start LOTUS ELISE 2005 User Guide

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
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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
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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
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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
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efforts are likely to reduce during the break-in process.After 600 miles (1,000 km) have been covered, full throttle
and/or maximum rpm may be used for short periods, but not
until the first ‘After Sales’ service has been carried out should
full car performance be exploited. Note that various operating parameters are continuously
monitored and recorded in the engine electronic controller. This
data may be downloaded by Lotus dealers on demand to assist
fault diagnosis and identify vehicle misuse.
Tires:
New tires also require a short ‘break-in’ period before
providing optimum grip.
Engine Special Features The engine of the Elise is designated V VTL-i for ‘Variable
Valve Timing and Lift - intelligent’. Using microprocessor control, the inlet camshaft timing is advanced or retarded according to
immediate operating conditions, and the lift of both inlet and
exhaust valves is increased at high engine speed. This technol
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ogy is used to provide high power output whilst retaining good
low speed response.
Starting & Engine Break-In
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OWNER MAINTENANCERemember that fuel consumption and wear and tear of the
car are affected considerably by the way the car is driven and maintained. Be sure to carry out the simple maintenance checks detailed below, and to have your car serviced regularly by your
Lotus dealer, in order to ensure maximum safety, reliability,
longevity and pleasure of ownership.
NOTICE: Failure to follow and comply with the Maintenance
Schedule may invalidate the terms of the warranty.
The Lotus Elise has been designed as a road going sports
car. It is recognised that owners may wish to use the car occa
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sionally on closed circuit tracks to experience the car’s full range of dynamic capabilities. However, use of the car in a competitive
manner, including timed runs or laps, is not endorsed by Lotus.
Using the car on the track may cause a greater degree of wear and tear on parts and such wear and tear on parts and compo
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nents will not be covered by your Limited Warranty.
WARNING: Any type of timed, competitive car use will invalidate
warranty and require appropriate levels of expert car prepa
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ration and servicing.
WARNING:
• Attempts at car servicing with inadequate knowledge, tools or equipment, could result in car damage as well as
endangering you, your passenger and other road users.
Consult your Lotus dealer in all cases of doubt.
• Beware of hot surfaces in the engine bay. You could be seriously burned if you touch a hot engine part.
• Take great care not to drop flammable liquids or objects onto a hot engine and start a fire.
• Ensure that only Lotus dealers or suitably qualified tech
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nicians work on the airbag system.
• Beware of rotating engine components; to avoid injury,
guard against entrapment of tools, body parts and loose
clothing.
• The front mounted electric fans can start up and cause injury even when the engine is not running. Keep tools,
hands and clothing well away.
Servicing & Maintenance
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a small amount of clean engine oil into the filter, screw onto its
spigot and tighten BY HAND sufficiently to make a secure seal,
typically 2/3 to 3/4 of a turn after the sealing faces have made
contact. Overtightening using a filter wrench may damage the
canister and/or complicate subsequent removal. Before refitting the undertray, start the engine and check for
oil leaks. Re-check the security of the filter, further tightening
by hand if necessary. Check the oil level (see above) when the
engine is fully warm.
Used Engine Oil NOTICE: PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT: Do not pollute
drains, water courses or land with oil. Use only authorised waste
collection facilities, including civic amenity sites and garages providing facilities for disposal of used oil and used oil filters. If
in doubt, contact your local authority for advice on disposal.
Transmission Oil The transmission should be checked for oil leaks, for the cor
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rect oil level, and the oil renewed, at intervals specified in the
Maintenance Schedule.
To check the oil level:
- A garage lift or inspection pit must be used.
- Remove the engine bay undertray.
- Wipe clean the area around the socket headed level plug on
the front face of the transmission end casing.
Servicing & Maintenance
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As a precaution, every week when the engine is completely
COLD, and without disturbing the filler cap, check that the level of coolant in the translucent tank is between the ‘FULL’
and ‘LOW’ marks moulded on the front of the tank. If topping
up is required, wait until the coolant has fully cooled before
turning the cap a quarter turn counterclockwise and allowing any remaining pressure to escape. Only then may the cap be
completely unscrewed. In order to maintain protection from freezing damage and
metal corrosion, use only an approved coolant mixture (see below) to top up the tank to the ‘FULL’ mark. Refit the cap, and
turn clockwise until the leg on the cap locates in the slot at the
front of the tank.
