1983 Lotus Esprit SE Tapping Question

[viper2pt0]

Hey guys, Im new here. My dad has a 1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE # 40 of 50. It has around 27,xxx original miles on it. Shortly after we got it, it started blowing white smoke and such. We had the engine rebuilt in NJ by an ex. Lotus Tech. Here coems my question. It was fine for the next few years. But now when idling it has a VERY loud tapping noise coming from the engine bay. We thought it was a leak in the exhaust so we went poking around and saw that the metal hoses that are part of the air compressor that go into the exhaust right above the manifold were all rotted and some had holes in them. My question is do you think that this is where the tapping is coming from? and if so how can we remove the air compressor "spider" assembly fully?...I know it can be done because when we had the engine rebuild the guy asked if we wanted it removed then, and since its part of the emissions system (over here in NY, USA its a big deal) he said to leave it. Any idea's how to go about fixing this or removing it fully? Thanks in Advance.

[maigret]

Tapping Only when idling?

I got a tapping from my brake booster when a non-return in the vacuum line failed so it may be related to another vacuum line.

To Trace source try some tubing, one end to ear and listen while moving the other end around engine bay (don't get it caught in anything)

Or get a stethoscope from a motor supply place (cheap)

Try also http://espritfactfile.com/ as there are some knowledgable people there.

We have no requirement for smog stuff here so I know nothing about that sorry.