Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: DAllen on Tuesday,August 06, 2024, 08:05:09 PM
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Brought this TCS home a few weeks ago. I am in need of a project. Haven't decided how far to take it.
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:Welcome: DAllen!!
Please keep us updated on your progress!
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:Welcome:
Post lots of pics!
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Brought this TCS home a few weeks ago. I am need of a project. Haven't decided how far to take it.
Have a very close look at the chassis. They rust at the front where the steel closer plate attaches to the chassis with 3 x 7/16" headed bolts, and at the Y just in front of the engine. If they need welding it is a chassis off job which is not as dramatic as it sounds, but if you do the welding with the chassis on, the whole lot and your garage could go up in flames.
If the chassis is good, probably just all the rubber hoses, bushes, (bushings), engine mountings, and gearbox mountings need looking at for splits etc.
If the wiring loom needs replacing, that is a big job, but wiring faults are very common, mainly due to corroded earths.
If in doubt, ask, there are many here who have trodden the path before (in my case too many times).
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Thanks, 4129R!
I have, and will have, many questions. Tons of questions. So far, I have been able to find a reasonable solution to what little I have accomplished. Next task is removing the rear uprights. I see no other solution than applying a bit of heat to the casting. Close to impossible to get a decent bite on the bolts securing the brake backplate.
My take on this project is one of frustration management. A test.
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Slow down a bit there. The cast aluminium upright can be easily broken. The upright only comes out after the axle has been removed. The hubs are fitted with locktite so a little heat will be required. If the axle resists your efforts, remove the whole arm and use a press to get it out.
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Thanks, jbcollier!
My thinking is it will be best to "remove the whole arm and use a press to get it out." Only because my thinking tells me if a little bit of heat is good, more heat is better. I don't want to go down that road again and end up with scrap metal.
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The procedure here is to first remove the stub axle nut.
This will allow you to determine if the wheel flange hub has been installed using Loctite. It's possible the hub doesn't have Loctite even though Lotus specified it at a later date.
If Loctite is present on the wheel flange hub, heat the hub, not the ally upright.
Then again, given you'll presumably look to deal with replacing bearings and probably UJ's as well, all this is more easily accomplished by removing the whole trailing arm & half-shaft as an assembly to the healing bench, I reckon.
There's only two bolts and a 5mm pin between where you are now and the healing bench.
My back feels better already just from having typed this. :D
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A quick trip to Harbor Freight to pick up a puller. No heat was required. Don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing: the hub slid off with surprisingly little effort. No obvious signs of wear on the splines. Slowly getting into this project.
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Here’s a discussion on which Loctite to use (https://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=1103.msg9190#msg9190). 635. r.d. enterprises sells small bottles of it for this purpose. Put it only on the splines and none on the nut. Dave Bean used to sell a conical spacer that nestles in the counter sink in the hub to help center it on the stub axle. It might be worth a call to them to see if they still sell them. The stock D-lock washer that you bend up on one of the flats of the nut is not totally trustworthy. It’s rare but I have heard of them allowing the nut to loosen. An engine builder I know came up with a really reliable alternative. After the stub axle is assembled and the nut has been torqued, he drilled and tapped a hole axially (not radially, in the direction of the stub axle) and then screwed a set screw in the hole. The nut would have to shear the set screw in half to turn.
If you’re the second owner, the spacer’s between the bearings will not be hardened. This is a main reason for trouble at your stub axle. All the usual suspects will sell proper hardened spacers.
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I am in need of a project. Haven't decided how far to take it.
Believe me - it will end up totally disassembled - and with the body off..... :FUNNY:
Welcome to the world of having your patience tested.
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It appears the transmission u-joints must be split to remove the rear suspension? Ya, a test of frustration management.
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You drift the roll pin out and the drive shafts came away from the diff complete.
If you split the UJs, they are difficult to press back together. The needle rollers keep dropping down.
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How do I 'persuade' the U-joint to release its grip on the output shaft and slide off? A crowbar?
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If the roll pin is fully out, the driveshaft yoke is held on to the diff output shafts by sliding splines.
Try careful heat, and be careful not to damage the castleated aluminium large nut which holds the diff bearing in place in the gearbox housing.
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DAllen, I advise you (actually every Europa owner) to bookmark this page (http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/index.htm). It contains searchable workshop and parts manuals, color wiring diagrams, useful mods, parts cross references, and other useful information.
As 4129R said, you don’t need to take the u-joint apart to take the rear suspension off the car. He mentioned how fiddly they are to get back together. Something I’ve found useful if that’s necessary is to smear an extra bit of grease on the needles to better stick them in the cup. But you should only have to concern yourself with that when the u-joint goes bad.
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Thanks, BDA. The well of your wisdom is bottomless!
Might it be easier to lower the engine/transmission, along with attached suspension components, out of the Europa rather than dismantling in place? It seems I'm not quite as limber as I was 40 years ago. Is this just me or do some/most/all of you guys feel the same way?
