compression LOTUS ELISE 2005 Owners Manual
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SERVICING AND MAINTENANCEBODYCARE
Body Features Lotus are among the world leaders in the field of automotive 
composite  moulding  design  and  manufacturing  techniques. 
Composite materials have major advantages for specialist car  bodies,  and  these  brief  notes  introduce  some  features  of  the 
construction  and  service  properties  of  automotive  composite  bodies.  The  manufacturing  process  enables  the  thickness  of  com
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posite  mouldings  to  be  varied  in  order  to  provide  ef ficient  structures of high strength and low weight. Composites will not 
corrode, so the strength of composite components is retained  regardless  of  age,  unless  physical  damage  is  sustained.  On 
the  Elise,  the  body  construction  utilises  several  mouldings  to 
form a single unit for the whole of the nose and front wings, and 
a  second  unit  for  the  whole  of  the  rear  body  aft  of  the  doors. 
These two moulded assemblies are fixed using threaded fasten
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ers to permit easy removal for access to chassis or powertrain 
components, or to allow simple and economic accident repair. 
Other composite mouldings include the door shells, sills, front  access  panels,  windscreen  frame  and  rear  bulkhead,  some panels  being  bonded  to  the  aluminium  alloy  chassis  with  an 
elastomeric adhesive. 
Several  different  processes  are  used  to  manufacture  the 
various panels depending on the functional requirements, with  the  main  outer  panels  using  an  injection  compression  mould
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ing technique which eliminates the ‘gelcoat’ used on the outer 
surface of conventionally manufactured composite panels. This 
process provides considerably increased resistance to surface 
damage  from  minor  knocks,  where  a  conventional  composite  panel would suffer cracking of the gel coat, or a steel panel be
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come dented. If severe damage is caused to a composite panel 
where the underlying structure is broken, repairs may take the 
form of panel replacement, or of panel repair using techniques 
where new composite material is integrated with the old to result  in undiminished panel strength.
Servicing & Maintenance
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Camber  - optimum  - 1.8°
  - tolerance range  - 1.6° to - 2.0°
    max.side/side 0.2°
Alignment  - optimum  1.5 mm toe-in each side    - tolerance range  1.2 to 1.8 mm toe-in each  
    side
    max.side/side 0.3 mm
Electrical
Light Bulbs  Watt.  Type
Headlamps  55  H1 & H7
Front side/parking lamps   5  W5W
Front turn indicators  21  PY21w amber
Rear turn indicators  21  H21
Side repeater lamps  5  W Y5W amber
Stop lamps  21  H21
Tail/stop lamps  4/21  P21/4w
Tail/turn lamps  4/21  P21/4w
High mounted stop lamp  2.5  16 x LED
Reversing lamp  21  H21
Licence plate lamps  5  C5W
Interior lamp  5  W5W
System voltage/polarity  12V negative earth
Alternator  85A
Battery (service replacement)
  - type  Delco 19001598
  - BCI code  26R- 6YR
  - cranking power  550 amps @ -18°C
  - reserve capacity  80 minutes
Engine
Type designation  2ZZ-GE
Cylinder configuration  in-line 4
Capacity  1796 cm
3 
Bore  82.0 mm 
Stroke  85.0 mm
Camshafts  Chain driven DOHC 4VPC
Valve actuation  - inlet  Variable timing and lift
  - exhaust  Variable lift
Compression ratio  11.5:1
Firing order  1,3,4,2
Technical Data
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