Won't fire! - HELP!

(yeah, like yours is running smoothly )

Cheers mike

Ian

:stuck_out_tongue: (yeah, like yours is running smoothly )

Cheers mike

Ian

(!) READ THIS AND WEEP (!)

Ian,
Then why wouldn’t it start from cold ??

I guess it started from cold because as the sensor cooled (and it needed about 5 hours) it started working again - go figure!?

Are you doubting they’ve found the fix?

Ian

Noooo - I hope it is all fixed for you

It’s just that I thought you had tried it again the following day (when it was cold) and it still didn’t start thats all.

Possibly, I forget, it’s not started so many times. The hot starts were certainly the trend and the full throttle thing does seem to be an explaination. They’ve been trying to make it not start and haven’t succeed yet.

Fingers crossed!

Ian

This the second ‘first’ I’ve had. Apparently it’s the first Lotus have heard of a failure like this and I had the crankshaft bearing go too, which was also unheard of.

Let’s hope that my numbers don’t come up again!

Ian

Glad its sorted Ian

Guess we can add this one to the “X-Files” database then

Cheers Andy

It’s home and so far so good.

Ian

Looks like it’s fixed!

It appears to be the throttle body sensor. When hot it was reading wide open.
Ian

Ian

What is the tekky description of this sensor? is it the MAP sensor? or are you talking 'bout the Throttle position sensor?

are you talking 'bout the Throttle position sensor?

Yep, I think that’s the puppy.

Ian

Yep it’s gotta be the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) as from what you were describing if the TPS is at 100% (i.e. wide open throttle) then the EMS doesn’t inject fuel and uses it as a spark plug cleaning measure…

I’m still unsure about testing this as I don’t want my car to fire up at WOT from cold

And why does temperature make a difference to a potentiometer ??

Is the pot wirewound or carbon tracked? - Never taken one to pieces so dont know but if the wiper arm is weak the heat may cause it to bend slightly and lift off the carbon track.

Or someone has sat in there car pressing the throttle to the floor going vrooom vrooom and worn the tracking away

And why does temperature make a difference to a potentiometer ??

Dunno, if it’s f**ked then god know’s how they react

It could be something to do with heat, expansion, making a contact blah blah blah and then it reads 100%…

But if it works for sure then that’s the fix

Dunno Andy, although it does seem to be the fix at the mo. Finding it wasn’t helped by it returning to normal when cool - grrr

Ian

My TPS already went 2 times.
And it happened exactly what u describe.

Mmmm

Ian - remember when we started it at Llandow I said the throttle felt “strange” ?

Nick - wasnt your problem rain getting onto it ?

Ian - the cars kept outside right ?

Maybe thats the connection ?

It is kept outside and although covered these days it wasn’t really in it’s first year. Plenty of time for it to start its demise.

I do remember your thoughts at Llandow (and very grateful I remain). Odd how it continued to start there, once we’d got it going the first time, even though it had got rather hot.

I think it’s running slightly better now, which would surely make sense if the ECU now has a better idea of where the throttle really is.

Ian

IDG

Can you get the duff one back from Lakeside and do some experimenting with it?

I’d like to know whats inside it as well – as per Phil above – also it would be really really good if you could measure its resistance across its range and see if anything funny happens…

Also… does anyone know if its supposed to go HIGH or LOW resistance on full throttle??.. I guess i could check this but i’m a lazy sod and its late…