Lotus Elise Service Notes page 367

D Lotus Service Notes
Section JH
fastened. Both driver and passenger should always wear the seat belts, no matter how short the journey.
Main Beam Tell Tale
This lamp glows blue whenever the headlamp main beams are operating.
Alarm Tell Tale
The red vehicle security alarm tell tale indicates the status of the alarm/immobilisation system. For full
details see sub-section MN.1 - Vehicle Security Alarm.
Battery Charging Tell Tale
This red tell tale will light whenever the ignition is on and the engine is stopped. If it lights any time that
the engine is running, the battery is not being charged, which may be due to a broken alternator drive belt, or
an electrical fault. Urgent attention is required, but as the engine coolant pump is independently driven, the car
need not be stranded, subject to battery condition and local circumstances.
Catalyst Overheat Tell Tale (Japan only)
This tell tale will glow red if an engine fault occurs which results in the temperature of the catalytic
converter rising to a level liable to cause damage to the converter and/or engine. Stop the vehicle in an area
free of combustible materials (dry grass, leaves etc.) and allow the converter to cool for several minutes before
proceeding with caution. The fault should be investigated without delay.
INSTRUMENTS
Speedometer
This instrument displays road speed in either MPH (with a secondary scale in km/h), or km/h according to
market.
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates engine speed in revolutions per minute. Maximum safe engine speed is 7,000
rpm at which point the engine management system operates to cut off the fuel supply, and safeguard the
engine from overspeeding.
Do not run the engine continuously at its maximum speed, or allow overspeeding to occur on the overrun
by changing down through the gears too early, as this imposes very high loads on engine components, leading
to premature wear and possible failure.
Tachometer Speedometer
LCD DISPLAY PANEL
A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel is provided
below the instruments in order to display fuel level,
coolant temperature, total mileage and trip functions.
The panel is blank until the ignition is switched on.
Fuel Contents Display
The top right hand corner of the LCD panel
displays the approximate quantity of fuel available
in litres. The fuel tank capacity is 36 litres, and the
display reads as follows:
0 - 1 0 litres: Display flashes 'Refill'.
1 1 - 3 4 litres: Displays actual fuel quantity.
35 - full: Display reads 'Full'.
LCD display panel
i o ns 1 6 1
In order to ensure the vehicle is not stranded, and to protect against the potentially damaging effects of
fuel starvation, it is strongly recommended to refuel at the first opportunity after 'Refill' is displayed.
Coolant Temperature Display
The engine coolant temperature will be displayed at the bottom right hand corner of the panel as soon as
the temperature reaches 40°C. The running temperature will fluctuate a certain amount as the operating
conditions change, and during periods of idling or in heavy traffic, the temperature may rise to over 100°C, with
Page 367 1998 / 03