Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I think the gearbox leak is caused by the breather bolt I fitted, so have removed that and blanked the hole. Problem solved.

I would not do that. The problem will only be solved until you get some heat in the trans and the oil expands then either its the rear or front seal that will leak. How do I know? Did a rebuild and the owner thought it was a good idea to install the breather bolt in place of one of the top cover bolts. Blew out the front seal in about 150 miles. Big mess, engine out and new clutch disc.

joe7 wrote:

I think the gearbox leak is caused by the breather bolt I fitted, so have removed that and blanked the hole. Problem solved.

I would not do that. The problem will only be solved until you get some heat in the trans and the oil expands then either its the rear or front seal that will leak. How do I know? Did a rebuild and the owner thought it was a good idea to install the breather bolt in place of one of the top cover bolts. Blew out the front seal in about 150 miles. Big mess, engine out and new clutch disc.

The Gearbox is a Lotus 5 speed.
In Jon's case his was an unofficial mod that he did. It was probably unnecessary as the box "should" breath adequately through the gearlever hole.