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Lotus Service Notes
Section FL Clicking noises, torque reversal 'clonks', or shudder and vibration when accelerating are all possible symptoms of worn C.V. joints. It should not be possible to discern any free play in a joint by instruction manipula- tion, but care must be taken not to confuse this with transmission backlash, which may be considerable. any symptoms that could be due to worn driveshaft joint assemblies, should be investigated and rectified without delay, since safety considerations are always of paramount importance. The inboard C.V. joint is equipped with a male splined spigot shaft which engages with the female splines of the differential output sun gear, with the LH shaft retained by a round section spring circlip on its end, and the RH shaft retained by the extension shaft support bearing. Each of the two transmission output oil seals runs on a machined shoulder on the C.V. joint spigot shaft, onto which is pressed a dust shield. The stub shaft of each outboard joint is splined into the wheel hub, and retained by a nut on the threaded end of the shaft. Driveshaft Assembly Replacement Removing a driveshaft assembly from the transmission will result in some loss of transmission lubricant. It may be preferred to drain off some oil via the transmission drain plug beforehand. at no time during this process should an extension force be applied to the shaft assembly, as the plunging inner joint could be damaged. 1. Hub Nut: With the parking brake and footbrake firmly applied, remove the wheel centre cap and release the driveshaft hub nut (RH thread at both sides). 2. Road Wheel: Remove the appropriate road wheel and the engine bay undertray. 3. Hub Carrier: To allow the withdrawal of the driveshaft from the hub, release from the hub carrier the lower wishbone, toe-link, and anti-roll bar drop link. If necessary, release the brake hose 'P' clip and the wheel speed sensor harness to allow the hub carrier to be swung upwards to release the driveshaft. 4. Lubricant: Remove transmission drain plug and drain off approx. 1 litre of oil into a clean container for re-use. 5. LH Driveshaft: The left hand driveshaft inboard joint is retained in the transmission by a round section circlip. The joint may be removed by applying a shock pull to the C.V. joint body using a slide hammer with a forked end.
CAUTION: any attempt to withdraw the inboard joint by pulling on the driveshaft is likely to damage the joint and require its replacement. apply pressure only to the outer body of the joint.
RH Driveshaft: The right hand driveshaft assembly incorporates a bearing for the extension shaft and it is this which retains the shaft in the transmission. Remove the two bolts securing the bearing housing to the engine, and withdraw the complete shaft assembly.
When withdrawing either driveshaft from the transmission, take care not to damage the output oil seal. 6. Re-assembly: Before re-fitting a driveshaft, first renew the round section circlip on the end of the left hand inboard joint spigot shaft, and lubricate the circlip with grease. also, check the condition of the transmis- sion output seal, and renew if necessary. Lubricate the lip of the seal with transmission oil, and grease the corresponding shoulder on the driveshaft (C.V. joint) to reduce the danger of damaging the seal on assembly. 7. Driveshaft: Carefully insert the driveshaft into the transmission, with, on the left hand shaft, the two ends of the circlip positioned lowermost, and rotate the shaft if necessary to engage the splines. Press the inboard joint outer until a click indicates the engagement of the retaining circlip, if necessary tapping the joint outer body using a brass drift and hammer. Pull on the joint body to confirm its security. On the right hand shaft, fit the bolts securing the extension shaft bearing to the engine mounted bracket, and torque to 64 Nm. 8. Suspension: Fit the outer end of the shaft into the hub, and re-assemble the suspension links.
Torque settings: Lower wishbone to hub carrier; 135 Nm. Toe-link to hub carrier; 135 Nm. aRB drop link; 38 Nm. 9. Hub Nut: Fit the hub nut and road wheel, apply the parking and footbrake, and tighten the hub nut to 300 Nm. |