[Esmutko]

Well, sorry to hijack your thread, but my E is aligned, but the clunk is still there. In addition, now I've got a wobble and a clunk, clunk, clunk when accelerating. To top it off, my battery must need replacing, too. What a can of worms I've opened.

 

[Firblitz]

Alignment didn’t fix my clunk, but I went through all bolts with a torque wrench and tightened to spec, then replaced front and rear sway bar bushings. Clunk went away.

 

[Esmutko]

Thanks for replying. I'm going to get under the car this afternoon and poke around. I'll report back if I find anything amiss. Be well!

 

[Esmutko]

Alignment guy said axles. Mechanic says axles. I looked under the car and saw one CV boot maybe leaking a little oil and another component leaking oil. Other than that all other components look good (bushings, etc.).
Could it be the angle of the axle going into the boot?

 

[dquangt]

Just wanted to up this thread because your Element is sweet! I am starting research now on lifting my E. I also have the FEC setup on the way. I actually have 2 Elements and am deciding what I want to do to each, haha. One thing that I'm really unsure about is how much to lift the thing. 3" i think is probably unneccesary for me, I don't think I'll hit those kind of roads that often, but I'm also the type of person that like to have it if I need it. I don't know, we'll see.

 

[Firblitz]

Just wanted to up this thread because your Element is sweet! I am starting research now on lifting my E. I also have the FEC setup on the way. I actually have 2 Elements and am deciding what I want to do to each, haha. One thing that I'm really unsure about is how much to lift the thing. 3" i think is probably unneccesary for me, I don't think I'll hit those kind of roads that often, but I'm also the type of person that like to have it if I need it. I don't know, we'll see.

Thanks! You’ve love the FEC system. I owe the fourms a video walkthrough. I just finished school so I should have more time coming up.

2” is by far the safer lift. It’s easy to do with no bad side effects. 3” will result in wobbles or you have to do the subframe drop which takes a decent effort. I went 3” because this is my side project vehicle and I could afford to have it out of commission if something goes awry.

 

[Kyzor]

With my prior camping arrangement I would enter and exit from the driver's side doors. After installing the Fifth Element camping system I've determined that the rear hatch is highly superior for ingress/egress. I set out to add a rear door latch over this past weekend. My requirements were:

1. Safe. Must have a mechanical unlock in case of a fire.
2. Look good.
3. Easy.

I started with this thread and decided to base mine off cursh's mechanical solution with a few simplifications.

Parts list:

1. Dorman Interior Door Handle (P/N 79540), $11 from Amazon
2. Dorman Door Rod Clip (P/N 75452), $3 from Amazon
3. 3/16" steel rod, $3 from Home Depot
4. L bracket $0 from the spare parts pile
5. Bike brake cable $0 from the spare parts pile
6. Wire clamp $0 from the spare parts pile

Firstly, I didn't want to build a huge bracket setup to position the handle in the right spot; I'm lazy. I determined that the existing cross "beam" was the perfect distance from the plastic panel to attach the handle to. I measured where exactly the handle should go in the plastic panel and cut out the hole with a Dremel:

View attachment 202830

If you get the dimensions snug then the handle is quite secure. I then installed the panel and marked where the hole in the handle should go and drilled a hole. Then I could temporarily mount the handle while I made the lock rod:

View attachment 202828

Using the 3/16" steel rod, I fashioned a rod (hammer and vise) that connected the handle lock mechanism with the door lock mechanism. I used the door rod clip to attach the rod to the door lock:

View attachment 202831

After some adjustment and testing it locked and unlocked perfectly. Lastly I needed to connect the handle lever to the latch. I ended up doing it the simplest way I could think of: pass the cable sheath through a single L bracket and use a wire clamp to attach the cable to a small piece of the 3/16" steel rod, which is attached to the handle lever:

View attachment 202832
View attachment 202833

Put everything back together and it works great!

Watch a short video of locking/unlocking with the key fob and then opening the latch.

Great write up! I did something similar but mine took alot of doing. An entire day project plus a couple hours after troubleshooting. But in the end so worth it and looks OEM. I put a pull tab on too to pull the hatch down when inside.

 

[dquangt]

Great write up! I did something similar but mine took alot of doing. An entire day project plus a couple hours after troubleshooting. But in the end so worth it and looks OEM. I put a pull tab on too to pull the hatch down when inside.

Have photos of you E posted somewhere?

 

[Kyzor]

most of them are on my IG

 

[Firblitz]

Great write up! I did something similar but mine took alot of doing. An entire day project plus a couple hours after troubleshooting. But in the end so worth it and looks OEM. I put a pull tab on too to pull the hatch down when inside.

I ended up with a removable pull strap so it dangles long enough to easily grab when I want it, but I can take it off if I'm not camping and it'll stay out of the way.

My quarantine updates include adding a 270º awning from Overland Pros:

Just waiting for shelter-in-place to lift so I can actually take this out!

 

[Kyzor]

suhweet. im in the same boat. really been wanting to go on some trails. well get there, but cant get here soon enough

 

[dquangt]

I ended up with a removable pull strap so it dangles long enough to easily grab when I want it, but I can take it off if I'm not camping and it'll stay out of the way.

My quarantine updates include adding a 270º awning from Overland Pros:

View attachment 203757

Just waiting for shelter-in-place to lift so I can actually take this out!

Looks great!

 

[kodyjameson]

I love everything about your E. Trying to source one of those skid plates right meow

 

[hustin23]

Firblitz did you say you put a 3 inch lift on or a 1 inch lift? I have been going back and forth on lifting it (maybe an inch). Also where did you get those headlights at??? Those are super sweet!

Esmutko do you have have any pictures of your E on a 2inch lift? I would like to see how it looks.

Hopefully in the next week or so I should be getting my wheels/tires on. I am planning on doing KMC 708 Bullys in 17's with BFG KO2 225/65-17 but now I am curious about these Falkens Fir has.

 

[Esmutko]

@hustin I will try to remember to take a few pics this week and upload. Pretty sure my lift kit was 2.5 front and 1.5 rear, for an average lift of 2 inches.

 

[Esmutko]

Tough to get decent pics in my driveway, so I'll try again when I'm out and about. Here's a couple. I took one from the rear driver side wheel well and you can see that there's not much clearance for a wider tire regardless of lift. I'm on the lookout for a wheel with a deeper offset to allow for some beef. However I do like the way the E sits, but am still working on getting it ride smoothly. Just a few minor warnings if you aren't 100% committed to lifting your E. It certainly helped having the extra clearance on my most recent roadtrip to Sedona with a full load of gear weighing me down.

 

[hustin23]

Awesome! Thanks for taking them E! Does it ride rough? What size wheel are you looking for? It looks like you have plenty of space for a larger tire...I was told I could fit a 225/65-17 BFG KO2 without having to do a lift and no rubbing.

 

[Esmutko]

Can't decide. I've seen an E with 15s on em and I liked the look a lot. I've also looked to 17s similar to what you mentioned. Here's the 2 models I've had in mind... It's kind of on the backburner right now. Keep us posted on what you end up doing!

 

[Esmutko]

Here's a shot from the side to give you ride height and wheel well space.