I live vicariously through your efforts here. I'd love to restore/restomod an Esprit. But being more honest with myself, I think it would be in over my head.

@Rick_D

8 күн бұрын

Thanks. It's a puzzle that needs to be put together 1 piece at a time. If I think of everything I have to do to get it back on the road, it's overwhelming and I'd likely give it up. So I break it into logical tasks and don't try to think too far beyond the one I'm currently working in. That works for me...may for you as well...give it go.

I had a 91 SE. Wonderful car, and they are very rare by the numbers compared to other Esprit model years. I know about these cars, and I highly recommend that you bite the bullet and quit wasting time by just starting the frame off, nut and bolt restoration immediately. Prices have come up, but you're likely not going to make any money on this car if you plan to flip it, so plan to do it for fun, and for heaven's sakes, you're definitely not going to make any KZread money off this particular car, unless you plan to go hard on a KZread career, and then maybe this could be a good starting point for you, and if you're real lucky you might get your first $50 check after about 5 years of full-time hard work on videos. This car needs absolutely everything. I would bet good money it needs a new bulkhead, and new gas tanks, and everything in the suspension, the steering box, the cooling system, the exhaust, fuel system, engine rebuild, gearbox work, most of the electronic, a full repaint after lots of repairs, and everything else I forgot to mention. It's an absolute money pit, but it will be a lot of fun and very rewarding if you're into that kind of punishment.

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

If I were going to flip this car I would be restoring it to its original color along with a frame off restoration. I intend to keep it, go to a ceramic turbo and upgrade injectors to bring it up to and around 350 HP. One cannot own too many Lotus’s 😊. The car will get repainted yellow at some point and that will likely involve pulling the body off. My goal is still the same…get it running and rolling to determine the extent of what needs to be done to get it to where I want it…plus I enjoy the challenge it currently provides. I look forward to it in the evenings. Make money off KZread?….LOL, I think only girls in bikinis do that.

I would rig up and pressure test the CC, just to be sure. I saw one guy was able to look in the end of the CC and see corroded fins. Next for me would be fill the coolant system back up and pressure test the coolant system. If it leaks down and its not leaking out side (be thorough, a lot of joints in the cooling system) it has to be leaking into the motor some where. Might be able to look into the cylinders and see it leaking with a scope. I would do this before starting. If it only needs a head gasket - sweet, a head gasket on a 4 cylinder is relatively easy.

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

Next up is a leak down test. I’m hoping that sheds some light on the location of my intrusion. You are the first person I’ve heard say the head gasket on a 4 cylinder is something less than sheer agony. I hope that’s the case.

@eriklombard322

2 жыл бұрын

@@Rick_D Well its half a V8 🙂

@csorrows

2 жыл бұрын

@@Rick_D It's true. A head gasket on an inline is much easier than a V engine. Typically not even that big of a deal. But do make sure you check deck flatness and have the head machined. It's also a great time to replace the head bolts/studs.

Its a great project. For safety and peace of mind , you really need a proper floor jack and jack stands. That little scissor jack is making me cringe. Couple hundred bucks could save your life.

@Rick_D

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. Jacks were to just get it in the air. Once there the tires got blocked on large concrete blocks. Working on it in a barely large enough carport made using a floor jack difficult...but I did ultimately use at points.

what about if you remove the oil light switch, plug a tube in and fill with pressurised oil? will it reach everywhere in the engine? (just 2-3 bar?)

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

Using the drill on the front of the aux pulley I was able to circulate a lot of oil. Anyway as I continue to search for the coolant leak, it’s likely going to lead me to taking the intake manifold off. Once I do that I’ll have easy access to the pressure sender switch. I’ll hook up a mechanical pump there to get a true reading.

@mrbond4722

2 жыл бұрын

@@Rick_D my manifold is of already so I have access to the low oil pressure light switch, engine has not turn in 11 years so want to pre lub first before I turn over on the starter motor, thats why your video was great, I know it turns as the engine rotated a few times when I pushed the car not too long ago, (was still in gear)I was not happy when I made that mistake btw.... good luck!

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

@@mrbond4722 Thanks. Good luck to you as well.

YOUVE GOT 2 3 CARS A GOOD HOME , A SPORTS CAR, BUT YOU DONT EVEN HAVE A FLOOR JACK, I DONT GET IT

@Rick_D

6 ай бұрын

I’ve got a floor jack…or two….but working in a cramped carport doesn’t allow for the long handle of the jack to move very far. The scissor jacks do quite nicely in cramped quarters, although a bit precarious when fully extended.

Are you sure that engine is designed for 20w50? That's VERY high viscosity and may not flow well into the bearing clearances. You should have at least run the pump with the filter on to get oil to the crank and up into the top end. The oil first goes to the filter, then the crank, then up to the top end. Nothing here was lubricated with the filter off. The oil film would remain in the bearings for quite a while after that and would avoid a dry crank later on. When performing a compression check, you should have the throttle wide open to allow air to enter. I did not hear the throttle open when cranking and you did not mention blocking the throttle open. You keep mentioning the possibility of the oil cooler allowing the coolant to enter the oil. No coolant goes through the oil cooler so how could that be the cause? Unless Lotus did something totally abnormal with it, oil coolers are cooled by air only. You can get a test kit from Harbor Freight to test for combustion gasses in the coolant. This has become a pretty standard method to check for head gasket leaks in the coolant passages. However, you would have to get it running first to perform this test.

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

1 - Yes, this engine calls for 20-50 2 - Once I cleaned up the oil I ran the pump for quite a bit with the filter on 3 - Correct, I did not have the throttle bodies open for the compression check as it was more a check to reveal a broken head gasket. A proper compression check would be done, as you indicated, with the throttle bodies open but also with the engine warm. That will have to wait. 4-Correct on oil cooler and engine radiator being totally separate...not sure why I thought otherwise

@csorrows

2 жыл бұрын

@@Rick_D Awesome, seems like you have everything covered. I was concerned about things you did not show in the video. I would hate to see a possibly good engine of this caliber go to waste. Keep up the great work and content!

@Rick_D

2 жыл бұрын

@@csorrows thanks! it's been frustrating but I expect the finished product to be worth it

@csorrows

2 жыл бұрын

@@Rick_D it's meant to be frustrating. But yes, it will be worth it.

I’m not an expert but I’d be willing to bet that a mechanical gauge is the way to go. The gauges in the dash are probably de-powered during cranking.

@Rick_D

8 ай бұрын

Once the engine comes back from the machine shop...still waiting for them to start it...I will begin to assemble it and the gauges (along with everything else) will get a much closer inspection.