Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

hi all
does anyone know if the triumph one is the same as the elan?
they look the same........but half the price......

thanks

fred

just seen this from india....says will fit spitfire AND elan?

I looked into this a few years ago and found the drive used on the Elan had a unique part number, not the same as used on any other application. I suspect the difference may be the drive ratio. I believe the cosmetics are the same as some other applications.

Bill

hi bill
yes..looked at this in brian buckland's book.......apparently they are colour coded depending on the final drive ratio....
blue.....3.9:1
green..3.77:1
black..3.55:1

but will they fit [with adapter]?

fred

Hi,
If I recall, the thread on the female nut part is different!
Ron.

Hi Fred.

I believe you are confusing the tach drive gear inside the gear box with the angle drive outside the gear box in you last post. The tach drive gears inside the gearbox are indeed color coded and have a different number of teeth to compensate for the different final drive ratios.

The angle drive is a separate item and it too has a gear ratio associated with it as also changes the drive angle 90 degrees. I believe this drive ratio is different for different applications.

I just found a note I made in my S1, S2, and Coupe Master Parts List. The angle drive for the Elan was a Smiths BG2402/03, which is also used by a Morgan 4/4 series III. The angle drive is common to all Elans.

Bill

hi bill
just re-read buckland's bible and you are correct...sorry...my mistake......
does that mean that all angle drives are all similarly geared then [presumably 1:1]?

ron.......are you speaking from experience? that would mean the adapter wouldn't fit?

fred

Hi Fred.
Yes, I have come across several variations of these drives, both in the thread size and in the ratio of the gearing. I have in the past and I think you may have the same idea, machine up a suitable adaptor to use a different drive. If you have the capability it?s perfectly feasible, but I seem to remember it involved because of the large size of the tread, a lathe with a screw cutting feature. Fairly sure the Lotus drive ratio is 1:1.
Ron.

ron..... great minds, etc...

while digging around, I came across this;



looks like it has a finer thread to fit the angle drive supplied by rimmer bros.....

fred

We have stopped using the rimmer ones they fail very quickly there is a guy who sells on ebay it is from USA (british sports cars I think) put in the lotus part no we have found these to be far superior
Ian

Sorry for the back-from-the-dead thread ....

My speedo angle drive leaks like crazy. It's the only leak the car has.

I've replaced the gasket and oring. Looking at the traces, it seems like the oil is coming from the angle drive itself.

I tried to put some hylomar on the brass flat surface of the driving, hoping that would better seal it to the adapter. It might have.

One question I have is, does the orientation of the angle drive affect it leaking? Mine currently has the cable pointing down. I've seen others where it's pointing up.

I dont think I've seen anyone making a good sealed version of an angle drive yet. Seems like an excellent idea, as it seems like such a common issue. To the point where we ignore it.

I saw where someone machined the adapter to accept a lip seal. That seems like a great idea.

Honestly, I'm tired of this issue and I'd love to figure it out. I got my '72 Dunstall Norton Commando to stop making puddles. This can't be that hard! lol

I went about fixing mine for 29 years and finally got it, hopefully. It wouldn't leak for a few years the it would drip. I think I did this 5 or 6 times and this is on a 7, very tight. Recently, I decide "I'm getting this #@&^% fixed". I carefully cleaned it inside and out. One thing to note is that it may appear to be leaking from the brass nut and perhaps it is. I looked at mine very carefully and noticed that the brass nut just slides up or down on the "neck" of the right angle drive. There isn't anything to stop the gear oil from running out. The contact face between the adapter and the RAD should interface and not leak but after several years of power tightening of the brass nut they probably don't seal very well. Therefore, IMHO the oil leaks from the ill fitting RAD to adapter contact face then down and out through bottom of the brass nut. I put a thin coating of HYLOMAR on the RAD and adapter faces. Screwed it together, took it apart to make sure it didn't get down in to the RAD gear and got a good seal, all's good here. Next, I moved the brass nut down the neck as far as possible and put in enough HYLOMAR so it squished out the bottom when screwing it together and put some on the threads. I assembled the RAD to adapter, cleaned up the excess from the bottom of the nut and there should be some excess or you didn't put enough in. I put the assembly in and had my son drive it for less than a 1/4 mile and it LEAKED a lot, even worst than when I took it out.! Took it out and noticed the gasket was only wet on the bottom. HMMM? Looking at the adapter, the face where the gasket goes toward the gearbox speedo drive carrier was cocked, not making full contact. Lightly tapped it so the flange was flat and therefore parallel to contacting the gearbox speedo bearing carrier. So far not leaking!

You have inspired me to check mine. I don’t recall using a gasket, and I seem to recall reading here that it is only paper. Is it something I can make? I would rather not use gasket maker. Not doing an annual top up of gear oil would be amazing! Thanks, Dan

Yes, there is a gasket between the GB and the adapter. Easy to make. I've tried all the silver bullets and I ended up with HYLOMAR AND a gasket! Clean everything up and give it a go!