2005 LOTUS ELISE 100

10. DRIVING CONTROLS
Foot Pedals .................................................................
66
Footwell Carpets .............................................................
66
Clutch Pedal .................................................................
66
Footbrake .................................................................
67
Anti-Lock Brake System .................................................
67
Parking Brake .................................................................
70
Gear Lever .................................................................
71
11. STARTING PROCEDURE & ENGINE BREAK-IN
Starting a Cold or Warm Engine .....................................
72
Idle Speed .................................................................
73
Engine Break-In ..............................................................
73
Engine Special Features .................................................
74
12. EXTERNAL OPERATIONS
Fuel Requirement ...........................................................
75
Fuel Filling .................................................................
76
Front Service Access Panels ..........................................
78
Engine Cover/Trunk Lid ..................................................
79
Child Entrapment ......................................................
80
Removable Roof Concept ...............................................
81
Soft Top Roof Fitting ..................................................
82
Soft Top Roof Removal .............................................
84
Hard Top Roof Fitting ................................................
85
Hard Top Roof Removal ............................................
90
13. SERVICING & MAINTENANCE
Bodycare .................................................................
93
B
ody Features ...........................................................93
Paint Care .................................................................
94
Ventilation .................................................................
94
Paintwork Polishing ...................................................
95
Washing .................................................................
95
Soft Top Roof ............................................................
96
Windscreen Cleaning ................................................
96
Alloy Road Wheels ....................................................
96
Upholstery Cleaning ..................................................
97
Seat Belts Cleaning ...................................................
97
Footwell Cleaning ......................................................
97
Owner Maintenance ........................................................
98
Engine Oil Level Check .............................................
99
Engine Oil Change ..................................................
100
Oil Filter ...............................................................
102
Used Engine Oil ......................................................
103
Contents
3

oh_croft_InD.indd 320/05/2004 07:58:40ProCarManuals.com

Air DistributionThe right hand rotary control determines the distribution of
air flow to the various outlet vents. A few moments should be
allowed for the flaps to operate following a new selection:
Face Level: Turned fully counterclockwise, all airflow is directed to the four
face level vents, each of which may be manipulated to adjust
volume and direction.
p100
Heating, Ventilation & A.C.
63

oh_croft_InD.indd 6320/05/2004 07:58:56ProCarManuals.com

Footwell:
As the control is turned clockwise from the face level vents
symbol towards the footwell symbol, an increasing proportion
of air flow is directed towards the footwell vents.
p100
Heating, Ventilation & A.C.
64

oh_croft_InD.indd 6420/05/2004 07:58:56ProCarManuals.com

Demist:
As the control is turned clockwise from the footwell symbol
to the windscreen symbol, more air flow is directed to the wind
-
screen vents. Select a warm temperature setting and a suitable
fan speed.
Full Defrost Per formance For maximum defrost per formance, turn the distribution
knob fully clockwise and select maximum temperature and fan
speed.For optimum demisting in ambient temperatures above
38°F (+3°C), switching on the a.c. will help de-humidify the air directed to the screen.
Ventilation Shut-Off To close off the ventilation, which you may want to do in heavy
traffic to reduce fumes coming into the car, select re-circulation,
turn off the fan, turn the distribution control fully counterclock
-
wise to the face level vent position, and manually shut off each of the face level vents.
Engine Bay Ventilation The engine bay is ventilated via intake ducts in the body sides
and engine undertray, with outlet grilles provided in the engine
cover and rear valance.
p100a
Heating, Ventilation & A.C.
65

oh_croft_InD.indd 6520/05/2004 07:58:57ProCarManuals.com

NOTICE: The use of wide throttle openings and/or high rpm before the engine has reached normal running temperature will
result in premature wear, and should be avoided.
Idle Speed Engine idle speed is controlled electronically by the engine
management computer, and is normally about 850 rpm. A
raised idle speed is required under certain operating conditions
including the engine warm up phase, when the increased speed helps the catalytic converter to reach operating temperature, as
well as inhibiting engine stall. Idle speed will return to normal automatically when the engine has warmed sufficiently.
Engine Break-In Although the Elise powertrain is built to close tolerances
using modern technology, the progressive and sympathetic
breaking-in (or bedding-in) of a new engine and transmission
remains a major factor in attaining ef ficient operation with
smooth, durable and economic performance to last throughout
the life of the car.
NOTICE: Failure to comply with the following break-in provi
-
sions could invalidate the terms of the car warranty:
It is important during the car’s early life to limit the workload on
the engine and thus control the heat generated within it, which is primarily a function of throttle opening and rpm. However, being
too sympathetic on the car will not allow the piston rings to bed in
satisfactorily, so a balance of spirited and gentle use is required.
For the first 600 miles (1,000 km), use no more than moderate
throttle openings (about half of the available accelerator pedal
travel) and do not run the engine continuously at engine speeds over 4,500 rpm. Occasional short bursts at wider throttle and
higher rpm will be beneficial, as will a constantly changing cruis
-
ing speed and making full use of the gearbox. Do not allow the
engine to labour in too high a gear ratio, but change down and
let the engine operate in its natural power band. When changing gear, use only a light touch on the gear lever.
Forcing the change will cause unnecessary wear on the system components and result in higher shift efforts being required. Al
-
low the brakes to bed-in by avoiding needless heavy braking for
the first 100 miles (160 km). Both gearchange and brake pedal
Starting & Engine Break-In
73