NOTICE: If the cap is removed when the engine is warm, the coolant may boil and a small coolant loss may occur. The com
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pletely cold header tank level should be checked at the first subsequent opportunity.
Cooling Fans
: Two cooling fans are fitted below the radiator in
the air intake duct. The fans are energised at high coolant tem
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peratures, or when the air conditioning (if fitted) is selected. The
fans will also run if certain types of engine fault are detected, and
may operate during a 20 minute period following ignition switch off to prevent ‘hot soak’ boiling. An electric coolant circulation pump may also be heard running during this period.
WARNING: Keep hands, tools and clothing away from the radiator
cooling fan area, as personal injury could result from the
fans starting up without warning.
At service intervals, the air duct and matrices of the engine
cooling radiator, a.c. condenser and oil coolers, should be
checked externally for clogging by insects, leaves or other debris,
and if necessary, a water jet used to clear the finning. Take care not to damage or distort the delicate finning of the radiator or
the cooling performance will be degraded.
Anti-Freeze/Corrosion Inhibitor It is most important that the correct coolant specification is
used in order to inhibit boiling and protect the engine and heat
Servicing & Maintenance
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If the battery is to be disconnected, the following precautions
should be taken: i) Ensure that all electrical loads (e.g. lights) are switched off. If
the car is fitted with security coded audio equipment, check
that the code is available for entering after battery reconnec
-
tion.
ii) Wait for at least ten seconds after switching off the ig-
nition to allow the engine management system to adjust the

setting of some components ready for re-starting.
iii) Ensure the alarm is disarmed. If the battery is disconnected
when armed, the alarm will be triggered.
iv) Disconnect the
negative (earth; black; ‘-’) battery cable first,
and re-connect last.
WARNING:
If the battery positive terminal is inadvertently earthed
(e.g. when using a spanner) whilst the negative terminal
is still connected, the resultant short circuit with heavy sparking and current flow could cause serious burns.
To remove the battery, pull off the breather pipe (if applicable),
release the single screw securing the clamp bracket at the
base of the battery, and manoeuvre the battery from the base
retaining shoe.
ohs145
Batter y clamp
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WARNING:When lifting the battery out of, or into the car, be aware
of the considerable weight and take all appropriate precau
-
tions to safeguard personal health. Injury can result from improperly lifting the battery.
Keep the battery upright, and protect from sharp knocks
and shocks.
Reconnecting the Battery
WARNING: Failure to follow the correct battery re- connection pro
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cedure detailed above could result in serious burns.
Refit the battery, with its terminals outboard, by reversing the
above procedure. Remember to push on the breather pipe (if
applicable), and reconnect the battery cables as detailed below.
Refit the battery cover.
i) Check again that all electrical loads are switched off.
ii) Connect the positive battery cable first, followed by the neg
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ative (earth) cable.
iii) After reconnection, a change in the engine performance
characteristics may be noted for a period whilst the computer
controlled engine management system ‘re-learns’ some of its
settings.
iv) If necessary, enter the security code into audio equipment.
Battery Charging Under conditions of normal daily use, it should not be nec
-
essary to use external battery charging equipment. In a low usage regime, however, it is important to maintain the charge
state of the battery using a trickle charger, or an automatic bat
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tery management conditioner such as that available through Lotus Dealers. Starting difficulties may be encountered after an
unattended period of 3 weeks. A battery conditioner is able to continuously monitor battery charge state and switch on and off automatically in order to maintain the battery in a fully charged
state without danger of damage through overcharging.
If the battery becomes discharged to the extent that the
car cannot be started, the recommended course of action is
to fit a substitute battery whilst the original battery is trickle
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charged. If, in an emergency, the car has to be ‘jump’ started,
the subsequent conditions of car use may not allow for sufficient alternator charging of the battery to achieve a fully charged
state. The battery should be trickle charged until 12.8 volts is recorded, which process may take 24 hours or longer. Putting
the battery into service at a lower state of charge will reduce
the time period for which the car can be parked. A battery left
in a fully discharged state for a prolonged period, may not be recoverable to its original condition.
