-lock brake system is indicated.
The base brake system will continue to operate normally,
but without ABS. The car can be driven but should be
checked and repaired at the earliest opportunity.
• Activation of the ABS will vary according to the level of grip available at the Tires. On dry surfaces, activation
will occur only with a high pedal pressure. On slippery
surfaces, only a low pressure will be needed.
• On loose or uneven surfaces, such as gravel or snow, a car with ABS may need a longer stopping distance. Allow
a greater distance between cars in these conditions.
Driving Controls
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Parking BrakeThe parking brake, which operates on only the rear wheels
is applied by a hand lever mounted between the seats. A red
tell tale icon in the instrument cluster warns of parking brake application (see ‘Tell Tale Lamps’). The brake should be applied by pulling up the lever with high
effort, and engaging the highest ratchet setting attainable. When
parking the car on a slope take the additional precaution of leav
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ing the transmission in first (facing downhill) or reverse (facing uphill) gear and steering the wheels towards the kerb.
WARNING: If the parking brake is applied when the brakes are hot
(e.g. after prolonged or frequent hard use), special care
should be taken to ensure that the parking brake is securely engaged in order to allow for any potential brake force
reduction as the discs cool. Failure to do so may result in
the car rolling away and causing an accident in which you
or others may be killed or seriously injured.
To release the brake, pull up the lever, press and hold the
release button in the end of the handgrip, and lower the lever fully.
Before driving off, always check that the parking brake has been
fully released, as confirmed by the tell tale icon being turned off,
or damage to the brake system may be caused. Note that the parking brake uses a cable mechanism to
apply the rear brake calipers, and is totally independent of the
footbrake hydraulic circuit.
Driving Controls
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PARKING BRAKE LEVER

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STARTING PROCEDURE & ENGINE BREAK-IN
WARNING:CARBON MONOXIDE - Be aware of the danger of carbon
monoxide! Never run the engine in an enclosed space. The
exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, a deadly gas
which is particularly dangerous, as being colourless odour
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less and tasteless, its presence is very difficult to detect.
Before starting the engine, always check that the parking
brake is firmly applied, the transmission is in neutral, and as
an extra precaution, depress the clutch pedal. Switch off any
unnecessary electrical loads.
Starting a Cold or Warm Engine
The fuel injection and engine management system controls fuel delivery and engine settings under all normal operating conditions.
i) Insert the key into the steering lock/ignition switch and turn to
position ‘l’ to unlock the column. Before turning on the igni
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tion; if the security tell tale in the tachometer face is flashing, mobilise the engine by pressing once, and for a full second,
the larger of the two buttons on the transmitter fob.
ii) Turn the key to position ‘II’ to switch on the ignition, and pause
for a moment to allow the fuel system to prime.
iii) Depress the clutch pedal as a precaution, and without moving
the accelerator, press the ‘Start’ button at the left hand end of
the dashboard to engage the starter motor. Release the button
as soon as the engine starts. Allow a cold engine to idle for
10 seconds before driving off, but if ambient temperatures are below freezing, allow the engine and screen heating systems
to warm up for a few minutes before driving.
iv) If the engine fails to start within 15 seconds, stop cranking
and pause for 10 seconds before a second attempt.
v) If further efforts are unsuccessful, contact your dealer or seek
other expert help.
WARNING:
An unattended car with a running engine is potentially
hazardous. Turn off the engine before leaving the car.
Starting & Engine Break-In
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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
-
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.
Servicing & Maintenance
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handling feel and minimum steering wheel shake, it is very
important that the radial and lateral run out of the Tires are to the high standard required by Lotus Cars. If any difficulty is experienced with replacement Tires, refer to
the tire manufacturer.
Tire Characteristics The Yokohama AD07 or A048 Tires fitted to the Elise
are suitable for all normal weather conditions, but are optimised for dry road sports driving. The constructions
of both tire types have been specially tailored for the
Elise and are identified by the letters ‘LTS’ moulded on the tire sidewalls. Ensure that any replacement Tires are similarly marked. The tire characteristics include good
feedback (‘feel’) from the road surface to the steering
wheel, a high level of steering linearity and response, and little performance degradation with the high temperatures
which may be reached in sports use. However, tire performance will decrease at low ambi
-
ent temperatures, resulting in reduced levels of grip and
an increased susceptibility to damage from impacts. In
these conditions, especially below 15°F (-10°C), it is recommended to fit a car set of the recommended winter
Tires (see below).
Winter Tires If the car is to be used in ver y cold territories, or
driven on snow covered roads, it is recommended to fit a