oh_croft_InD.indd 7320/05/2004 07:58:59ProCarManuals.com

pressing firmly to ensure that the handle is fully seated. With-
draw the dipstick again to inspect the oil level, which should lie between the two dimples on the end of the stick. The oil level
should be maintained at the upper of these two marks in order
to provide optimum engine protection.
Topping Up
: If topping up is necessary, unscrew the oil filler cap
from the left hand end of the cam cover. Add a suitable quantity of the recommended engine oil (see ‘Recommended Lubricants’)
taking care not to spill any oil onto engine or electrical compo
-
nents; use a funnel if necessary. The difference between high and low dipstick marks is equiv
-
alent to 1.6 U.S. quarts (1.5 litre). Allow several minutes for the oil to drain through to the sump before re-checking the oil level.
Do NOT over fill, or lubrication will be degraded and consump
-
tion increased as the oil becomes aerated. Refit the filler cap,
turning clockwise until secure.
Engine Oil Change The use of high quality oil, renewed at the specified intervals,
is the key to engine longevity and sustained performance. Ad
-
here strictly to the engine oil and filter change intervals specified
in the Maintenance Schedule.
For access to the engine sump and filter, the engine bay
undertray must first be removed. This is most easily achieved
with the car raised on a garage hydraulic lift, or alternatively, parked over an inspection pit.
The drain plug is located at the rear of the sump, and should
be removed to drain the sump immediately after a run when
the oil is warm and the impurities are still held in suspension.
On cars fitted with front mounted oil coolers, it is not necessary routinely to attempt to drain the cooler circuit. Servicing & Maintenance
100

oh_croft_InD.indd 10020/05/2004 07:59:05ProCarManuals.com

ding.
Tire Chains In extreme weather conditions, Lotus approves the fit
-
ment of Pewag Neon X3 - NX373 snow chains, used only in conjunction with winter Tires (see above) and fitted only on the rear wheels. Close attention should be paid
to the fitting and tensioning instructions supplied with the chains, and the chains should be removed as soon as
road conditions allow.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system de
-
veloped by the United States National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, which grades Tires by treadwear, traction and temperature performance (This applies only
to cars sold in the United States). The grades are moulded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car Tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow
Tires, space-saver or temporary use spare Tires, Tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production Tires. While the Tires available on Lotus cars may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform to federal safety requirements.
Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1.5) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of Tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices, and differences in road
Tires & Wheels
120

oh_croft_InD.indd 12020/05/2004 07:59:10ProCarManuals.com

Spark plugs NGK IFR6A11
DensoSK20R11
Spark plug gap 1.1 mm
Max. continuous engine speed 8000 rpm (8500 transient)
Fuel requirement Unleaded
Minimum octane 91 (RON+MON)/2
Fuel system Multi-point fully sequential
fuel injection with Lotus T4
controller.
Peak power (SAE DIN 70020) 190 bhp (141.7 kW) @
7,800 rpm
Peak torque (SAE DIN 70020) 138 lbf.ft (187 Nm) @
6,800 rpm
Transmission
Type 6 speed manual transaxle.
Bevel gear differential.
Gear Ratio Final Drive mph/1000 rpm First 3.17:1 ) 5.1
Second 2.05:1 ) 7.7
Third 1.48:1 ) 4.53:1 10.7
Fourth 1.17:1 ) 13.6
Fifth 0.92:1 ) 17.3
Sixth 0.81:1 ) 19.4
Reverse 3.25:1 )
Brakes
Type Front and rear discs with
curved vane ventilation
and cross drilling.
AP Racing aluminium op
posed piston front calipers.
Single piston sliding rear
calipers.
Disc Size - front and rear 288mm
Operation Tandem master cylinder
with vacuum servo and
ABS
Parking Brake Cable operation of rear
calipers, self adjusting for
pad wear.
Technical Data
159

oh_croft_InD.indd 15920/05/2004 07:59:20ProCarManuals.com