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TrapperJohn · 04-23-2009, 06:45 AM

It's alive!

Thought I'd never get that old oil filter off, it was on there good. But, it came off, and the old oil that came out actually looked pretty clean.

Installed a new battery, and expected the worst when I turned the key, figuring that the electronics might have died from corroded connectors. All the right lights lit up. I was still nervous about the cam belt (which looked pretty fresh) , but yielded to temptation and gave the key a twist. After several seconds of cranking, it sputtered to life. And after about ten seconds of idling, all cylinders were firing.

Sure enough, the clutch was frozen. Last time I freed up a frozen clutch, it was a Triumph Stag, and it took half a mile of driving with the clutch depressed to free it up. In this case, put it in 1st, pushed the clutch, cranked it, and after a brief lurch, it freed up. Took it down the driveway briefly - clutch is good, power assist working on the brakes. In respect for the iffy cam belt, I didn't rev it over 2k, and shut it down for good after about a minute of running.

What I first thought was the alternator light turned out to be the low coolant warning light. Heck, the windows even rolled down. Driver's side won't roll up without a pull to get past a rough spot, but it was like that when I got it. Right side headlamps wont rise up, the motor is truly frozen, adjusting knob on the back won't budge. But otherwise, the Esprit seems to have weathered its hibernation in remarkably good condition.

Tires are utterly shot. I was starting to scout around for a newer, larger wheelset when the online tire sellers said they couldn't find a set of tires to match what I had, but an individual search turned up Goodrich g-force tires in the correct sizes. Maybe not the ultimate, but the only wheelset I could find was the OZ's on ebay, and that's $3k I don't have right now.

Anyway, the box from JAE arrived, so this weekend, it's off with the cover plates, and on with the new cam belt, alternator and pump belts, tensioner bearing, and hoses. Ouch, that hose set was expensive. Follow that by replacing the chargecooler impeller, I have a new one I bought a few years ago. Also ordered a few sheets of burl walnut veneer to redo the dash, it's cracking apart. I never did like that light colored wood, anyway.

Assuming I survive the next round of layoffs at my company, a repaint should follow, the clearcoat is really coming off. I'm finding that a bit of polishing compound and wax gets the paint underneath looking pretty good, but it still looks like a bad case of sunburn. I did love that pearl white they put on the earlier Esprit.

Doesn't matter. It's alive, and seems to be forgiving me for letting it sit for so long. Don't do that again - next time I won't go so easy on you.

04-23-2009, 06:45 AM	#9 (permalink)
TrapperJohn Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 93	It's alive! Thought I'd never get that old oil filter off, it was on there good. But, it came off, and the old oil that came out actually looked pretty clean. Installed a new battery, and expected the worst when I turned the key, figuring that the electronics might have died from corroded connectors. All the right lights lit up. I was still nervous about the cam belt (which looked pretty fresh) , but yielded to temptation and gave the key a twist. After several seconds of cranking, it sputtered to life. And after about ten seconds of idling, all cylinders were firing. Sure enough, the clutch was frozen. Last time I freed up a frozen clutch, it was a Triumph Stag, and it took half a mile of driving with the clutch depressed to free it up. In this case, put it in 1st, pushed the clutch, cranked it, and after a brief lurch, it freed up. Took it down the driveway briefly - clutch is good, power assist working on the brakes. In respect for the iffy cam belt, I didn't rev it over 2k, and shut it down for good after about a minute of running. What I first thought was the alternator light turned out to be the low coolant warning light. Heck, the windows even rolled down. Driver's side won't roll up without a pull to get past a rough spot, but it was like that when I got it. Right side headlamps wont rise up, the motor is truly frozen, adjusting knob on the back won't budge. But otherwise, the Esprit seems to have weathered its hibernation in remarkably good condition. Tires are utterly shot. I was starting to scout around for a newer, larger wheelset when the online tire sellers said they couldn't find a set of tires to match what I had, but an individual search turned up Goodrich g-force tires in the correct sizes. Maybe not the ultimate, but the only wheelset I could find was the OZ's on ebay, and that's $3k I don't have right now. Anyway, the box from JAE arrived, so this weekend, it's off with the cover plates, and on with the new cam belt, alternator and pump belts, tensioner bearing, and hoses. Ouch, that hose set was expensive. Follow that by replacing the chargecooler impeller, I have a new one I bought a few years ago. Also ordered a few sheets of burl walnut veneer to redo the dash, it's cracking apart. I never did like that light colored wood, anyway. Assuming I survive the next round of layoffs at my company, a repaint should follow, the clearcoat is really coming off. I'm finding that a bit of polishing compound and wax gets the paint underneath looking pretty good, but it still looks like a bad case of sunburn. I did love that pearl white they put on the earlier Esprit. Doesn't matter. It's alive, and seems to be forgiving me for letting it sit for so long. Don't do that again - next time I won't go so easy on you.