ignition LOTUS ELISE 2005 User Guide

Door WindowsIn frosty or icy weather conditions, the windows may become
frozen to the weatherstrip seals. Use a windscreen de-icer spray
to free the glass before operating the windows.
WARNING:
• Before closing a window, always check that no persons or objects will be trapped; incautious window operation
could be dangerous, especially to children. Ensure that any passenger is also made aware of this danger.
• To guard against incautious electric window operation, do not leave small children unattended in the car with
the ignition key in position.
• Do not leave children or animals in a parked car with the roof and windows closed, in hot weather conditions as
they may suffocate and/or experience heat exhaustion.
Manual Winders: Each door window may be raised or lowered by the winder
handle near the front of the door.
Electric Windows: On cars so equipped, switches for the electric window op
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eration are mounted in the front of the door trim panels, and are operative only with the ignition switched on. To help locate the
switches in the dark, an illuminated dot is provided in the ‘up’
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Illuminated
dot
Window up
Window down

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button which glows amber when the lights are switched on.To lower a window, switch on the ignition and press the lower,
domed end of the switch in the relevant door. Release the switch
to stop window movement. To raise a window, press the upper, dished end of the switch.
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oh33e
Key insert /removeColumn unlocked
Ignition auxilliaries
Position not used
INSTRUMENTS & SWITCHES
Ignition Switch /Steering LockThe switch/lock is located on the right hand side of the steer
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ing column.
I Insert the key into the slot, and turn clockwise to position ‘I’ to unlock the steering column. If the key is reluctant to turn,
wiggle the steering wheel to ease the load on the steering
lock.
II Turn to position ‘II’ to switch on the ignition and operate aux-
iliary equipment.
III This spring loaded position is not used on the Elise. The engine
start function is controlled by a ‘Start’ button at the left hand
end of the dashboard (see below).
B To remove the key, turn fully counterclockwise to ‘B’ and withdraw. The steering column lock will be activated when the key is withdrawn but may not engage until the steering is
turned and the mechanism is aligned.
NOTICE: DO NOT leave the ignition switched on for long periods
without the engine running. Although the engine ignition system itself draws no current when the engine is stopped, a battery drain will occur through other circuits even when auxiliary equip
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ment is not being used. For security reasons, and to guard against battery drain,
always remove the key when leaving the car.
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WARNING:
• Do not push or tow the car unless the key is first used to unlock the column and is then left in the lock. With
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drawing the key will cause the steering to lock.
• Never remove the key from the ignition switch or turn off the ignition while the car is moving. Withdrawing the key
will cause the steering to lock and may cause an accident
resulting in serious injury or death.
• To reduce the risk of theft, or danger to a child remaining in the car, always remove the key when leaving a parked
car.
Engine Start Button An engine start button is located at the left hand end of the
dashboard, alongside the lighting switches, and is backlit when
the ignition is turned on. The button is operative only with the ignition on, and engages
the engine starter motor for as long as the button is pressed. Release the button to stop engine cranking.
For the correct engine starting procedure, refer to later sec
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tion ‘Starting Procedure’.
NOTICE: Pressing the start button when the engine is running may damage the starter mecha
ohs147Engine start button
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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
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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
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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.
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TELL TALE LAMPS

