Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Let me see if I can do this without a photo...

My S2 has always had the demister hoses attached to the heater box at the dash end of the box. They've always seemed a bit in the way there. With new hoses, I can see that the passenger-side (right-side) hose will not easily clear the glove box unless I lengthen it.

The original manual and the parts manual show these hoses attached at the dash end, as they are on my car. However, Buckland's book has them at the firewall end. With the hoses at the dash end, the heater vent louvers (under the flap) point into the footwell. If the hoses were at the firewall end (i.e., swap the side plates of the heater box) the louvers would point into the cabin (warming the knee instead of the ankle).

Anyone have opinions on where the hoses should attach, and whether swapping the side plates is an option? It is relatively easy to do it now as the dash is out and there's no water in the system.

Hi Andy

I'll see if I can get some pictures in the morning.

Gary

In re-reading Buckland, I realize that I mixed up "front" and "rear". The demister vent connection should be at the "rear" meaning the dashboard end, so it's correctly placed now. I will have to arrange an accommodation between the duct and the glove box.

Resurrecting this line of questioning. I have an S3 pre-airflow coupe with a similar set-up of the heater unit.
It seems to me that the vent tubing would be better routed if we reversed the outlet sides to place the vent tubing
at the firewall end of the heater unit. I notice in the "Lotus Parts Manual" printed and posted online that the heater unit shown has the vent outlet ports at the firewall end. I presume this "change" was made somewhere later in the production years, perhaps S4 versions. The current placement puts the right hand side ventilation tubing in a competition for space with the glovebox on my LHD car.

Thoughts? Thanks for playing.

On my RHD S2 the demist hose is at the dash and is clipped to the underside of the glove box. Once it has space it routes up to the vent. If the heater box is symmetrical about the fan inlet there is no reason not to reverse the box with the proviso, mentioned earlier, that the heater air vanes will then point away from the foot box; perhaps this isn't too important in the coupe.