WARNING:
• Hydrogen gas generated by the battery could cause an explosion, resulting in severe personal injuries.
• Charge battery in a well ventilated area.
• Never charge a frozen battery. It may explode because of gas trapped in the ice. Allow a frozen battery to thaw
out first.
• If you get electrolyte, which is an acid, in your eyes or on your skin, immediately rinse with cold water for several minutes and call a doctor.
Unless you are using an automatic batter y management
conditioner, the battery should be removed from the car for
recharging, to a well ventilated area to avoid a build up of fumes
in the luggage compartment and to prevent damage to the car's
electrical system. Observe the safety precautions listed above
when removing the battery and take care to avoid sharp knocks
or shocks, keeping the battery as upright as possible. Beware
of the considerable weight of a battery, and take necessary precautions against personal injury. Check that the electrolyte level is between the upper and
lower markers on the battery case, and if necessary add dis
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tilled water. The recommended bench charge rate is 4 amps.
When the battery is fully charged (12.8 volts), allow the battery
to stand for an hour before refitting to the car and reconnecting
the leads - see above.
Electrical
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‘Jump’ StartingIf the battery becomes discharged to the extent that the en
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gine cannot be started, proprietary good quality ‘jumper cables’ may be used to connect with the battery of a second car in order
to provide the energy necessary for starting.
WARNING: It is most important that the correct procedure is fol
-
lowed in order to avoid damage to either car’s electrical system, and most importantly, to minimise the danger of a
spark induced battery explosion. Check that the slave car
also has a NEGATIVE EARTH electrical system.
i) With the engine of the slave car running at a fast idle, use one jumper cable (red) to connect the positive (+) terminal of
one battery to the positive terminal of the other battery. Take
care during this process to avoid inadvertently earthing a free end of this cable to the metal body or chassis of either car.
ii) Connect one end of the other jumper cable (black) to the negative (-) terminal of the discharged battery.
iii) A spark will occur when the other end of this cable (the final connection) is connected to an earth on the slave car. This
connection should therefore be made to a point away from
the battery, and away from any fuel vapour area or moving
parts. An engine hanger bracket is often ideal.
iv) Start the car in the usual way, and run at a fast idle.
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JUMP STARTING
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v) A spark will occur at the first disconnection of a jumper cable, so it is essential that the first disconnection is made from the
slave car earth. Both batteries (especially the
discharged one) will be ‘gassing’ heavily at this time, and if the first disconnection is made at a battery terminal, there is
a danger that the hydrogen gas may be ignited by the spark
with a resultant explosion.
vi) Have the cause of the flat battery investigated and rectified,
and trickle charge the battery as detailed above.
WARNING:
• Risk of damage and serious personal injury due to

shortcircuit.
• Use only jumper cables of adequate cross-section, fitted
with completely insulated alligator clamps. The cables must be long enough to allow that neither cars nor cables
touch each other.
• Follow all warnings and instructions of the jumper cable
manufacturer.
• When connnecting the jumper cables, keep them away
from engine moving parts.
• The two cars must not contact each other, or current could flow as soon as the positive terminals are connected.
• When the first clamp on each cable is connected, the other clamp on that cable must be held carefully to make sure it does not come into contact with either another cable
clamp or either car.
• Ensure that tools or metal watches or jewellery do not contact the battery terminals or live car parts.
NOTICE:

• Improper jumper cable connection can damage the alternator
and other electrical components.
• Do not attempt to push or tow start the car, as damage to the
catalytic converter or other parts could be caused.
Electrical Accessories Owners should note that the only approved extras and modi
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fications are those which are specified by Lotus and carried out by Lotus or by an authorised dealer. Neither Lotus Cars Ltd. or
Lotus Cars Inc. accept any liability whatsoever for defects which arise from extras or modifications which are not approved by
Lotus Cars Ltd.
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