Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi All,

Can the Elan transmission be removed without removing the engine? By that I mean, can I just drop it out the bottom of the car?

Thanks,
Dan

elan-archive-f16/gearbox-removel-without-engine-t9155.html

I did a search on " gearbox removal elancoupe " (without the quotes) as that is the one that gives this link. Take a look Dan...

Also mentioned here:
elan-f14/gearbox-removeal-t16024.html

Thanks guys. I did a search earlier but maybe didn't dig deep enough. Thanks, Dan

While I don't doubt those who claim to have done this - for what it's worth I just went through this process on a 67 Elan S3 and found it essentially impossible to get the trans out without removing the engine. I put the car up on a lift and unbolted the bellhousing from the engine and U joiont from the diff and after removing the shift lever pulled the trans back as far as possible by rotating it but could nor get sufficient clearance to get my hands it to remove bellhousing to transmission bolts. It MAY have been possible to remove the pressure plate and clutch disk to get additioinal room but I did not attempt this as the engine was going to come out for other work anyhow. Perhaps it is a function of what trans and chassis you are dealing with. In my case it's Lotus replacement chassis and the lotus / Ford three rail semi-close ratio transmission.

Since the engine was coming out anyhow I tried the trans removal just to see if it would work - obviously it didn't. Good luck with your project.