Mark Blanchard's 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo X180
My car is a 1987 Lotus Esprit Turbo X180 and I've owned it since April 2002. It is finished in Calypso Red with a Grey leather interior. It is serviced every 3000 miles by Esprit Engineering .
In April 2002 work was carried out to the gear linkage. A full C service was carried out by Steve Williams, who also replaced the exhaust box and front off side bearings. He also fixed an oil leak from drive shaft seals and fitted a new clutch slave cylinder fitted.
In October 2002 I fitted Turbo SE wheels and Goodyear GS A s tires all round, which made a marked improvement to the handling and road holding. With the original wheels, the car was under-steering around corners. Also, to improve the interior, I have "Leatheriqued" the grey leather, which prevents it from cracking.
The leather interior
It has been quite reliable so far, other than a small oil leak. This seems to be quite common for Esprit, as the oil leaks from the drive shaft seals. I often have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind something more serious will happen, and I will have to take out another 3 grand loan. So I make sure I drive it regularly (to stop it all ceasing up), and allow plenty of time for the Turbo to warm up and cool down.
In April 2003 I had a new clutch fitted to the car as the last one was feeling very heavy. While this was being done, I had the red clutch hose upgraded to an SS braided hose and the clutch slave cylinder replaced. Welding was also carried out to the chassis, as the chassis strut next to the manifold had rusted. This seems to be a common problem on Esprits, due to the manifold heating up the chassis strut (which is close). Over time the strut's galvanized coating flakes off and rust can build up due to condensation forming in the engine bay. So to get access the the chassis strut, the engine was taken out, the rust was removed and a shaped plate was mig welded over the hole. When this had been done, a heat resistant paint was sprayed over the plate, to protect it from further rust.
April 2004 An A service undertaken by Esprit Engineering.
The Lotus Esprit Engine Bay
In April 2005 I had the left and right rear shock absorbers replaced and the suspension rebuilt. This was due to a creaking noise from the rear suspension over humps. At the same time I had the cambelt replaced and full C service was carried out. I also had fitted a new aluminium coolant pipe to the radiator. The central connecting pipe, joining the fuel tanks had also rusted and was weeping fuel, causing a strong smell of fuel. So a new pipe was welded to both tanks. Luckily the fuel tanks hadn't rusted. (Rusted fuel tanks are a common problem on Esprit's, due to water leaking through dissintegrated seals on the rear windows. The tanks are protected with foam on the top and bottom. The water drips on to this foam and is soaked up, leaving the steel tanks surrounded by wet foam. The tanks rust, which eventually cause fuel leaks. it is recomended annually to check for rusted tanks. A strong smell of fuel is a sign. However, this can also be atributed to a cracked breather pipe). I also had a new handbrake cable fitted to the Esprit, new rear brake pads and a new steering rack. The existing steering rack was a reconditioned unit and had mechanical wair in it, causing some slack under movement. The new rack has made a big improvement to the feel of the car. I also had a K & N air filter fitted.
In April 2006 my Esprit had an A serviced, carried out by Esprit Engineering as usual. Mobile 1 15/50 engine oil was added, a new Lotus oil filter, the K & N air filter was cleaned and the car was inspected. No real problems this year. Just the rear brake caliper had a new lead mounting fitted and the driver's side light pod was adjusted, as the pod was slightly touching the bodywork.
April 2007 - My Lotus Esprit was given a B service by Esprit Engineering. Also, the left front brake line had delaminated internally, blocking the brake fluid and preventing the caliper from working properly (this was due to old age). A new stainless steel braided brake line was fitted.
May 2008 - A full C Service was carried out by Esprit Engineering and the right hand side braided brake line was fitted. Also the copper brake pipe had started to corrode, so a new one was fitted.
