Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I'm in the process of removing the body from the chassis and I cannot get the lower steering rod out of the knuckle. The WSM simply states remove bolt and upstream clamps and slide the entire column out.

I've got the upper sections out but the lower rod remains fixed. I'm hesitant to get violent and use excessive force though the rod may be rusted in place.

So my question is whether the rod should simply slide out of the knuckle or do I need to actually separate the lower knuckle in two?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

Soak the area in penetrant, and use a wedge to expand the knuckle where it clamps around the shaft.

Sounds like a good approach Mike, thank you!
I'll be working on this tomorrow as I'd like to get the body off this weekend.

You have to actually remove the bolt not just loosening it as it fits into a groove in the shaft

cheers
Rohan

Bob,

I did what Mike and Rohan suggest, nothing moved. I had to destroy the joint between the shaft and the rack so that I could remove the steering column and the rack. Once I had the shaft in a vice on my bench I could drive a wedge into the opening and finally release the shaft.

Richard Hawkins

I was fortunate in that I clamped a vise grip to the shaft and coaxed it out with a 20 ounce hammer!
Though I had both bolts removed, the shaft separated from the rack.