
8. INSTRUMENTS & SWITCHES
Ignition Switch/Steering Lock ..........................................
44
Engine Start Button .........................................................
45
Warning ‘Tell Tale’ Lamps ...............................................
46
Bulb Check ................................................................
46
Turn Tell Tale .............................................................
46
Seat Belt Tell Tale ......................................................
47
Brake Tell Tale ...........................................................
47
Oil Pressure Tell Tale ................................................
47
Low Fuel Level Tell Tale ............................................
48
ABS Tell Tale ............................................................
48
High Beam Tell Tale ..................................................
48
Airbag Tell Tale ..........................................................
48
Battery Charging Tell Tale .........................................
48
Engine Malfunction Indicator Lamp ...........................
49
Security/RPM Tell Tale ..............................................
49
Instruments .................................................................
51
Speedometer .............................................................
51
Tachometer ...............................................................
51
LCD Display Panel ....................................................
52
Fuel Level Display ...............................................
52
Coolant Temperature Display ..............................
53
Odometer ............................................................
53
Trip Recorder .......................................................
53
Dashboard Switches .......................................................
54
Parking Lamp Switch ................................................
54
Headlamp Switch ......................................................
54
Lights-on Buzzer .......................................................
55
Hazard Warning Lamps Switch .................................
55
Instrument Illumination ..............................................
56
Auxiliary Power Socket .............................................
57
Column Switches & Horn ................................................
58
Headlamp High/Low Beam/Flasher/Turn Indicators .
58
Windscreen Wiper/Washer .......................................
59
Horn .................................................................
60
Audio Equipment ............................................................
60
9. HEATING, VENTILATION & AIR CONDITIONING
Air Conditioning ..............................................................
61
Air Re-circulation ............................................................
62
Heater Temperature ........................................................
62
Fan Speed .................................................................
62
Air Distribution ................................................................
63
Engine Bay Ventilation ....................................................
65
Contents
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Engine Compartment Fuses ...................................137
Footwell Sited Fuses ...............................................
138
Headlamp Alignment .....................................................
139
Bulb Replacement ........................................................
142
Headlamp Bulb ........................................................
142
Front Turn Indicator Lamp Bulb ...............................
143
Side Repeater Lamp Bulb .......................................
144
Rear Lamp Cluster Bulb ..........................................
144
High Mounted Stoplamp Bulb .................................
144
Licence Plate Lamp Bulb ........................................
144
Interior Lamp Bulb ...................................................
145
Side Marker Lamp Bulb ...........................................
145
16. LIFTING & TOWING
Towing Eye ...............................................................146
Towing a Trailer .............................................................147
Car Tie-Down ...............................................................
147
Lifting Your Car .............................................................148
Fuel Tank Undershi
eld ..................................................149
17. A
CCESSORIES
Accessories & Modifications .........................................150
Storing Your Elise .........................................................
152
18. RECOMMENDED LUBRICANTS
Engine ...............................................................
153
Transmission ...............................................................
154
Br
akes & Clutch ............................................................154
Engine Coolant Additive ................................................
154
19. TECHNICAL DATA .......................................................155
20. WARRANTY INDEX .....................................................161
21. ALPHABETICAL INDEX ..............................................188
Contents
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SEATING & SAFETY RESTRAINTS
SeatsOn delivery of the car, first remove the protective plastic
seat covers, if this has not already been done, and dispose of
safely. To adjust the fore/aft position of the driver’s seat, raise the
lift bar beneath the front of the seat, and slide to the position
required. Ensure that the catch is fully engaged after adjustment
by attempting to slide the seat without touching the lift bar. Note
that the passenger seat position is fixed and cannot be adjusted, and that the backrest angle of both seats is fixed, and cannot be reclined.
WARNING:
• Sit as far back from the steering wheel as is comfortable, whilst ensuring that full control can be maintained. Sit
-
ting too close to an airbag can result in serious injury or death if the airbag inflates.
• Ensure that your chest is at least 10 inches (250mm) from
the steering wheel.
• Do not attempt to adjust the seat position whilst driving as this could adversely affect your control of the car.
• Ensure that no persons or objects will be trapped when adjusting the seat.
Lumbar Support (if fitted): On seats equipped with adjustable
lumbar support, an inflator ‘bulb’ (A) and air release button (B)
ohs64a
SEAT ADJUSTMENTS
Seating & Safety Restraints
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are located at the inboard rear of the seat. To increase lumbar
support, squeeze the bulb repeatedly until sufficient support is obtained. To decrease support, press the small black button at
the base of the inflator bulb.
Seat Belts Seat belts provide important safety and comfort for both
driver and passenger and have proven to be the single most
effective safety device in reducing the risk of death or injury in
a crash. The seat belts should be worn at all times, no matter how short the journey. This is required by law in most states
and in all Canadian provinces. As a reminder, the seat belt tell
tale in the instrument cluster will flash until the driver's seat
belt is fastened, accompanied for the first eight seconds by an
audible chime.
Inertia Reel Seat Belts The standard fitment inertia reel seat belts allow the wearer
freedom of movement under normal driving conditions. The belt reel will lock automatically whenever the car is subjected to brak
-
ing, acceleration, or cornering forces, or on impact in a collision. Reel locking will also occur on steep hills or slopes, or if the
car is tilted. In the event of a severe frontal impact sufficient to
trigger the airbag system, a pre-tensioning device incorporated into each seat belt assembly will operate to tighten the belt for
increased occupant protection.
ohs44
SEAT BELT POSITIONING
Seating & Safety Restraints
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• Drivers airbag circuit;
• Passenger airbag circuit;
• Seatbelts pre-tensioner circuit;
• Internal componentry of the sensor and diagnostic module.
