Topic

Which gave me a shock whilst checking the oil. Before panic set in fully, I removed the oil filler cap to find it clean and dry. Car is running half a mile a day at the moment and not getting warmed up fully. Coolant level fine and undiscoloured. I have a 400 mile run to do in a week's time so I think it would be a good idea to take the car for a forty mile blast on Friday but for the moment, I'm not too worried.

I think you are right in your assessment. The K series gets warm very quickly and this short trip syndrome it's been going through I think would cause this to happen. I wouldn't go ordering the gasket set just yet

John

There were two droplets of water high up on the dipstick this morning. Not coolant. Not worried

Twenty miles at 6700 RPM is beginning to clear it. Oil and coolant levels all ok.

Hum, that’s a fair old trot.

You might of course have been in third gear for the entire twenty miles, in which case it would have been both noisy & tedious.

Noisy, yes, Tedious, no, as those revs in third still translate to moving quite quickly. I spent about ten minutes with the oil temperature over 120 but it was not enough to clear all the mayo. I expect it will take a longer run, other people have reckoned on about forty miles. Seen another way, twenty miles at high revs would have busted something had there been anything amiss. There was no oil nor coolant loss, There was no power loss either and a good clear out reminded me what a good little sprinter a well sorted VVC is. I can see why people pay so much for an Elise with 160 BHP in two thirds of the weight. If I had the money, I would too!

143bhp is considered small beer these days amongst sports cars but it can still (even at twenty five years old & with over 120000 on the clock) get up the road in a manner which can startle both onlookers, the driver, my wife & dog.
I’d like to spend half a day in a finely honed Elise, having done the same in an Elan a good few years ago.

It may only have 143 BHP ( a good inlet kit, exhaust and throttle body bring about another dozen to the party,) but it has1800 cc which in today's terms is a big engine. My Ford gives 100 bhp per litre and this only eighty but the difference in torque is what makes it fun.

Another point. If you are looking for mayo. Don't use the dipstick wiper!