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A couple weeks ago I had my passenger side rear oil line fitting blow out while driving. It soaked the rear tire and sprayed oil everywhere. When I started to look into this on Lotustalk, it became clear that this is a pretty common problem and is clearly a defect in the manufacturing or design of the car. I believe that this is also a safety hazard in that it could cause an engine fire or loss of traction or brake performance.
I think it would be a good idea for all owners that have had this failure to report these incidents to the NHTSA website. It just takes a couple minutes and it may force Lotus to be responsible for this obvious and unsafe defect.
I haven't had, and I hope I never have, the oil line failure. Most I have seen reported are the crimps at the coolers up front. Was your failure a crimped connection? I know of the U-joint jerry-rigged above the oil filter, but I haven't heard of the crimping failing at the rear junction, not that I doubt it.
Is there any way you can post a pic of where it failed? I wonder if it is something we could look for, like the cooling u-tube wearing, or the toe link, or the poor ac, or the...
Sorry it happened, I'm sure the tire and road wasn't the only thing that was covered in brown.
Apparently this happened to my first car after I sold it to the guy (in Cody, WY). He is not on the forums but since I communicated with him after the sale he said it was a real pain trying to find someone that could (or would) fix it properly.
You should report this failure to NHTSA. This is a safety issue, not a warranty issue. I hate to think what would have happened if I was on a track or windy mountain road.
Just filed a complaint with NHTSA...took about 5 minutes. Had 2 oil line failures on 2 separate occasions. Last one almost caused me to skid off the highway at 75mph.... and the engine was ruined.
my friend's 07 exige s also blew a line while we parted ways a few months back. Luckily, it happened right as he got on the freeway and pulled over immediately. Dealer was like 10min away and engine was not damaged.
Go with a MoCal oil/water cooler and do away with the entire front oil cooler setup. Lotus Sport sell the oil/water cooler or you can contact these folks Bat Inc. They have everything you need including new sandwich plate.
Stock Lotus has 27 feet of oil cooler lines (yes I did measure the ones I removed, huge weight savings also).
So what were the common "symptoms" you guys had once the line failed to know what happened? I.e. What would one be wary of to prompt immediate pull-over to preempt engine failure if this happened?
I'm not sure there are any symptoms except the oil light going on. I didn't see any evidence of a failure when I changed the oil a few months ago (but then again I wasn't looking too hard). The car was running fine when I pulled over.
Just blew my oil line on the passenger side a couple weeks ago. The line came right out of the connector. Engine looks like it escaped damage but I'm glad it happened on the freeway when it did. I was on my way to the Big Track at Willow Springs.......
My 2005 failure was in 2005--apparently the hose or connection failed at the oil cooler. Fortunately I was going slowly and only two minutes from being able to park it. No engine damage, oil everywhere, a mess. Lotus fixed in under warrantee.
The dealer (Westlake CA.) had never seen this type of failure.
My 2005 failure was in 2005--apparently the hose or connection failed at the oil cooler. Fortunately I was going slowly and only two minutes from being able to park it. No engine damage, oil everywhere, a mess. Lotus fixed in under warrantee.
The dealer (Westlake CA.) had never seen this type of failure.
I believe you can still report it. All that you need is a VIN and an approximate date. The more reports NHTSA gets the more likely they will initiate an investigation and recall. It only takes a couple minutes.
Can you tell if the lines are close to failure by inspecting them? I've looked mine over a few time and don't see any sign of leakage swelling etc, but now you guys have me worried. They've lasted 46K miles so far...
My understanding is that it is a manufacturing or design defect at the crimp to the fittings. The crimp is ineffective and separates catastrophically...
I dread the day I have this failure especially on track because more than likely it will be a very painful and expensive repair. I am out of warranty but this is potentially a serious failure. I hope every owner sees this and takes it seriously.
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