As a bulb and circuit check, the tell tale will light briefly when
the ignition is switched on, and then go out. If the lamp lights at any other time, a fault in the airbag system is indicated, which
should be rectified without delay by your Lotus dealer.
WARNING: If the airbag tell tale does not light up as the ignition is
turned on, or remains lit for more than a few seconds, have
the fault rectified immediately by your dealer. Ignoring the
tell tale can result in serious injury or death if the airbags do not inflate when needed.
Airbag Deployment If a crash or collision causes the airbags to inflate, you may
see what looks like smoke, but is actually powder from the airbag
surface used to aid smooth deployment. Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems may experience
some temporary discomfort. If this occurs, get out of the car if possible as soon as it is safe to do so. After airbag deployment, the airbags, seat belt tensioners
and electronic control unit must be replaced by a Lotus dealer
or other suitably qualified organisation. Component parts of the airbag system are located in various
sites around the car. Any technician working on the car should be advised that the car is fitted with airbags to allow suitable
precautions to be taken.
WARNING:
• For up to 20 seconds after the ignition has been turned off and the battery disconnected, an airbag can still
inflate if improper servicing occurs. You can be injured
if you are close to an airbag when it inflates.
• Airbag system components should be serviced only by an authorised Lotus dealer. Do not work on the airbag
system yourself.
• The disposal of used airbag units is subject to stringent
Seating & Safety Restraints
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Passive Ilisation: The start button will operate only when the
security tell tale in the tachometer face is out. If the tell tale is
flashing, the engine is immobilised; Press once,
and for a full second, the larger of the two buttons on the trans
-
mitter fob. The security tell tale will be extinguished. For further
information see ‘Car Security Alarm’.
WARNING ‘TELL TALE’ LAMPS A block of tell tale lamps is incorporated into the instrument
cluster to provide you with important information concerning the
operation of your Elise.
Bulb Check In order to check that the warning systems are operative, all
the tell tale lamps (except the ‘security’ tell tale; see Car Se
-
curity Alarm section) should light for about 6 seconds following ignition switch on. If any lamp should fail to light, it is possible
that the bulb or warning circuit may be faulty; see your dealer
without delay.
Turn Tell Tale
When the left hand or right hand turn indicators are operating,
this green tell tale flashes in unison. A clicking sound may also be heard. If the tell tale fails to light, or flashes at an unusual or
irregular rate, check the operation of the turn indicator lamps
immediately.
m252a
Instruments & Switches
46
TELL TALE LAMPS
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WARNING:Continuing to run the engine with the oil tell tale lit could
cause major engine damage or seizure, resulting in loss
of car control and a crash. You or others could be killed
or seriously injured.
Low Fuel Level Tell Tale
When only a single segment of the fuel gauge bar graph
remains, representing approximately 1.3 U.S. gall. (5 litres), this
amber tell tale will flash. Refuel at the next opportunity.
ABS Tell Tale
This amber tell tale should light for about four seconds follow-
ing 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 nor
-
mally, but without the anti-lock feature. The car can be driven but should be checked and repaired at the earliest opportunity.
High Beam Tell Tale
This lamp glows blue whenever the headlamp high beams
are operating.
Airbag Tell Tale
The airbag safety system has a self-diagnostic feature which
lights the red tell tale if a fault is detected. As a bulb and circuit
check, the tell tale will light for about six seconds following ig
-
nition switch on, and then go out. If the lamp remains lit, or comes on at any other time, a fault in the airbag system is indicated,
which should be rectified without delay.
WARNING: If the airbag tell tale is lit, the airbags may not inflate
correctly in a crash, or may inflate without warning. To
help avoid injury to you or others, have the airbag system repaired as soon as possible.
Battery Charging Tell Tale
This red tell tale will light whenever the ignition is on and the
engine is stopped. If it lights any time that the engine is running,
the battery is not being charged, which may be due to a broken
auxiliary drive belt, or an electrical fault. A broken drive belt
Instruments & Switches
48
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Headlamp AlignmentThe headlamps of your Elise were correctly adjusted during
the manufacture of the car, and should only require subsequent
adjustment if the headlamp assembly or front body is disturbed.
Simply replacing the bulb will not affect alignment. Incorrectly adjusted headlamps can cause poor lighting performance or dazzle to oncoming traf fic. Special headlamp setting equip
-
ment is required to correctly set the headlamps, such that only
qualified technicians using appropriate equipment should be
entrusted with this procedure:
1. Using beam setting equipment compatible with local regu
-
lations, position the machine between 300 and 700mm in
front of the LH headlamp, and parallel with the two headlamp
units using the sight bar or similar device dependent on the machine design, to ensure cross car match. Use the guides provided on the machine to ensure the correct height and
lateral setting.
2. Switch on the headlamp low beams (uppermost lamps) and check the lateral beam alignment. The ‘knee point’ of the beam cut off line must lie within a tolerance of 2% to the pas
-
senger side, and 0%. Check the vertical alignment of the low beam which must lie within a tolerance of - 0.5% and -2%.
Electrical
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