Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

After a long,agonizing time ( interspersed with periods of lethargy), I've gotten my newly rebuilt engine into the engine bay. The rear of the block is currently about two inches from the mating surface of the bell housing, and I can't seem to convince it to go the rest of the distance. I think that the splines are in alignment because turning over the engine by hand, with the tranny in gear, results in movement of the car, although that may just be friction due to misalignment.

At any rate, I seem to have a dilemma. First, a question: it occurred to me overnight that I probably should have oiled the tranny input splines to ease assembly. True?

Other than that, does anyone have any useful tidbits that might help me persuade these two assemblies to come together? Thanks in advance.

Are you sure you're not trying to get a larger g/box input shaft into a smaller spigot bearing? From memory there were two sizes.....

Robert

Robert,
Nope, neither the spigot nor the input shaft were changed since I disassembled the unit.

Hi Art

Did you use an clutch alignment tool or just eyeball the clutch plate and tighten the pressure plate? Being off just a little can ruin your day like you are decribing.

Gary

Clutch disc not in backwards, is it? If so, you could be trying to compress the fingers of the pressure plate these last few inches.

Gary, gjz,
Nope and nope; I used the clutch alignment tool, and I was very careful to get the clutch disk the right way around.

gjz,
Slightly off topic - I have a daughter in Lawrenceville - how far to Roswell from there?

Hi Art

Its tough to say with out being there, if you think its right than a lot of rocking and pushing may help. I sure that you know the first motion shaft must be perpendicular to the engine to bellhousing mounting face. I normally put the engine/gearbox in as a unit most times, the last time I helped a friend install the engine by itself and it seemed to hang up about where you describe so take a brake and get back a little later when you can get some help from a friend or two.

Gary

Hi Art

One more thought, the S2 had the large 17mm pilot bushing in the crank the later gearboxs used the 15mm bushing. If your pilot tool were a 15mm with 7/8 20 spline your 17 mm first motion shaft may not line up.

Gary

Art,

I encountered the very same problem last weekend when I refitted my engine to the in-situ gearbox. The last inch or two could not be closed by any amount of wriggling or adjustments in alignment etc., but I got close enough to fit two of the longer bolts, one each side of the bell housing. Simply tightening these by an equal measure in turn, drew the two units togeher without any real resistance. Longer bolts may come in useful but mine just reached by a couple of threads.
Hope this helps.

Bob

garyeanderson wrote:I sure that you know the first motion shaft must be perpendicular to the engine to bellhousing mounting face.

Gary,

Good suggestion.

Art,

To achieve this, make sure the space between the engine and the bellhousing is the same top, bottom, and each side. Good luck.

Art,
Lawrenceville to Roswell (at least the part I'm in, which is the far western part of the town) is about 45 minutes. Let me know when you're in town.

Greg

Is this a new clutch? If so did you see if it slid on the splines of the transmission before installing behind pressure plate? Don't ask.

It slid on the alignment tool, so I'm assuming that it should slide on the tranny input shaft. But, not that you mention it, I should make sure that the (new) alignment tool fits the OLD clutch plate

Thanks for all the ideas. Gary, drawing them up with longer bolts was the trick. Now I'll find out what doesn't work