The Esprit comes back tomorrow. I’d like to say I’m excited, but I am not. I am apprehensive. The thing that is getting me is the worry that we are not done with its issues yet. That circle of trust that normal people have with their cars, (you know, the ones that start every time…) isn’t quite there yet, and while I embrace the idea of Esprits as driveway art, I still kind of want to drive the fucking thing from time to time.

I know it’s kind of like complaining about the taste of grape Flavor-ade AFTER Reverend Jones makes you hero chug a cup, but what’s a fellow to do.

The starter is a plenum-off job. Since Stan was in there, common sense dictated that the spark plugs, plug wires, and coil packs had to go. We took advantage of the down time to replace the water pump as well, and while the coolant was drained, changed the coolant hoses. The oil leak at the turbo was a loose fitting, and the axle seals I’ll ignore until the gearbox comes out.

Thank god the weather has been mostly crap.

The way I see it, if we have indeed, finally and forever, iced the ignition issue, I am a radiator, some catalytic converters, a chin spoiler (my fault) a timing belt service and some tires away from being recommissioned. The tires will be an issue as the factory recommended rubber has been out of production for some time, and ever since the day my pal Dave Minter once growled at a group of Esprit owners when one of us (thank god not me…) haplessly suggested that they had IMPROVED on a Lotus suspension, I have been more than a little OCD about keeping as close to stock specification as humanly possible. Especially with regard to the tires and suspension. You know, if its good enough for Alister McQueen, it’s good enough for me…

In other news, on the recommendation of my buddy Beck, I bought a very fancy-pants fuse tester with the kinky sounding name “Power Probe”. I imagine it adding several years to my life as it tests fuses without having to pull them. In an English car, that’s material.

I hope the next couple of posts are about road trips, but with an Esprit, you never really know what is going to happen next.

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