car set of winter Tires developed specifically for such
conditions. Lotus approves the use of Pirelli 210 (front)
and 240 (rear) Snowsport winter Tires in sizes specified
in ‘Technical Data’. These Tires should be fitted on regular
Elise wheels.
WARNING:
• Winter Tires are optimised for use on snow covered roads. When used on roads free of snow, winter
Tires will produce different handling characteristics and less grip compared with regular Tires.
• When winter Tires are fitted, a maximum speed of 118 mph (190 km/h) must be observed.
• Pirelli Snowsport Tires are NOT suitable for stud
-
Tires & Wheels
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Scheduled wheel alignment and balancing are not required.
However, if you notice unusual tire wear or the car pulling to one side or the other, the alignment may need to be reset. If
you notice the car or steering wheel vibrating when driving on a smooth road, the wheels may need to be re-balanced.
Wheel Replacement Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, badly corroded or
otherwise damaged. If the wheel bolts come loose after having been correctly fitted, the wheel and bolts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, have it replaced. See your Lotus dealer if any of these conditions should arise.
Ensure that only Lotus approved wheels and wheel bolts
are used.
WARNING:
• Using incorrect, or non-approved replacement wheels or wheel bolts could be dangerous. It could affect the brak
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ing and handling of your car, or cause tire deflation, and result in a crash in which you or others could be killed
or seriously injured. Always use Lotus approved wheels
and wheel bolts.
• Putting a used wheel on your car is dangerous. It may have been subjected to a heavy impact and suffered
structural damage which cannot be seen. It could break
and cause a crash in which you and others could be killed
or seriously injured.
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Coded wheelbolt
Coded tool
17mm socket, extension & torque wrench
Standard wheelbolt
Standard tool
Tires & Wheels
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If the battery is to be disconnected, the following precautions
should be taken: i) Ensure that all electrical loads (e.g. lights) are switched off. If
the car is fitted with security coded audio equipment, check
that the code is available for entering after battery reconnec
-
tion.
ii) Wait for at least ten seconds after switching off the ig-
nition to allow the engine management system to adjust the

setting of some components ready for re-starting.
iii) Ensure the alarm is disarmed. If the battery is disconnected
when armed, the alarm will be triggered.
iv) Disconnect the
negative (earth; black; ‘-’) battery cable first,
and re-connect last.
WARNING:
If the battery positive terminal is inadvertently earthed
(e.g. when using a spanner) whilst the negative terminal
is still connected, the resultant short circuit with heavy sparking and current flow could cause serious burns.
To remove the battery, pull off the breather pipe (if applicable),
release the single screw securing the clamp bracket at the
base of the battery, and manoeuvre the battery from the base
retaining shoe.
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Batter y clamp
Electrical
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WARNING:When lifting the battery out of, or into the car, be aware
of the considerable weight and take all appropriate precau
-
tions to safeguard personal health. Injury can result from improperly lifting the battery.
Keep the battery upright, and protect from sharp knocks
and shocks.
Reconnecting the Battery
WARNING: Failure to follow the correct battery re- connection pro
-
cedure detailed above could result in serious burns.
Refit the battery, with its terminals outboard, by reversing the
above procedure. Remember to push on the breather pipe (if
applicable), and reconnect the battery cables as detailed below.
Refit the battery cover.
i) Check again that all electrical loads are switched off.
ii) Connect the positive battery cable first, followed by the neg
-
ative (earth) cable.
iii) After reconnection, a change in the engine performance
characteristics may be noted for a period whilst the computer
controlled engine management system ‘re-learns’ some of its
settings.
iv) If necessary, enter the security code into audio equipment.
Battery Charging Under conditions of normal daily use, it should not be nec
-
essary to use external battery charging equipment. In a low usage regime, however, it is important to maintain the charge
state of the battery using a trickle charger, or an automatic bat
-
tery management conditioner such as that available through Lotus Dealers. Starting difficulties may be encountered after an
unattended period of 3 weeks. A battery conditioner is able to continuously monitor battery charge state and switch on and off automatically in order to maintain the battery in a fully charged
state without danger of damage through overcharging.
If the battery becomes discharged to the extent that the
car cannot be started, the recommended course of action is
to fit a substitute battery whilst the original battery is trickle
Electrical
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