[grantcv]

At last. Finally, after an eternity, my car was released from the port and I took it home this evening. My car was built in August and it has taken till now to get to me. I wish I knew where it went on the way to getting here.

San Diego traffic really sucks in the evening - especially when you are trying to get used to a new car. It took me an hour to drive 22 miles - hardly a sporting experience. And my car stalled three times as I came to a stop - each time on an upward incline. Is this to be expected on a new engine?

 

[Evl]

And my car stalled three times as I came to a stop - each time on an upward incline. Is this to be expected on a new engine?

Maybe someone with a car can answer more definitively, but my understanding is that the engine takes a little while to learn its idle maps. Supposedly if you let it idle a few seconds after you turn it on, and again when you turn it off it helps.

 

[grantcv]

The stalls came just after I started driving when I came up to the first red light in two cases. It stalled as I stopped rather than when I started to accelerate.

 

[Jim Itin]

Grantcv,
Yep, the ECU needs to "learn" to idle, and the engine will try to die, mostly when coming to a stop (when you've pushed the clutch in, probably). As noted in several other posts, let the engine idle for 10 sec or so when first starting the engine, and when shutting it down. It may take 20 or more cycles for it to learn (either a slightly retarded or an overly sophisticated ECU -- you decide). First gear (and second to a lesser degree) will be a bit reluctant for quite a while, especially when cold. I have about 1500 miles on mine, and it's still "reluctant" till warm. And when really cold (not a worry for you, I s'pose), it's a real concentrated effort. Just pay attention, and don't rush it -- the damage is worth a lot more than the time savings.
Meanwhile, get up early on Sat / Sundays and beat the crowds to the good roads. You NEED to get some quality time in the curves!
Have fun,
Jim

 

[eliseowner2b]

Congrats! My car stalled a few times the first day. Let it idle a little more at first and the problem should go away.

Got Pix?

 

[ex-M3]

I have been letting my car idle for the obligatory 30 sec. I have 350 miles and one stall on the first day. However today I drove the car with the temp in the 20's and it stalled multiple times. So far more an annoyance than an issue. Hopefully it will learn.

 

[doma]

Mine used to stall almost every morning as I parked after the commute ... but it eventually stopped stalling. Hasn't happened in weeks. I'd say don't worry.

Sorry to hear about the traffic on your first day with the car.

-doma

edit:
Jim Said> let the engine idle for 10 sec or so when first starting the engine...

Yeah! I started doing this (after reading similar advice on this board) and haven't had the problem since. Maybe it does work (at first I was skeptical). Give it a try.

 

[zvezdah1]

ALso, remember to idle for ten seconds before shutting the engine off too, just as important.
Chris

 

[JimK]

Would it be helpful to partially cover the radiator for those driving the Elise in cold weather? That's what we used to do back on the farm. Just a suggestion, don't have my car yet.

 

[Jim Itin]

JimK,
I don't think there would be any advantage to covering part of the radiator in cold weather driving. Although the aluminum radiator can take a lot of heat out of the coolant (a good thing for hot summer driving or supercharged motors), and it does take a little while to reach operating temp (due to the efficient radiator), the motor's thermostat does a great job of maintaining the correct temp (about 186 - 192 deg) regardless of the ambient air temp. Covering up part of the radiator might reduce the time needed to reach operating temp by a couple of minutes, but it's not needed. The previous comments about letting the motor idle for 10 seconds or so when starting up and shutting down were just the procedure to help the ECU "learn" all the parameters needed to control a smooth idle at about 800 rpm in all situations.