plus 2 and CV joints

[bill griffiths]

I had an immediate failure of a CV joint when the rebuilt Plus 2 first turned a wheel.
Well for at least of 25 feet it did!
The failure broke the cage at the outboard end on the near side.
I previously used the same parts on my first Plus 2, they having also been supplied by Lotus Marques, previously the Elan Factory, in Australia. They worked for years without failing.
There may this time have been an error in installation by the PO. I noticed some resistance on turning the rear wheels when the suspension was at full droop until raising the suspension about an inch. This I thought is not expected with a Plus 2. Perhaps the rear shockers are allowing too much droop this time.
The rear of the car appears presently to be too high but that might be because the last time it was driven was in 1975!
To date and regrettably, Lotus Marques has only been able to tell me the parts are VW!
I hoped of course for a bit more information to be able to obtain a replacement!
Does anyone know from which VW the Lotus Marques shaft and CV joints came?
Next, if there is a difference with the new car, I probably need to limit the droop. I have seen some examples on the Forum but I wonder if there has been any progress in a more sophisticated solution!
Alternatively, does the bypassing of the perch and the fitting of new shockers with a thinner spring provide also for limiting the droop?
After years of assembly of the "new" Plus 2 from boxes of parts, this is a bit of a disapointment!
But worse things happen at sea!
Regards,
Bill

[rgh0]

Its hard to get the shaft angle too great on a Plus 2 to get binding of the Cv's at full droop. The Elan with its narrower track is a different story. You can however get binding and breaking of the cage if the shafts or adapter plates are not the correct length.

If your struggling to get help from Lotus Marques contact Col Croucher at Elantrickbits as there is not much he does not know about CV's on an Elan or Plus 2.

cheers
Rohan

[RichardHawkins]

Bill,

Please don’t take my word as gospel, but I believe they are GKN joints as used on VW Golf and Passat. Thorough cleaning of the joint may reveal a part number.

Richard Hawkins