Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I don't know of any realistic method of draining the cross-member of a standard lotus two-seater chassis. The vacuum port is a tube attached about half way up at the front, so even if you opened it, any stuff in the lower half would not come out.

Drilling a hole from underneath is also dangerous as the tip of the drill might get hot enough to ignite fuel vapour as it breaks through into the chamber.

Of course if your non-return valves are working properly there should be very very little fuel vapour in the cross member as the engine inlet will have sucked it out and the non-return valve will have stopped vapour fuel from travelling from carbs down to the reservoir cross-member.


~~~~~
With the non-return valves working, the only air in the cross-member should have ultimately come from the vent in the headlight vacuum slider 'switch', when you 'released' the vacuum.

Well I finally took the plunge and ordered an electric headlight kit from Spyder which arrived yesterday.

I'm sure I will eventually get it all assembled, but I was not pleased to see a bag of various sized bolts, washers, nuts, bits, 70 items in total, without an accompanying parts list, or assembly drawing. It also included what seems to be 4-pin connector, also completely disassembled.

After much searching on the net I identified the connector as a "Superseal " type, which on further investigation seems to need a €40 crimping tool to attach the wiring.

There were two pages of photographs, some of which were obscure, and two pages of instructions, one of which mentions a "Rotary Headlamp switch" to replace the vacuum switch. There was no rotary switch included.

I will be contacting Spyder with my queries, but does anyone know if some Plus 2s had a rotary headlamp switch ? I see Paul Matty stock a rotary light switch, is that the one ?

I did away with the separate switch and added a relay fed from the toggle switch that turns the lights on. This switch sends power to the dip switch on the column. Use this supply to energise the relay and use the relay contacts to operate the motor. I actually fitted a Mazda MX5 motor I bought second hand, but it’ll be pretty much the same as Spyder supply, power on the signal line and the motor does half a turn, power off and it does another half turn back to the starting position. As for the connectors they supply, no need to buy a fancy crimping tool, cut them off and use something else, just make sure they are weatherproof.

This is the switch I used https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/black-lar ... amp-switch. Position 1 = sidelights and down trigger, position 2 = up trigger.

Foxie wrote: It also included what seems to be 4-pin connector, also completely disassembled.

After much searching on the net I identified the connector as a "Superseal " type, which on further investigation seems to need a €40 crimping tool to attach the wiring.

Well I checked out this "Superseal" connector system, and it seems to be the "bees knees"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxahRMmzSBA

I've been converted !

I’ve used those connectors for signal wires to relays etc. They are good and simple enough after you’ve done your first one, but the pins that connect inside them are quite small and I wouldn’t use them for high power circuits.

https://docs.rs-online.com/feca/0900766b8150d10a.pdf

The Superseal connectors are rated at 14A for 1.5 or 2.5 sq.mm wire, so horses for courses.

I have used Superseals on my Elan and although fiddly you don't need the special crimping tool. They are very well made and do the job.

Foxie wrote:Well I finally took the plunge and ordered an electric headlight kit from Spyder which arrived yesterday.

I'm sure I will eventually get it all assembled, but I was not pleased to see a bag of various sized bolts, washers, nuts, bits, 70 items in total, without an accompanying parts list, or assembly drawing. It also included what seems to be 4-pin connector, also completely disassembled.

After much searching on the net I identified the connector as a "Superseal " type, which on further investigation seems to need a €40 crimping tool to attach the wiring.

There were two pages of photographs, some of which were obscure, and two pages of instructions, one of which mentions a "Rotary Headlamp switch" to replace the vacuum switch. There was no rotary switch included.

I will be contacting Spyder with my queries, but does anyone know if some Plus 2s had a rotary headlamp switch ? I see Paul Matty stock a rotary light switch, is that the one ?

That sounds EXACTLY like the Kelvedon kit I bought last year, and installed part of but need to repair some fibreglass before I finish installing.

Well I sent a bit of a "rocket" to Spyder this evening.

Hoping to hear back soon !

billwill wrote:I don't know of any realistic method of draining the cross-member of a standard lotus two-seater chassis. The vacuum port is a tube attached about half way up at the front, so even if you opened it, any stuff in the lower half would not come out.

Pull off the "T" piece, light a match