Car shut down but engine still on

[Shahaf2911]

Do bring this up with your dealers hopefully this issue will go up the ladder to Lotus HQ so they will have find a better and a permanent solution.
for myself in the meantime I will try and source a silicon replacement as it won’t degrade with time and idk if Lotus would actually do anything about it, to replace the rubber shield every year and hope you do it in time before it becomes degraded is too risky!

 

[geoffbland]

Hmm, if it's failing at the 2 year point it looks like the rubber shroud needs to be changed every year (to be on the safe side) by the owner or as a service item when the car gets out of warranty.
Certainly it needs regular checking.

Thanks for mentioning this. I just checked mine and I have some nasty cracking on mine too, the rubber is perished. I've temporarily fixed this by filling the cracks with silicone grease (waterproof) and then taping over it. But this won't last and the rest of the rubber will crack too.
I'm going to ring Lotus Silverstone about this and mention it and get it remedied at next service and suggest they come up with a better fix.

I would suggest all owners check the rubber bib themselves too - it only takes 5 minutes to check, well worth the time compared with the expense and hassle of having to replace all the air-conditioning electronics etc.

 

[Nick Sticks]

Thanks for mentioning this. I just checked mine and I have some nasty cracking on mine too, the rubber is perished. I've temporarily fixed this by filling the cracks with silicone grease (waterproof) and then taping over it. But this won't last and the rest of the rubber will crack too.
I'm going to ring Lotus Silverstone about this and mention it and get it remedied at next service and suggest they come up with a better fix.

I would suggest all owners check the rubber bib themselves too - it only takes 5 minutes to check, well worth the time compared with the expense and hassle of having to replace all the air-conditioning electronics etc.

I was talking to one of the mechanics at Lotus Essex on Monday about this who said they do check it during a service and replace if necessary.
For me I'll check it every now and then and certainly before a service to pre-warn them.
I might even start looking for an alternative material that doesn't dry out and crack.

 

[geoffbland]

Has anyone tried replacing this sheet yet? If do. how big a piece of sheet is need to replace it?
I've not pulled mine out yet as I can see it'll just fall apart when I do, as it tucks around the edges I can't see exactly how big it is.

 

[Emira Fan]

Is this fuse box with the weak water protect located under the front hood or somewhere else? thanks

 

[geoffbland]

Is this fuse box with the weak water protect located under the front hood or somewhere else? thanks

Yes, under the front hood. Passenger side on UK cars.

 

[Beachbum]

So if the Lotus fix, is just a temporary one, does anyone know of a material that we can use, to make it more of a permanent one?
Do we have anyone that knows synthetic materials well that can suggest an alternative?

 

[cwfg]

Late to this thread but this happened to me right after purchase - engine overrun, later followed by "electrical" issues. Roadside assistance put the overrun down to a sticking throttle body which cleared after several taps with the handle of a screwdriver and in a year it has never happened again.

I had electrical issue later that same day though which turned out to be a faulty key receiver module. I can't be sure of the cause but I had used a jet wash on the car the day before all of this - I was gentle with the jet wash but a lesson learned and the issue has not reoccured in over 4k miles/12 months.

 

[Milk242]

Here’s the lotus shroud if it helps anyone with measurements. It’s all in freedom units haha

 

[NicolasB]

Here’s the lotus shroud if it helps anyone with measurements. It’s all in freedom units haha

I could easily make new versions of those out of EPDM membrane which is rubber roofing. That stuff lasts over 30 years out in the direct sun everyday and it's only .06 inches thick.

If anything I could just cut a square and send them to people and they could cut the shape themselves since it would be a little tedious to do a bunch of them.

 

[geoffbland]

I could easily make new versions of those out of EPDM membrane which is rubber roofing. That stuff lasts over 30 years out in the direct sun everyday and it's only .06 inches thick.

If anything I could just cut a square and send them to people and they could cut the shape themselves since it would be a little tedious to do a bunch of them.

Nice of you to offer this. It's not a great idea to use EPDM in a car where there is exposure to oil and petrol that can degrade EDPM - but it should be good in the front of the car away from the engine I guess. Also not sure about the folds over the engine parts it needs to make and it rubbing and flexing as the car moves.
Silicone sheet would be better for this job I would think?

 

[NicolasB]

Nice of you to offer this. It's not a great idea to use EPDM in a car where there is exposure to oil and petrol that can degrade EDPM - but it should be good in the front of the car away from the engine I guess. Also not sure about the folds over the engine parts it needs to make and it rubbing and flexing as the car moves.
Silicone sheet would be better for this job I would think?

