"whatisthatsound" (whatisthatsound)
12/09/2014 at 17:03 • Filed to: None
1
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"whatisthatsound" (whatisthatsound)
12/09/2014 at 17:03 • Filed to: None | 1
| 32 |
I spent some time away from my home last week, and of course the battery in the lotus was dead. After some quick manual maneuvering to get it out of the garage, I realized rear/mid engine cars look strange when they are getting jumped.
Then I fired it up, and heard a noise... A belt squeal has risen from the depths of the fiberglass shell, and I need to figure it out. Any ideas oppo? This is an '09 Elise SC with less than 30K on the odo. The squeal starts at 3k and up, once the engine runs at that specific RPM for awhile, the squeal goes away. It will eventually disappear totally after 30+ minutes of driving and running through the RPM range. I'm open to all ideas.
Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:07 |
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Dirty, I like it.
Tohru
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:09 |
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Time to sell it and recoup your $30k?
BrownMiataDieselWagon
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:13 |
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Is that your Golf R? If so, when did this happen??
Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:18 |
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That color is ridiculous! I love it.
MonkeePuzzle
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:18 |
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change in weather? did it get cold, often squeals can develop as things shrink. Perhaps just an adjustment on the tensioner (assuming Loti have such mundanities)
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whatisthatsound
> Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
12/09/2014 at 17:19 |
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Both dirty, both my and my lady friends DDs. I haven't had a chance to wash them since thanksgiving.
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whatisthatsound
> Tohru
12/09/2014 at 17:19 |
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I want to say that I didn't pay 30K because I paid 29K so... profit?
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whatisthatsound
> BrownMiataDieselWagon
12/09/2014 at 17:21 |
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That is the lady friend's R. I'm trying to convince her to trade it in for the manual '15 when it arrives.
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whatisthatsound
> MonkeePuzzle
12/09/2014 at 17:22 |
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That is what I'm thinking. I talked to the original owner, who had it serviced in Atlanta. They took a look at it and said don't worry about it. I don't know how to not worry about it though.
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whatisthatsound
> Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
12/09/2014 at 17:23 |
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It is what some may call, bright.
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Tohru
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:23 |
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B-but Elises are always 30k...
JGrabowMSt
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:24 |
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Tensioner or idler pulley. Get that shit done before it breaks off, because trust me, it will break off. Been there, had that happen, in a much more expensive car.
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whatisthatsound
> Tohru
12/09/2014 at 17:24 |
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Everything is ruined. I've ruined everything, and now.... now... no one can ever love again.
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Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:25 |
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My car is Russo Red, so i don't really have a problem with that sort of thing.
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whatisthatsound
> JGrabowMSt
12/09/2014 at 17:26 |
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Now we are onto something. Should I bring this back to a lotus dealer, or pull the rear clam off drive it naked two blocks two a toyota mechanic? Also what car?
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Tohru
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:27 |
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You sonofabitch. I hope you're happy with what you've done.
505Turbeaux
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:27 |
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wow that is an excellently loud color.
I would say your tensioner is getting weak, once it heats up everything grips a little better. If you can get down in there try applying some pressure on the tensioner to tighten it and see if the squeal goes away. I think El_Uly is a tech on Lotus. Use this on Oppo and link to this article and he should get back to you
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whatisthatsound
> Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
12/09/2014 at 17:27 |
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All cars should be bright and vibrant. Every car has a certain color it looks fantastic in. Except a '99 chevy astro. They look amazing in every color, especially the rustic hue of rust.
Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:28 |
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The two are related, tighten the fan belt and your battery problem should disappear. The squeal is likely because the belt is loose and as your battery is getting low on charge the alternator is loaded up which causes it to slip.
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BrownMiataDieselWagon
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:29 |
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How does she/how do you like the driving dynamics? I am thinking of picking up one of these Mk6 R's after graduation.
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whatisthatsound
> 505Turbeaux
12/09/2014 at 17:29 |
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Oh crap, I don't know how to tag anything. This is not good.
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whatisthatsound
> Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast
12/09/2014 at 17:32 |
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Okay here is the scenario because you bring up an excellent point. The Elise originally arrived with a battery closely resembling a large 100 lb marble block, which would break lose from it's mounts and destroy the fiberglass clam. I replaced that with a Braille battery that is highly recommended from other owners and aluminum mount that will never break lose. Could this be the cause of the noise, because I do not ever remember hearing this noise pre battery swap?
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505Turbeaux
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:34 |
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it is kind of tough the way kinja is. Just make a new post, put this url in there (it should autoload), make some title like EL_ULY I need help or whatever. I havent seen him today but he will be around soon. I am working on a solution to this in this project, where we will all have seperate email addresses. Check it out http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/the-official-o… he is a tech on Lotus 02+
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whatisthatsound
> BrownMiataDieselWagon
12/09/2014 at 17:34 |
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It is just lovely. It understeers like a son of a gun, but I love everything else about the car. I have driven it for 5+ hours and never felt sore or uncomfortable. We take it to New Orleans often, and I love it. If VW brings the R 400 to USA, I will for once in my life buy a brand new car.
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JGrabowMSt
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:44 |
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is it under warranty? Im guessing not.
I would look around for a small tuning shop and see what they think as both a second opinion, and a cost.
My SL600 had the tensioner pulley break off, and the idler pulley also was going bad. Made one hell of a noise too. The tensioner pulley went on the power steering loop on the neon, so i had to keep it under 2k most of the time to avoid the noise from it. Cold weather always makes the noises like this apparent.
A good indy shop will 1) treat it very well and 2) not cost as much. The belt and two pullies cost me $450 on a big german V12. I would never want to know the estimate from Mercedes.
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Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:51 |
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Are you saying the alloy battery tray may be the cause of the squeak?
I'm not familiar with lotus or that battery but from your description of the noise it sounds exactly like the loose belt, the load on the alternator increases when it's charging. If there's a power drain on the battery that would explain the noise disappearing after half an hour as the battery voltage gets topped up the load decreases on the alternator and the noise goes away. It's possible the belt is due for replacement, as they get older they stretch and also end up with smooth shiny edges on the contact point which doesn't help with traction on the pulley. The belt probably drives other accessories like water pump power, steering and a/c so it's important to keep it in good condition. Can you check the tightness of the belt easily your self?
MarquetteLa
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 17:55 |
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I've used my Miata (battery in the trunk) to jump my friend's 60's Beetle (battery in the rear) more than a few times. I'm sure the ASS TO ASS positioning raised a few eyebrows from passers-by.
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Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again.
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 18:55 |
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I meant more "diiirrrty"
Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
> JGrabowMSt
12/09/2014 at 19:14 |
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I imagine Mercedes' estimate on that would be triple or quadruple that.
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Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
> whatisthatsound
12/09/2014 at 19:15 |
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I can text EL_ULY for you so he can get to you sooner if he hasn't already.
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JGrabowMSt
> Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST)
12/09/2014 at 23:36 |
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If I'm lucky, yes.
TDogg
> whatisthatsound
12/10/2014 at 19:32 |
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It makes the Golf look massive... that's talent.