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Seat Belt Tell Tale
The red seat belt tell tale is provided as a reminder that both
driver and passenger should always wear the seat belts, no
matter how short the journey. The lamp will flash until the driv
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er’s seat belt is fastened, accompanied for the first 8 seconds by a buzzer.
Brake Tell Tale
This tell tale will glow red with the ignition switched on
whenever the parking brake is applied. Driving the car with the brake not fully released will cause overheat damage to the rear
brakes. Each time the parking brake is released, check that the
tell tale is extinguished. With the parking brake released, if the tell tale should light
at any time after the six second check period, stop the car im
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mediately, as the circuit has detected a dangerously low level of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir, possibly caused
by a hydraulic leak in one of the separate front or rear brake
circuits. In the event of a leak there is a danger that air may enter the hydraulic system and cause spongy operation and
extended pedal travel. The divided brake circuit should ensure
that emergency braking remains, but the car should not be driven until the fault has been identified and rectified.
WARNING: If the tell tale remains lit when the parking brake has been
released, the footbrake may not be working properly. Stop
the car immediately it is safe to do so, and do not continue until the fault has been rectified. Continuing to drive could cause a crash and result in death or serious injury.
Oil Pressure Tell Tale
This red tell tale warns of low engine oil pressure. The lamp
will be lit whenever the ignition is on and the engine is stopped, but should go out as soon as the engine is started. If the lamp
fails to go out after engine start up, or comes on when the engine is running, stop the engine immediately and do not restart until
the cause has been investigated and rectified.
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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
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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
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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
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engine speed is being approached. When exploiting full accel-
eration, gearchange upshifts should be made immediately the
tell tale comes on.
Note that this lamp also functions as a security system tell
tale (see ‘Car Security’). Recalibration of the speedo and tacho needle zero positions
will occur during a 3 second period following ignition switch on,
but if a needle becomes ‘stranded‘ outside of the re-calibration
range, the following procedure should be followed:
With the car stationary;
• Open driver‘s door;
• Press and hold trip reset button on steering column shroud;
• Turn on ignition.
LCD DISPLAY PANEL A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel is provided below the
instruments in order to display fuel level, coolant temperature,
total mileage and trip functions. The panel is blank until the ignition is switched on.
Fuel Level Display An indication of the level of fuel in the tank is displayed in
the form of a bar graph at the right hand top of the LCD panel in the instrument cluster. When completely full (approximately
10.6 U.S. gall. {40 litres}), the display will show 6 black segments. As the fuel level falls, a white band will extend from the right to represent the empty proportion.
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Trip distanceProportion of fuel remaining
Odometer Coolant temperaure

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When only a single segment remains, representing approxi-
mately 1.3 U.S. gall. (5 litres), the amber low fuel tell tale will
flash. Refuel at the next opportunity.
NOTICE: Do not allow the tank to run completely dry, as this may damage the catalytic converter and fuel pump. This may
affect the terms of your warranty.
Coolant Temperature Display The engine coolant temperature will be displayed at the bot
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tom right hand corner of the panel as soon as the temperature reaches 162°F. The running temperature will fluctuate a cer
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tain amount as the operating conditions change, and during periods of idling or in heavy traffic, the temperature may rise to
over 212°F, with the cooling fans switching on at half speed at
approximately 208°F and at full speed at approximately 217°F.
The temperature display will flash at temperatures over 226°F to prompt closer monitoring by the driver of high temperatures.
The pressurised cooling system has a boiling point of over 248°F.

If the temperature approaches this level then the driver should be concerned. If this should occur, allow the engine to idle for a
few minutes whilst monitoring the temperature, and if it continues to rise, switch off and seek qualified assistance.
NOTICE: After a heavy snowfall, ensure that the radiator cooling
outlet grilles in the front body are cleared of snow before driving
the car, or overheating may occur.
Odometer An odometer (total distance recorder) reading is displayed at
the bottom left hand corner of the panel.
Trip Recorder A trip distance recorder is provided at the top left hand corner
of the panel. In order to zero the trip display, switch on the ignition, and
press for a moment (less than 1 second), the small button
on the steering column shroud ahead of the ignition switch.

This dual function button also controls the panel illumination
- see ‘Instrument & Switch Illumination’.
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Dashboard SwitchesLighting functions are controlled by two push button switches
mounted in the dashboard outboard of the steering column. Each
switch is pressed once to switch on, and pressed a second time
to switch off. A symbol is positioned alongside each switch to indicate its function, and is backlit orange when the lights are
switched on.
Parking Lamps Switch The upper switch functions with or without the ignition, and
switches on the front and rear parking lamps, side marker lamps and instrument/switch illumination. A tell tale in the switch button
lights up green to indicate when the circuit is active. Note that the headlamps must be off before the parking lamps
can be switched off.
Headlamp Switch The lower switch functions with or without ignition, and
switches on the headlamps together with the parking lamps, side marker lamps and instrument/switch illumination. A tell tale in
the switch button lights up green to indicate when the circuit is
active. The steering column lever switch (see later) is used to
select high or low beam. Pressing the switch a second time will switch off the head
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lamps, but leave on the parking lamps.
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Headlamp switchParking lamp switch

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