49 replies to this topic

[mamovaka]

Hey guys,

well the hits just keep on coming!

I was driving the esprit, gave it a bit of gas in 1st gear, the right rear axl snapped like a twig.. and the car wont move, everything else checks out (gearbox etc) I have two questions...

If the right rear axl snaps is that enough to keep the car from moving? it has a LSD installed.

Where can I find a used right rear axl ? or one at a good price?

Thanks.

[mike_sekinger]

Hey guys,

well the hits just keep on coming!

I was driving the esprit, gave it a bit of gas in 1st gear, the right rear axl snapped like a twig.. and the car wont move, everything else checks out (gearbox etc) I have two questions...

If the right rear axl snaps is that enough to keep the car from moving? it has a LSD installed.

Where can I find a used right rear axl ? or one at a good price?

Thanks.

You´re not having a lot of luck are you?

When you say axle, I assume you mean that you have snapped the RH driveshaft?

I might be wrong, but my understanding of the Quaife ATB diff, is that in the case of wheelspin, the power is shifted to the wheel with grip. In the case that you have snapped the driveshaft, the power should be transferred to the other wheel........ but I certainly wouldn´t recommend driving the car through one driveshaft.......

Driveshafts are not cheap - I think that you might be in for another rough ride

[Jonathan]

Got a picture ?
Never seen a broken shaft before - seen a busted CV joint, heard about twisted drive shafts but never a broken one.

I agree with Mike about not driving it, I'd star my search at a breakers yard to see if they have a busted esprit there for some parts.

[mamovaka]

yes it is a broken driveshaft on the right side..
And the car doensn't move because the power is going to the busted driveshaft.. according to JAE..

It wasn't even an agressive launch.. was rolling at 15 mph and gave it 80% gas.. and at 6800 rpm...pop!

Can I please get some phone numbers for places that might offer used driveshaft assembly's for the esprit v8's?

If I go to the shop I will take a pic for ya.

Edited by mamovaka, 21 November 2006 - 05:54 PM.

[GKP]

Not hugely common, but certainly not unheard of either. Your scenario of first gear application (was it a bumpy road surface?) that breaks the driveshaft is the most common cause.
The driveshaft sacrifices itself to save the rest of the drivetrain. Breathe a sigh of relief that you don't need to strip down the gearbox to pick out shiny metal bits from the casing!
Although the driveshafts aren't the cheapest part of the Esprit, the labour to replace the busted one won't make your bank manager sweat too much.

[mamovaka]

It was an even road.. just a touch of gas.. accoring to JAE I shouldn't give more than 50% gas in first gear in a chipped esprit w/lsd installed.. I wish I knew that beforehand.. I just thought I couldn't launch the car..

[Feffman]

[quote name='GKP' date='Nov 21 2006, 11:56 AM' post='73276']
The driveshaft sacrifices itself to save the rest of the drivetrain. Breathe a sigh of relief that you don't need to strip down the gearbox to pick out shiny metal bits from the casing! [quote]

Already did that!


Told you. You can't drag race it!

Feff

[atgnat]

i put like a million miles on my car without that type of failure.

[mamovaka]

Feff,

I didn't dragrace it.. no launch or standing start.. just some gas in 1st..

in any case.. You guys know of a good place for me to look for a used part?

[atgnat]

http://videos.street...4da27112f2e.htm

[jcbjs 260]

Surely if a Lsd is fitted the car should still drive with one driveshaft

[mamovaka]

The guy at JAE claims that the quaiffe is torque sensitive and that if one end has no tension that it will continue to spin without the other side getting any power.. So the car won't move unless it can accomplish this..

He also knew before I told him it was the right rear, claiming that is usually the one to go..

[neal]

The guy at JAE claims that the quaiffe is torque sensitive and that if one end has no tension that it will continue to spin without the other side getting any power.. So the car won't move unless it can accomplish this..

Yep, the Quaiffe ATB is not a 'true' LSD. It requires a very small amount of traction on the inner tyre to work and shift the torque to the loaded outer tyre, otherwise it behaves like an open diff. In reality that's not a problem for the Esprit since it would be just about impossible to lift one of the rears off the road in a corner. Unless of course you snap a halfshaft, but as others have said I wouldn't recommend driving it even if you could - the handling wouldn't exactly be up to scratch and with all the torque going through one wheel you'd probably snap that halfshaft too!

[2003 V8 TT]

It wasn't even an agressive launch.. was rolling at 15 mph and gave it 80% gas.. and at 6800 rpm...pop!

