Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I would say a Lucas ACR series would be more likely.

Jon the Chief

William2 wrote:The only comment I would make is that it is not the correct alternator for the car.

from http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/lotus-elan-f19/restoration-elan-t33653.html

"The alternator is a slightly uprated 45Amp version of the standard one. I am afraid I am not a stickler for total originality! Regards, William"

Multi personality disorder huh?

Hi

sorry to arrive late at this post. I had a similar problem that switching the ignition off the engine carried on running. Although my car is modified with engine management ( emerald ECU) I found that the current from the generator warning light would back feed enough to keep the relay that energised the ECU latched even though the ignition warning bulb did not glow.
I found that operating any electrical load with the ignition off would stop the car straight away. I was able to sort my problem with the use of a diode to prevent the back feeding powering the ECU relay.

I dont think the above scenario is your problem but if the PO had fitted relays it may be that a similar problem is occurring. I agree with the fan problem acting as a generator. An easy proof for this is with the ignition off with the engine running switch on a heavy load that work via the same ignition switch circuit such as reverse light, stop light or fog lights ( these share the same circuit on the Elan +2 but may be different on yours) this should stop the engine. Also disconnect the fan circuit and see if that helps sort it.

I would do some simple tests first rather than get in the back of the dashboard !

best of luck

Bob

while the generator you have is not standard there is no reason why it should not work and if it is wired in properly then it should be fine

Thanks Bob,

You may have given me another clue - I'm fairly certain my ignition light also stays on while the engine is running. Aargh!

I'm fairly certain the ignition switch is wired incorrectly, otherwise, why would the car run (not diesel, but actually run, like the car is "on") when the ignition switch is turned counter-clockwise to acc?

So I'm hoping I can pull the ignition switch out through the front of the dash without removing the dash panel itself. Does anyone know whether that's possible? Surely it is. Please, God, tell me it is!

I'm getting a bit tired of even the simplest projects on my Elan having a thousand unexpected steps!

Amazingly, my alternator performs its function perfectly, keeping my Odyssey battery fully-charged and running my headlamps at night without a hiccup.

Best,

John

You have to remove the left-side knee trim, Disconnect battery in boot, then remove the windscreen washer pump and wiper control (for which you will need to make/buy a two-prong tubular driver) and then unscrew nut from front of ignition switch and ease it back and around the left side of the dash, wire-lengths permitting.

lotus-electrical-f38/behind-the-dash-plus-t29181.html#p193548


You might want to see if you can get it out through the ashtray hole first.