My friend is wanting to buy an elise in a couple of months and he wants me to give it a once over before he buys.

I have told him the toyota engines are more reliable vs the K series, but he's not keen on the 190 Vvtl-i engine. I recall the elise cam with a normal Toyota vvti 1.8L IIRC ~130BHP?

Can anyone tell me which model and years came with the 1.8L 130BHP engine? and how much to roughly pay?

He isn't that mechanically minded so i can't see him really looking after a k series model. Basically he's just wanting the lowered powered elise but with a toyota engine.

cheers

 

If it's any help I've owned a 130 BHP MG TF and whilst the engine had enough performance for the MG, and obviously will be fine in the Elise, they had a reputation (or at least did on MG's) for blowing head gaskets (with resultant head damage if not spotted quickly).

Re the Toyota engine; I also had a 2001 Celica but made the mistake of buying the 140bhp model. I'd looked at the 190 but it was out of my price range at the time. The block is the same for both engines but the 190 has much better torque. I found both engines to be a bit coarse however and also I'm not sure if it's the same toyota gearbox that lotus use; but whilst I found the gear change excellent (almost as good as the S2K) the ratios were all over the place.

IIRC the toyota engine has been around in the Elise for quite some time now (a quick shifty on pistonhead should give an accurate year). I think lotus may have started using it as the old MG 'K' series engine was no longer up to meeting the then forthcoming emmission regs'

Hope this is of some help.

 

thanks

 

You should find what you're after in here somewhere

http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Toyota_engines

 

I have a book on this somewhere as i pondered chopping the S for an Exige S some time ago. why doesn't he want the 190? the touring spec 190 is a nice car imo

 

Nice car, but would you really want to go 'touring' in one?

 

Touring spec just means not entirely without comforts.

 

I wouldn't rule out a k series one. Mine had 30k miles on it, I did another 55k miles in it with only simple servicing. No HG issues. They're certainly not a time bomb of an engine as the hype would suggest.

 

TBH guys I've no idea about the models, I've told him that they are raw as far as creature comforts. I've told him that vx220s are good too but he doesn't want one saying they are a 'vauxhall' and don't look as good as an Elise - fair points. For me I'd have a vx220 turbo!.

Come to think he really needs to try any before he buys one, but i couldn't live it down if the engine went and it wasnt my fault being a K series after i gave it a look over.

I know what your saying Gary but it isn't a one of thing of the engines going plus the point above.

There are none within a 60 mile radius of me!

 

The headgasket issue on K-Series Rovers was down to the use of plastic dowels between head and block.

As long as these have been replaced with metal versions, you'll be good to go.

We had an MR2 with a 1ZZE in it and it was flat. Didn't rev very well and wasn't spritely at all.

I'd have no qualms in getting a K over it.