I hit a deer 3 weeks ago and my Exige has been in the garage since, its all fixed and ready to go minus an oil cooler.The repair place cant get hold of one anywhere. Could be several weeks yet before they get one ordered in.
Anyone know of anywhere that might stock one?
If you can tell me some overall dimensions/fin pitch/connections and configuration or maybe get a manufacturers number of it I can ask for you. I may even buy a couple myself.
Bob
If you can tell me some overall dimensions/fin pitch/connections and configuration or maybe get a manufacturers number of it I can ask for you. I may even buy a couple myself.
Bob
I’ll see if they can email the part numbers. Cheers.
I am sure you could buy one from Mocal of a similar size, but the Elise/Exige oil cooler has a couple of brackets build into it for mounting which probably would not be the same as any after market one. It is also a pretty close fit inside the surrounding plastic - have a look at these pics I took when fitting mine http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/ryallm/oil%20cooler%20fitting/
Seems very odd that Lotus can’t supply one as at least one cooler is fitted to every Elise/Exige now.
Mark
Kenny, just another thought. If your car has twin coolers and it is the offside one you are missing, I have got still got the joiner union I took out when I fitted the second cooler in mine. Not ideal, but it would enable you to get the clam back on and get on the road for a few weeks until they source a replacement. One cooler is more than adequate for road use.
Mark
Cheers but its the nearside I am missing.
Mark, when you fitted yours did you have to add the cooler mounting plate and air deflector panel?
Mark, when you fitted yours did you have to add the cooler mounting plate and air deflector panel?
There was no extra mounting needed for the cooler, but I did need to add the extra black plastic air duct. I have got an pdf of the Lotus service bulletin which explains all the parts and fitting - can email it to you if you are interested.
Mark
Cheers Mark, I had a rumage through your photo album and got the general idea. Its just that now I’ve asked the question, I’m tempted to buy a couple myself and fit them before I start tracking it.
Can I be rude and ask how much the full kit is from Lotus?
Cheers Mark, I had a rumage through your photo album and got the general idea. Its just that now I’ve asked the question, I’m tempted to buy a couple myself and fit them before I start tracking it.
Can I be rude and ask how much the full kit is from Lotus?
The parts were about �250 (one cooler and the duct). If your car doesn’t already have a single cooler it is a lot less straightforward - you would need also need the take off plate from the engine and the cooler hoses. The latter run behind the bonded section of the sills, so I think it would be a lot of hassle to fit them. When was you car built? All exiges built from May 05 on have at least one cooler - earlier Base or Touring spec cars don’t have one so do not have the plumbing running to the front of the car.
Mark
Mines a sept 04 touring so I’d need the whole shooting match which sounds like a �600 parts bill… the coolers aren’t very expensive if you buy direct and I can get the hoses made locally…we’ll see, no panic to do this converison at the moment.
Yeah, Lotus parts are a stupid price. If you have time and mechanican knowledge I am sure you could do it far cheaper with parts sourced elsewhere.
Incidentally you might be interested to know I had the car on track last week for the first time with an oil temp gauge. I had never seen it above 75 on the road, even thrashing it, but on a hot day at Knockhill it was sitting at a steady 95 after a few laps. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that is comfortably within the healthy operating range of synthetic oil - it does illustrate just how much higher oil temps are on track though.
Mark
See Gav’s thread on the work he’s recently had done at Plans. They have retro fitted twin oil coolers for him, so while it might be difficult its certainly possible.