The Lotus Elite fights back

There's good news and bad news with my Lotus Elite (which is a slice of 70s Lotus life right there).

Good news: I've traced the coolant leak problem, and it's an easy fix: a poor seal on the hose that runs from the thermostat to (I think) the heater matrix. I'm just waiting for some 45mm ID flexible coolant hose to be delivered and it should be a straightforward fix, as long as the metal hasn't corroded too much underneath.

Bad news: A couple of days after my last trip out earlier in the summer, it wouldn't start. Well it sort of did at first, but kept stalling and dying and then stopped altogether. It seemed to be getting fuel (and I've just replaced the fuel pump, apparently successfully), so I'm blaming the ignition.

A video about that story, and my frustrations with it, is here. Don't worry, I didn't really hit it with that plank. I did nearly blow it up, but.. well, it's all in the video.

The update since filming the video is that I have a set of plugs, a distributor cap and a rotor arm here ready for fitting and am just waiting for that hose. We'll see if those help, and if not I'll do some more methodical diagnostics.

Or just buy a new coil.

Or hit it with a plank.