Further updates - and a fix!

Since getting back on the road there have been some triumphs and some disappointments.

I managed to do quite well at the sprint, getting a faster time than my friends, although a spin cost me a final victory.

I have refitted the undertray, which needed some work to make it clear the new exhaust, enlarging a hole and using some spacers to lower the tray about 1cm.

I have also ordered some new wheels. Not because I need them, but because they are genuine Lotus 12-spoke wheels and are a bargain price. Although shipping from the UK to Australia is expensive, I have ordered 4 wheels for less than the original cost of one!

On the negative side, I'm not sure I have completely removed all the air from the cooling system and I may need a new temperature sender. These aren't expensive so I will order one soon. 

** Update: Ordered, along with a new set of brake pads.

** Update 2: The wheels have arrived. Less than a week since ordering them. I doubt they would arrive so quickly from the other side of Australia!

** Latest update, 24 June 2013. Completed the second State Sprint, and due to the afternoon session being hit by heavy rain, I managed to grab a class win!

     Also, I fixed the erratic temperature issue. It was, as some suggested, a bad earth. Some idiot (me) had forgotten to attach the earth strap to the gearbox. I bolted it on and the temperature was stable, and the fan came on as expected and cooled the system down. Result! A simple fix but not worth all the worry about a bad head gasket seal or some other problem. Very relieved!

On the road

With the new windscreen fitted, the bodywork went back on.

There was a problem with the engine, however. There was goo in the header tank of the cooling system, which really annoyed me. Surely I hadn't cocked up and the head gasket had blown already, even before I had driven on the road?

A bit of reading on the Lotus forum eased my mind. A bit. It was most likely a mismatch of coolants. Some old coolant must have remained in the system and reacted with the new coolant.

I drained the coolant and flushed with water, then ran some flush through for 20 mins and refilled with new coolant. I also had to remove the the header tank and clean the goo out of it. :-(

Today I took it to have the suspension aligned, as I had replaced the rear toe links, and 4 ball joints. On the way there the car was quite fidgety, on the way back it was very stable. Let"s see how it goes on the track next weekend.

What's left to do? New tyres; refit the rear arch liners; trim the undertray to fit the new exhaust and refit it. Then win my class at the State Sprint! Hopefully.