soldave Posted March 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 (edited) Good or bad, Lotus ownership is always a little surprising! Got under the car today and took the brake drum off to have a look at the movement. First of all, there's not much as you can see in the video, although apparently enough to fail an MOT. I then thought I'd just undo the inner driveshaft retaining plate bolts, as per Per's advice, but knowing it would need a slide hammer to come out. All bolts undone, a tiny pull by hand on the plate and the inner driveshaft just came out! Wasn't really expecting that but pleasantly surprised. Bearing looks fine but will be replaced, and I found 2 shim plates on there, which as you can see have seen better days. So despite my initial panic, this may be doable with the diff in the car which would be a huge boost. It's possible even that there's nothing wrong with the bearing,but will replace it, shim it as necessary and hopefully it will cut out that little bit of end float I had in the vid. If I can do that, I can pass MOT EDIT: One other thought I had. Should there have been some diff oil pouring out when the inner driveshaft came out, or is the fill line below the level of the shaft? Edited March 12, 2016 by soldave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
permelite Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 On 2016-03-12 at 13:02, soldave said: All bolts undone, a tiny pull by hand on the plate and the inner driveshaft just came out! Wasn't really expecting that but pleasantly surprised. That's a very conveient way to get the shaft out! Bearing looks fine but will be replaced, and I found 2 shim plates on there, which as you can see have seen better days. So despite my initial panic, this may be doable with the diff in the car which would be a huge boost. It's possible even that there's nothing wrong with the bearing,but will replace it, shim it as necessary and hopefully it will cut out that little bit of end float I had in the vid. If I can do that, I can pass MOT I'm puzzled how the shaft could move so much if the bearing seems fine. Is there no play in the bearing if you try to move it sideways? Or is the bearing slightly loose on the shaft? To my understanding it should not move sideways at all. I think its good that you replace in any case. It's heavy forces that are pulling and pushing when cornering at high speeds and the shaft is an integral part of the rear suspension. EDIT: One other thought I had. Should there have been some diff oil pouring out when the inner driveshaft came out, or is the fill line below the level of the shaft? The level of the oil is below the shaft/bearing so it should not pour out. I guess the bearing is getting lubed by some oil splashing there every now and then... Atb Per 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Called SJ today regarding the 0.005" and 0.010" shims and was told that I didn't need them and to do without. A little surprising but they usually know what they're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Shepherdson Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Ive got 2 spare 3.7/1 diffs that need servicing. One has new bearings on the half shafts and is in good nick. Just needs setting up with new bearings on the crown wheel and pinion. I bought a complete refurbished diff off Lotusbits. Quote alanIshep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldave Posted July 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 Thread back from the dead! Noticed a wet lower link and some oil on the floor at the read end so it looks like either the seal or o-ring on the passenger side (this time) has failed and needs replacing. The seal looks good (o-ring probably has seen better days), but whilst it's apart I'll do everything. So on my shopping list is: 3 x o-rings (just so I have spare) Collar Bearing Oil seal What I can't remember from last time is how do I keep the o-ring in place when putting it all back together? The factory manual suggests using "a suitable adhesive" which is very cryptic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXCEL V8 Posted July 19, 2019 Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 I chamfered the edge of the diff housing as well to aid fitting of the o-ring without damaging it. Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted October 17, 2021 Report Share Posted October 17, 2021 Hi, I am about to put the inner drive shafts back in my Elite. Before I put the new bearings back on the drive shaft should they be packed with grease or just put on out of the bag? The old ones did not appear to have any grease, but they had been there for many years. Thanks in advance, Lance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXCEL V8 Posted October 17, 2021 Report Share Posted October 17, 2021 See reply in other thread! 🙂 Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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