Elan 26r Clone or Elan GTS has me stumped

[tvacc]

Hi all,
I used to say that if Jeff at JAE and I could not figure something out on an Elan, that was very unusual.
I have an issue that is driving me crazy. First let me give you the background.
This is the 26r Clone or GTS that Craig Chima advertised here back in 2016. My friend first bought it and then I bought it from my friend I think about 4-5 years ago. With all the crazy Covid stuff and health issues I may have my time frames mixed up a bit. It all sort of runs together. When i bought it The car was running fine except for a fuel leak at the sending unit of the Fuel Safe fuel cell. Drove it all summer after i bought it. It is the best Elan I have ever driven and I have driven lots of Elans. I fixed that fuel leak, then my wife got sick and then I got sick, (non-Covid) then Covid hit, everyone was hibernating, and the car has have pretty much just sitting in my heated garage. I would start it every now and then. It would start no issues. I put it loosely for sale on the Lotus Ltd website but then decided to keep it as it such a nice car and one that I always wanted.
About a year ago I had abdominal surgery and due to issues with severe hernias I can no longer lift motors, move trannys, turn wrenches or change tires, I have had to sell my old cars. I had 3 Europas, 4 Elans, an M100 Elan and a Caterham. Of the old cars all is gone but the Caterham and the Elan GTS. I am having a difficult time selling the Caterham as I did build it and I do like looking at it. I often sit in it and go "Vroom Vroom"
So I went to move the Elan on to my lift to take pictures of the under carriage. Car started but was blowing back smoke due to the fact that I had put Marvel Mystery oil down the cylinders last fall. Cleaned the plugs and the car started a few times and then I went to the Lotus Owners Gathering in Knoxville. When I got back the car just would not start. Plugs were just not wet with fuel. Due to various work issues I have just been able to work on it like 1 day a week since then. I got serious this week. I put in a glass fuel filter between the fuel cell and the fuel pump that is in the boot. I then put another fuel filter right after the pump and another right after the "T" breaks to go to the front Weber. I am now getting fuel to the two filters before and after the fuel pump. I am getting a little fuel to the one right before the front weber. But I only get lots of fuel in that one after I loosen the clamp on the carb and let air out. Car still will not start. If I try to start it on starting fluid, car does run for a few seconds.

All, I am really stumped. Anyone have any ideas? I have someone who is very good with Datsuns helping me on this as I have just run out of ideas. There did seem to be brown gunk in one of the fuel lines. When I fixed the leak at the sending unit, I did use a brown glue to hold the metal locating ring back in place. Maybe I got glue in the carbs?

Open to any ideas.

[rgh0]

sounds like stuck float valves possibly

cheers
Rohan

[StressCraxx]

Hello Tony,

The foam in the fuel cell may be deteriorating and turning to dust or crud, depending no the type of foam. I would pull the screens on top of the weber inlet covers, then work back to the fuel filter, fuel pump and the fuel pickup in the tank. If the foam has turned to powder or gunk the solution is to remove the cell, remove the foam and install new foam if you have access. Other alternative is to replace the cell with a stock tank and try again.

Best of luck to you and get well.

Dan Wise

[Craven]

Check the carb fuel filters, they are under the large hex cover on top.

[tvacc]

This is what we have done. We removed the screens under big nut and fuel would supply with the nut off. This is in both carbs.

As soon as we put the nut back on. The fuel stops. So air is not moving in the carbs and stopping the fuel from coming in due to for lack of a better word, back pressure.

It appears the needle and seat are working as there is fuel in the bowls. But there no fuel being squirted by the accellerator pumps.

Obviously something from the cell has caused this so we are in the process of either repairing or replacing the cell.

Any more ideas on the carbs?

[Craven]

Carb’s are not open to atmospheric air pressure. The only airway is by a hole in the face against the air box/ air filter, this could be blocked. Lack of pump jet fuel can be explained in the supply come from bottom of float chamber the level in the pump itself is dependent on bowl fuel level.

[mbell]

The pump jet are also the smallest jets and the easiest to get clogged up imo. It's easy to remove them, then blast some carb cleaner through them to set if they are blocked and clean them.

[seniorchristo]

Can you check the fuel pressure after all those filters? Otherwise my guess is a fuel blockage in carbs.

[h20hamelan]

Ethanol is fun

[tvacc]

I always put ethanol free in all my cars. No saying what was done before I got the car. But I was just told all gas has ethanol, that an additive is added to make the ethanol chemically inert. Anyone have any info on that news?

[RichardHawkins]

If you have a Facet type fuel pump, any debris that gets into the pump can restrict the moment of the piston within the pump, this may be the the cause of the restriction you have with your fuel supply.

Hope this helps,

Richard Hawkins

[Elan45]

Hey Tony,sorry to hear of your illness. It;s been some scarry times.

I have 2 of my Elans in Florida. My green S3SS was tacken down I think in 2013, Just after I got it back from the paint shop after a deer did as much damage as he could. I finished putting it back together, upgraded to a Gustofson gear drive starter and it ran great. Since we are in Fl less than 6 months, I would drain the tank every year just before we headed back to Ohio. I had heard about ethanol free fuel but couldn't find any. I never drained the Weber carbs. Finally found a WaWa station and then later, a Sheets station and now the best is Bucky. All 3 sell ethanol free fuel. Sheets have arrived in Ohio and I have heard that Buckys will soon have a station near Dayton.

You have to look for the ethanol free. It is not on every pump and often the handles are color coded. I'm still having issues and changed to a Facet pump, but then I've had one of those fail. This winter, I'm going to go back to mechanical main pump and use the Facet to prime the carbs. I need to drive it more, but I need to build confidence and my tires are getting old.

The red coupe will get the same fuel system. It is coming together from a complete restoration and should be back on the road this winter. But tires on it are a special rally supplied Kleber that I bought in 1982. I'd love to have a new set of those. One of these will need to move back to Ohio and another restoration project come south.

I would use carb clean spray and a set of machinist # drills to clean the passages in the carbs.
Good luck with your issues, both health and fuel system. My 3rd Elan is a GTS ( I call it a 45/26R. It was built in Ohio from parts provided by Lotus Componets and fabricated locally. The orignal owner died in 1975 and I bought it wrecked in 1984 from the faminly. Contact me by PM if you wish.

Roger S