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Thanks, BDA. The well of your wisdom is bottomless!
It seems I'm not quite as limber as I was 40 years ago. Is this just me or do some/most/all of you guys feel the same way?
The most I can manage is 90 mins at a time, then rest.
Sometimes I am upside down in a footwell working on the back of the dashboard, and I have difficulty getting back out again.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak !
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To paraphrase the old sci-fi warning, there is nothing wrong with your body (rather than "there is nothing wrong with your set..."). It's just getting old. Not being able to have a lift, crawling under the car is unavoidable. Getting down isn't so bad but getting up can sometimes be a challenge. Then there are the times when you need to get up and down lots of times (to get a different wrench, the unexpected tool that was needed, etc...). I think it helps to think about that in terms of doing an exercise. And just like exercise, you will be reminded of all you did today, tomorrow! It's hell getting old!
As for taking the motor out with the tranny, I suppose that would be ok but remember getting the motor out from under the car will require the car to be pretty high! For me, I think I would tend to opt for taking them both out from the top. I've taking the tranny in and out several times - always out the top. I've not had to take the motor out yet (thankfully!!) but my first thought would be to pull it out from the top too but I suppose a lot depends on your situation and what you're comfortable (nice word to say when we're talking about getting up and down at our age!) doing.
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How do I 'persuade' the U-joint to release its grip on the output shaft and slide off? A crowbar?
Have you disconnected the lower link and loosened the radius arm to chassis mounting? Are the wheels off the floor? The drive shafts with the roll pins removed should just slide off the output drive shafts.
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"The drive shafts with the roll pins removed should just slide off the output drive shafts." I haven't put a hot wrench to it yet and would prefer not to. The only force I can exert on the collar where the roll pins go is with a pry bar. Maybe two pry bars, one on both sides?
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Don't use a hot wrench (yet). After disconnecting or taking off the lower link and driving out the pin in the output shaft and u-joint, just pulling on the half shaft should be all you need to do.
If you've done all that and the u-joint won't slide off the output shaft, you may have a DPO situation where the DPO misunderstood that you (only) Loctite the stub axle to the hub but he Loctited the u-joint to the output shaft (too). This seems very unlikely but I've heard of dumber things so it could be possible. If that is the situation, that will require a hot wrench and as 4129R says, you should be careful because the finned nut is aluminum and it contains an oil seal and an 0-ring and you want to avoid hurting them, of course.
Good luck!
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With all that grease and oil about, I doubt anything is seized. More likely you didn't get all of the roll pin out.
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More likely you didn't get all of the roll pin out.
If the roll pin is fully out, a 5mm drill bit should pass through the hole in the driveshaft yoke and the diff output shaft.
Some cars have double roll pins fitted. A smaller roll pin inside a bigger one.
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And sometimes the roll pin breaks, if DPO didn’t shim it correctly. Then you have a smaller section of the pin still inside.
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I expect the roll pin hole in transmission output shaft was slightly buggered up during the first few whacks with the machine punch/hammer. It happens. No hot wrench was necessary, which was my objective. Can't help but to think this entire process would be easier were the engine/transmission/suspension components dropped out from the bottom. Crawling under that thing, leaning & stretching into it, and climbing into the engine bay are activities that test me. I'm tired of being tested. Thanks to all of you for the advice.
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If the roll pin is fully out, the driveshaft yoke is held on to the diff output shafts by sliding splines.
Try careful heat, and be careful not to damage the castleated aluminium large nut which holds the diff bearing in place in the gearbox housing.
Lift up on the lower wheel assembly ,... since you taken that off, (after making sure you took out the TWO drift pins per side) push outward on the trailing arm.
When you said you "brought it home did you drive it yet?
Dakazman
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I expect the roll pin hole in transmission output shaft was slightly buggered up during the first few whacks with the machine punch/hammer. It happens. No hot wrench was necessary, which was my objective. Can't help but to think this entire process would be easier were the engine/transmission/suspension components dropped out from the bottom. Crawling under that thing, leaning & stretching into it, and climbing into the engine bay are activities that test me. I'm tired of being tested. Thanks to all of you for the advice.
I'm able to lean over the rear fender and tap the roll pins out with a punch and hammer. I think I generally put them back in from under the car because I get a clearer view of the hole. We're all different though...
Note that the hole is offset from the center of the output shaft so there is only one way for the u-joint to get pinned back on.
Glad you got it apart!
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"When you said you "brought it home did you drive it yet?"
All of 30' to get it into the garage.
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My project, TCST, has had many tests, welcome to Europa world!
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:I-agree: :FUNNY:
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My project, TCST, has had many tests, welcome to Europa world!
Ditto, I guess it's just a builders choice in what is and what can be... :FUNNY:
Dakazman
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Stromberg to Webber conversion done by Northshore Sportscars in Libertyville Illinois. Yeah, this setup looks serious. I expect I'd go the Mikuni route if it became anything other than garage art.
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What main jets, air correctors, emulsion tubes and choke size are you using?