Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi Guys
Just got the +2 started after 6 years everything O/K except the clutch is frozen to the flywheel!!!!!!! any good idias

Hi. Let it temperature cycle since it's running. Also, try taking the weather shield off the bottom of the bell housing so you can see the bottom half of the back of the flywheel and tap it with a hammer. Another thing to try is locking the flywheel with a screwdriver or some such device wedged in through the ring gear teeth - usually by taking out the starter motor but with the covers removed there may be another place to get something engaged with the teeth on the ring gear, then rocking the car backwards and forwards while the clutch pedal is pressed and it's in gear - putting it into 4th or 5th gear would give you a high mechanical advantage on the engine - you're loading the gearbox too so don't overdo it and break something - I was only suggesting rocking the car back and forth.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

All the best.

Sean.

GEORDIE wrote:Hi Guys
the clutch is frozen to the flywheel!!!!!!! any good idias

Lots in the archives about this so probably best if you search "stuck clutch" or "siezed clutch" in the search box and deceide which method you can live with as some are a bit more brutal than others

Leave the handbrake off & stick it in 1st gear , put your foot on clutch and keep it down whilst you turn over the engine.
the car will either move forward under the power of the starter motor or you'll hear a bang as the flywheel comes off the clutch plate & you'll probably start the engine !
if it just moves forward & the clutch doesn't release, try 2nd gear & repeat.
if you're really brave, you might like to add extra resistance by putting handbrake on or try it in 3rd or 4th
works for me
good luck
RichC

My Sprint had been sitting for 20 years and the clutch plate was well and truly stuck but only took 5 minutes to get it freed off. A friend who was helping me suggested the following method which did the trick. Make sure the brakes are working first! I had about 20 yards of driveway to play with.

I let everything warm up and then pushed the car back up the drive. Get in and put into first gear and leave your foot off the clutch. Brakes off and turn the starter - car will jump forwards and should continue down the drive in first [with you in control!]. As you progress down the drive dip the clutch several times while also jabbing the foot brake.

On the third or fourth attempt the clutch freed.

Usual caveats but it worked for me!

Richard

Hi Guys Thanks for all your help, two heat cycles and bang clutch is free. Now I can't get the tops off the clutch and brake master cylinders, any tips?

pipe clamp or wife's jar opener !
Do DIY shops still sell those levers with a chain on the end for wrapping around oil filters to remove 'em? That'll do the trick.
just take care not to crimp the tops.... put something like a rag in between.
In the end you might have to tap 'em lightly & spray some WD 40

Hi. I usually manage to get the caps off wearing a thick pair of gloves or with a rag round the cap. Or as suggested already a strap wrench or oil filter wrench will do it. If the car's been standing for a while (apologies if you know this) it's worth checking whether there's any sign of rust in the bottom of the reservoirs. My clutch master cylinder wouldn't hold any pressure when I first tried it - well, I say new but it stood on the car for some years before I tried it. I stripped it and found that there were steel parts inside that'd rusted, and there was dirt on the o ring seal at the top of the pushrod inside the bore. This o ring stops the fluid going back into the reservoir when you press the pedal. Trouble is, it's the same design in the brake master cylinder, and some people have had cases of the brake pedal going to the floor when the need brakes. A bit scary. I guess if there's no sign of rust in the fluid and the cylinder works it's ok though. It may be that my clutch master cylinder was a cheap repro unit put on by the previous owner.

Salut.

Sean.