I'm sorry to hear about this. I have heard from local chipped V8 owners to not perform such a launch. But please also keep in mind (so you don't have yet another costly mishap) that the 2nd gear synchro is traditionally weak in our Renault gearboxes. I usually won't go over 3,500 RPM in 1st gear. But in 2nd (and in subsequent gears), I let her rip. The 1st to 2nd transition should not be done at high RPMs, this is to preserve the 2nd gear synchro.

[mamovaka]

I am slowly learning how to drive this car (which I love dearly)..

Mark gave me a few pointers before I drove off, and since then I have learned more about what this car can/cannot take.. and when the primary shaft broke I am assuming it was simply wear and tear.. I have never launched this car in 1st with hard shifts.. when I do rev up high in 1st I always waited and shifted up to 2nd very slowly..

The driveshaft broke due to what I consider to be a chipped car + the LSD and 1st gear high revving acceleration..

The lessons I have learned seems to be this..

No launching in 1st..
No flooring in 1st..
No speed shifting the 1-2 shift at all..

Thought I find it frustrating that I cannot give the car power in 1st gear even at a roll without doing damage.. I will accept that in a chipped/LSD enabled Esprit it just shouldn't be done..

Oh well.. hopefully I will get through these big ticket expenses and enjoy the car without paying an arm and a leg for it..

[2003 V8 TT]

I share the same frustrations as you. Having owned other sports cars, I still find it hard to accept some of the Esprit's quirkiness. Like they say, you can do drop-clutch 0-60 runs with Supras and Vettes, all day long. But you try that with a Lotus, something will break. Nonetheless the trade-off for it's beauty and handling is well worth it. I see my Esprit V8 as a 30-100+ mph machine. I satisfy my 0-60 burnouts with my 350Z.

[MKE40]

[ But please also keep in mind (so you don't have yet another costly mishap) that the 2nd gear synchro is traditionally weak in our Renault gearboxes. I usually won't go over 3,500 RPM in 1st gear. But in 2nd (and in subsequent gears), I let her rip. The 1st to 2nd transition should not be done at high RPMs, this is to preserve the 2nd gear synchro.
[/quote]


...And I can vouch for that ...................!!! One tiny chip off the 2nd gear and £ 1,500 Ker,Ching !

Forget superbike clutchless upward shifts..

These gearboxes are weak ... I have been humbled, its into third before I give it any 'R's now !

Mike

[DBredS4]

I think if you show some mechanical sympathy and let the synchros work, ie delay the upshift till the gear locates, it doesn't matter what rpm you're doing, its the torque transfer that counts. I upshift all the time at high rpm in first but I am careful that the gear pressure is held until the gears are 'happy' to locate themselves as opposed to just slam it in which will bust something. It delays things a tad but better that than a loud bang I suppose.
I may be proved wrong but I've done at least 45000 miles on this gearbox with some rather spirited driving on and off track and all works ok.
Also, I always heel-toe on the downshift to second.

dom

[gmendoza]

I am slowly learning how to drive this car (which I love dearly)..

Mark gave me a few pointers before I drove off, and since then I have learned more about what this car can/cannot take.. and when the primary shaft broke I am assuming it was simply wear and tear.. I have never launched this car in 1st with hard shifts.. when I do rev up high in 1st I always waited and shifted up to 2nd very slowly..

The driveshaft broke due to what I consider to be a chipped car + the LSD and 1st gear high revving acceleration..

The lessons I have learned seems to be this..

No launching in 1st..
No flooring in 1st..
No speed shifting the 1-2 shift at all..

Thought I find it frustrating that I cannot give the car power in 1st gear even at a roll without doing damage.. I will accept that in a chipped/LSD enabled Esprit it just shouldn't be done..

Oh well.. hopefully I will get through these big ticket expenses and enjoy the car without paying an arm and a leg for it..

Were the wheels hoping at all?

I'm surprized you can even floor the car in 1st. Even at part throtle, I just get wheel spin so there's no point in even trying to launch the car.

[mamovaka]

Were the wheels hoping at all?

I'm surprized you can even floor the car in 1st. Even at part throtle, I just get wheel spin so there's no point in even trying to launch the car.

No wheel hop,

and no I didn't floor it, it was gradual acceleration in 1st.. and happened very fast and was abrupt.. it was around 6800+ rpm when the pop occurred...

Edited by mamovaka, 21 November 2006 - 10:09 PM.