Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello,
I'm in the process of changing the clutch on my Plus 2. I've found that the new release bearing has a fair bit of lateral movement between the inner and outer parts that i wasn't expecting - can anyone confirm if this is normal in a new bearing? More concerning is that the bearing carrier is a very sloppy fit on the gearbox shaft - is the carrier known to wear and therefore needs replacing, or again is this normal and i'm being over concerned? I also noticed that if i operate the release fork as far as it will go the bearing carrier gets stuck on the lip of the shaft just before the splined section and will not retract without being squared up on the shaft. it may be that in operation it never goes that far forward, but i'd appreciate any opinions ?
Thanks in advance.
Steve

Hi Steve
All your observations appear to be normal to me

I have a couple of spare new release bearings and they have about half to one millimetre side play, also a couple of good but used ones with similar side play .

The bearing carrier can be rocked about 3 millimetres at its large end when on the guide sleeve on a couple spares I have both which are in good condition with no noticeable wear, I presume this is the sloopy fit you refer to.

Yes the bearing carrier does tend to stick at the end of the travel as you describe, it is not a problem in use as it does not travel that far and is held square by the clutch pressure plate face anyhow.

cheers
Rohan

Hi Rohan
Thanks for your reply - that makes me feel a lot more confident.
Many Thanks
Steve