After my oil cooler hose mishap (
Oil Cooler/Line Failure at speed), I have been paying close attention to any and all strange sounds. While putting the car in the garage one evening, I noticed a strange new sound.While standing right by the right rear wheel I could hear a tap-tap noise, almost like the old baseball card in the spokes sound. As I revved the engine, the tapping increased in frequency. From inside the car, I could barely make out the sound over all the other Elise sounds. Even directly behind the engine with the lid up, it was difficult to hear. But, stick your ear down by the rear wheel and it was very obvious.So, in to Criswell before my warranty is up (June 22). The verdict was the Belt Tensioner Assembly and a new belt. No more noise, and once again a nice experience with Marty in service.While poking around on Google, I found this -
http://www.z-car.com/gallery/main.ph…&g2_itemId=569 - Toyota TSB for the Belt Tensioner
So, if you hear a similiar tap-tap, take it in. If you are out of warranty, try taking along the Toyota TSB, who knows, maybe it will help to get it covered.
Also filed in Lotus
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Tagged belt tensioner, Criswell, failure, line failure, Lotus Belt, oil, oil cooler, rear wheel, sound, strange sounds, tap-tap, Tensioner, Toyota, tsb, warranty
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Wednesday, January 9, 2008
One of the interesting aspects of the Internet is the ability for car enthusiasts to share information about their vehicles. I am always amazed how many people have similar issues with their car, however when discussing with a dealer, the dealer acts as if no one else has an issue.
Recently the folks on LotusTalk.com have identified a potentially serious issue with the overhead oil feeds in the camshaft cover. This is believed to be causing a failure of the camshaft, which ultimately results in a broken rocker arm. Multiple people have now confirmed that their car also shows evidence of a problem. So far, Lotus, and Toyota who manufacturer the 2ZZ-GE engine are silent…. You can read more here.
What other cars have similar issues? I would love to hear other folks experience, I have included a few well known issues that I currently know of.
Ford Spark Plug Issue
Toyota Oil Sludge Issue
BMW Engine Failure
Also filed in Lotus
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Tagged BMW, bmw engine, camshaft, Cars, engine failure, failure, Ford, Internet, Lotus, oil, rocker arm, spark plug, Toyota, toyota oil sludge
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Thursday, January 3, 2008
How many times have you tried to get off either front or rear brake rotors and they were frozen (rusted) onto the hub? Standard shade-tree (and professional many times) method for popping them is to hit the rotors with a big sledge hammer. This is a great way to kill your wheel bearings.
Next time, try this method. A picture is worth a thousand words….
Remove the brake caliper, and then pass a bolt through the caliper ears. Thread on a nut between the rotor and caliper ear. Slowly tighten and release the but as you rotate the rotor. It will quite simply, just fall off.