Has to be better than what they are currently using? Especially up front, I would think it would last very well.

 

[Beachbum]

I could easily make new versions of those out of EPDM membrane which is rubber roofing. That stuff lasts over 30 years out in the direct sun everyday and it's only .06 inches thick.

If anything I could just cut a square and send them to people and they could cut the shape themselves since it would be a little tedious to do a bunch of them.

If it lasts more than 2yrs, its better than what we currently have.

 

[geoffbland]

Has to be better than what they are currently using? Especially up front, I would think it would last very well.

That's for sure. For myself, I've ordered a silicone sheet and I'm going to see what I can do myself with that. If it works I'll post something up here. Although I have `patched` the cracks in the Lotus supplied rubber sheet for now with silicone grease and gaff tape I don't trust that repair will last with the wet British weather and it is a few months until my next service - and I'm out of warranty so not sure Lotus would re-do their fix. Better to spend £25 on this now than risk £100s with an electrical fault.

 

[Beachbum]

That's for sure. For myself, I've ordered a silicone sheet and I'm going to see what I can do myself with that. If it works I'll post something up here. Although I have `patched` the cracks in the Lotus supplied rubber sheet for now with silicone grease and gaff tape I don't trust that repair will last with the wet British weather and it is a few months until my next service - and I'm out of warranty so not sure Lotus would re-do their fix. Better to spend £25 on this now than risk £100s with an electrical fault.

I've raised the issue as an item to be looked at during my service in 10 days. If I'm paying the sort of money main dealers ask for, they can do some extra work for it

 

[Shahaf2911]

Just a quick update and summary of my issue:
Car ran perfectly, had a wash, next morning started having codes (1st image of codes), after 2 days of clearing and re appearing cylinder the car did misfires (2nd image of codes), stopped driving, checked fuse box (images below), cleaned ONLY with contact cleaner, closed, drove for 20m with no faults at all, next morning car didn’t start and next day ordered the loom, now loom has been replaced and still car won’t start nor go into ignition and no OBD detection, car does light up on service mode (5s press) but still no data from OBD (it has power and negative checked) as well, when you try and start up sometime it says key not in car (put new battery and placed in RFID spot), or it says press the clutch and nothing happens, car battery was charged and used a booster just in case, didn’t change the outcome, now: stuck.
it seems I’m repetitive but again I can’t stop thanking for Bell&Colvill’s help, the parts advisor told the technician all info and shown all images, and advised me to check a few things, truly 10/10 service, and will help out how ever they can.
If anyone has any ideas will be glad to check all of them as I’m quite lost
B&C suggested to check front loom grounds (around 6 from memory), front multiway block in both ends is good (done), and also to check, just in case, the power to the cabin fuse box (wasn’t touched but who knows).
Front loom change for first time mechanic with a the car took ~10h if anyone is wondering, not too bad.

 

[Milk242]

Sounds like a pain, but I would have them check each and every fuse in all 3 fuse box locations

 

[Nelumbo nucifera]

I could easily make new versions of those out of EPDM membrane which is rubber roofing. That stuff lasts over 30 years out in the direct sun everyday and it's only .06 inches thick.

If anything I could just cut a square and send them to people and they could cut the shape themselves since it would be a little tedious to do a bunch of them.

I fully agree with NicolasB regarding the membrane he mentions. Originally invented in the USA as a roofing material. For any Kiwi’s, it’s known as Butynol roofing and readily available at many hardware stores. Unless I can find it in Australia, next time I’m in NZ, Mitre 10 shall be making a sale!

 

[Stevie1464]

Hi guys, due to get my 2023 plate V6 FE in September when I retire. It's done 1717 miles and currently being held in storage for me at Stratton Motor Company in the UK. From reading this thread I'm guessing the membrane will need replacing on mine too. I'll take NicolasB advice and get a sheet of EPDM fitted prior to pickup. Question - how thin does it need to be in mm? Freedom units are optional!

 

[geoffbland]

Hi guys, due to get my 2023 plate V6 FE in September when I retire. It's done 1717 miles and currently being held in storage for me at Stratton Motor Company in the UK. From reading this thread I'm guessing the membrane will need replacing on mine too. I'll take NicolasB advice and get a sheet of EPDM fitted prior to pickup. Question - how thin does it need to be in mm? Freedom units are optional!

It just needs to be waterproof and somewhat heatproof, so any thickness should be fine. If I remember you need a piece 60cm by 80cm minimum and you can cut it to size against the existing bib (which hopefully has already been fitted to your car at a previous service/recall).