The Elan arrived with a few issues: dead driver’s side window, horn that honked on its own, and ½” of play in the steering. The horn was an easy fix. The contact plate that attaches to the base of the steering column had come loose and would complete the electrical connection when the mood struck. Easy fix.
The window was harder, as it required disassembly of the mechanism and a complete rebuild. It now works much better, but is still not optimal. Connecting the battery directly to the window motor revealed that the mechanism in the door works great, meaning the problem lies in the wiring between the battery and the motor. Searches on Elan.net reveal that the fix is larger gauge wire and relays. That will happen (maybe) over the winter.
The steering fix was easy but frustrating. Rather than a U-joint connecting the steering column with the rack, Lotus used a device called a flexible coupling that mimics a U-joint's flexibility via rubber cones wrapped around connecting bolts that are fitted through oversized holes. It works well until the rubber cones dry up and die. I initially replaced it with a U-joint from Dave Bean Engineering, but that part was poorly made and only eliminated half the slack. The much beefier U-joint from RD Enterprises was worth the additional $25 and has completely eliminated the slack.
The window was harder, as it required disassembly of the mechanism and a complete rebuild. It now works much better, but is still not optimal. Connecting the battery directly to the window motor revealed that the mechanism in the door works great, meaning the problem lies in the wiring between the battery and the motor. Searches on Elan.net reveal that the fix is larger gauge wire and relays. That will happen (maybe) over the winter.
The steering fix was easy but frustrating. Rather than a U-joint connecting the steering column with the rack, Lotus used a device called a flexible coupling that mimics a U-joint's flexibility via rubber cones wrapped around connecting bolts that are fitted through oversized holes. It works well until the rubber cones dry up and die. I initially replaced it with a U-joint from Dave Bean Engineering, but that part was poorly made and only eliminated half the slack. The much beefier U-joint from RD Enterprises was worth the additional $25 and has completely eliminated the slack.
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