[Gallagher]

Do you have a check engine light on?

 

[silver02]

I do not. Car runs fine past idle. A/F ratio looks great and powerband is linear.

 

[EspritNOOB]

Don't V8 engines idle that way?

 

[LotusGuy48]

My 2001 V8 idles the same way, I think it's just a characteristic of the engine. Nothing to worry about.

 

[silver02]

Well, in that case, awesome.

 

[Docl]

These cars have a low compression motor. Yours idles the same as the other one's I test drove down here. Gotta love the crackling and popping of the exhaust!

 

[silver02]

Yeah, it's quite an odd sound. Any other car I've owned would have been diagnosed with a miss.

Just wondering, does everyone else's sideview mirrors vibrate at idle as well? Looks like I have a bass song playing.

 

[carbuff]

Just wondering, does everyone else's sideview mirrors vibrate at idle as well? Looks like I have a bass song playing.

That's a whole 'nuther subject.

The 89-up sideview mirrors are held in place by an allen hex screw. Lift up the black "collar" at the pivot point and you will see it.

Don't go bonkers trying to tighten the screw too much, or you will break the pot-metal that it screws in to.

The thumbnail HERE
Esprit Exterior Modifications
has an arrow showing the location of the screw, unfortunately the page that the article links to is down. Maybe the Internet Archive AKA Wayback will still show all the close-ups.

But as I said, if there is a crack in the pot-metal, it's a REPLACE. SM World in CA sells the mirrors.

+++++++++++++

PS, the distinct idle note is due to the V8's flat-plane crankshaft.

The flat-plane or single-plane crankshaft has crank pins at 180°. As they always move two pistons together, the Secondary Vibration is twice as strong (and half as frequent) as cross-plane, unless balance shafts are used, with a counter rotating pair flanking the crankshaft transverse to the crankshaft centreline. As it has nearly perfect plane balance,[16] it does not normally require counterweights. The crankshaft with less mass and thus inertia allows quicker revving up and down, in addition to the firing being LRLRLRLR or RLRLRLRL with regular overall and per-bank pulse spacings for uniform combustion without requiring a complicated exhaust system. The design was popularized in modern racing by the Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5 L (92 cu in) V8 that evolved from a cross-plane to a flat-plane configuration (with longer conrods). Flat-plane V8s on road cars come from Ferrari (every V8 model they have ever made, from the 1973 308 GT4, to the new 458), Lotus (the Esprit V8), TVR (the Speed Eight), Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren (the MP4-12C). This design is popular in racing engines, the most famous example being the Cosworth DFV.[17]

V8 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[silver02]

It's such a funny sound though. Kinda sounds like the muffler is under water sometimes, lol.

 

[irox]

It's such a funny sound though. Kinda sounds like the muffler is under water sometimes, lol.

I think its from its submarine heritage.

Seriously, perfect icon for this is TADTS.

I thought mine was messed up until I noticed every other flat plan crank has the "sound"; either by lotus Ferrari, whatever... It's the crank and firing order. It also sounds like 2 I4s in perfect time.a very unique sound that you'll begin to enjoy

 

[jtrealty]

Another sound you get used to is valve tapping. Usually only on start-up, especially if the car hasn't been driven for a while. Can take a while to quiet down. Last time I changed my oil I used some motor flush first and now the tapping goes away sooner.
David Teitelbaum