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Limp mode, throttle body stuck....

19K views 52 replies 26 participants last post by  hoverdonkey 
#1 ·
Wondering if anyone else has had this happen with their 06 Elise. Car went into limp mode, MIL on and daeler says that the throttle body sticks...was told that Lotus was aware of this issue and sent notices...anyone know about this? I had not received such a notice...only had the car 2 weeks or so...
 
#4 ·
I believe all cars with dbw have this limp mode.. On cable TBs they use the limiter.. My other IS300 has been in the limp mode a few times, wouldnt let you go past 3k no matter what.. That had a hybrid throttle 50%cable 50% dbw..
I wouldn't say it's dangerous though, the ecu is just trying to save the engine at all costs in this limp mode..
 
#7 ·
My car did it twice. Turning off it and restarting cleared it up, but the engine light was on for a couple of hours afterward. I'm schuduled to get a new throttle body next week.
 
#10 ·
MikeW said:
How about finding out if it's a redesigned throttle body to fix the problem? If it's a design flaw, I hope they're not "just replacing it" with the same design part.
I think we are using a well-proven DBW throttle body from Toyota, successfully used on many different cars for many years. It's performance and reliability characteristics should be well known.
 
#11 ·
Anyway to look at the throttle body from the outside and check if it's the problematic one?
I ask this so when I take delivery of the Elise I can check it.
 
#18 ·
Just heard from FVM...Lotus told them to replace the throttle body.
Unfortunately it is very difficult for me to get the car to them...it costs $500 round trip to transport it otherwise I have to take a day off during the week...for a 2 hour labor. I may just replace it myself...even if I must buy the parts...still cheaper...
 
#19 ·
FVM took care of mine ... no problems since.
 
#21 ·
vdibiase said:
Just heard from FVM...Lotus told them to replace the throttle body.
Unfortunately it is very difficult for me to get the car to them...it costs $500 round trip to transport it otherwise I have to take a day off during the week...for a 2 hour labor. I may just replace it myself...even if I must buy the parts...still cheaper...
Why not try to work with your dealer? You send them the bad part, they send you a new part, and you do the install.
 
#23 ·
Limp Mode (2-3k rev limit)

I too have run into this (Build date of Dec 05)....or at least it looks to be this.

Here is what happened for the record.

1st occurance: ~2k miles Shortly after engine hit temp, I hard accelerate and shift....and then the engine loses power for 2-3 secs but then recovers. ~70d day.

2nd Occurance: 4.5k miles (This morning...~50dF) start the car up and drive easy until temp is reached and then accelerate and shift.....this time engine loses power and goes into true limp mode fluttering between 2-3k rpm no matter what throttle postion was. Check Engine Light Comes on. Pull over Turn off wait for 30sec and start again.....same problem.... I then drive ~2 miles and park. About
5 min later I start the engine and everything works normally, but Check Engine is on. 2 starts later the Engine light goes away.

I have some suspicion a cold engine/air temp can aggravate this problem based on my experience.

Thanks to Josh for point me to the throttle body issue at todays meet. Now I too have to find time to take this to one of the competent dealers.

Brian
 
#24 ·
th ought I'd chime in here since this just happened to me.

Basically, my 06' Exige was running fine and then while having fun BAMMO, no power. Got on here, sure enough, limp mode.

So...

I tried restarting the car a few times, and it was still in limp mode. Did that 4 times that same day.....was still in limp, drove it home. The next day, did the same, still in limp. Today...started her up, no engine light, finally, and no longer in limp mode.

All I can figure, from what I've read, is that I hit the rev-limiter to many times..opps.....if that in fact can cause the problem.

At any rate, this is the 2nd time my car has fixed itself..yay!!!
 
#30 ·
This just happened to me for the first time last Saturday. My car is an early 06 (Built Sept. 05) and I have about 20,000 miles on it. Car ran normally after being shut off for a few minutes with the CEL still on. Took it to the dealer and they had a SB about this from Lotus. They said it was due to a sticking throttle actuator from the factory lubricant which plasticizes over time. A hard stab of the throttle (like on a downshift) can easily cause this especially at cold temps. Anyway, they fixed it and car seems much more responsive. :coolnana: There are actually a few other recent SBs out that I didn't know about: they changed out a ring that can cause sticking of the door lock cylinder, replaced an A/C hose that was installed incorrectly and drilled some drain holes under the car. Park Place in Seattle is definitely on their game. I just moved to Seattle from Atlanta and LOA never did a very good job of keeping me informed of such things.
 
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