Mine is an early 2005. Here in North Texas the AC in this Lotus stinks. It's ok with the two pass. vents closed. I have had it serviced twice. That is not my real problem. I get hot air blowing thru my vents all the time, when everything is turned off. I had it checked out at Overseas and they said it was a design flaw and that there was no repair. I cook in this car when the AC is turned off. I have documented it could be 85 degrees outside and the vents in my car are blowing out 110 degree hot air. I have tried to close different vents but that forces the air out of the other vents (middle, above and below). I really want to track some more but I can not in this car with the AC off. Any clues anybody?
I hate to drive the car in the Summer Months with the AC off.(AC off - when I run at the track or high revs. on the street) Again it could be 70 degrees outside but this car is blowing 95 degree hot air out of the vents. The design flaw they wrote on my repair ticket said that the Radiator was in a poor location.
PETER I seem to recall a post, maybe from Arno, regarding the heater core eventually heating up the ducting, resulting in hot air regardless of whether or not the heater was engaged. What about installing a heater bypass T-valve and just isolate during the warm months? Is the heater core necessary for engine cooling? I seem to recall a post, maybe from Arno, regarding the heater core eventually heating up the ducting, resulting in hot air regardless of whether or not the heater was engaged. What about installing a heater bypass T-valve and just isolate during the warm months? Is the heater core necessary for engine cooling?
There's another thread here somewhere with a guy working up just such a solution. I believe the thinking is that it would be electrically operated and bypass the core only during driving and reset at shutdown. The heater core can be used by the ECU to keep hot spots from forming in certain situations after shutdown, so some would say it's a bad idea to take it out of the loop permanently. I just got my expansion valve replaced yesterday, A/C seems to be blowing cold now. My car is 05' #21