Prop Shaft removal - in car

[Peter +2]

Hello all,

After experiencing pretty bad viabrition at 40mph + my thoughts lead to the propshaft being the culprit.

I have not yet checked the uj's and will do as a matter of corse, but as a general question, is it possible to remove the propshaft from a +2 in situ i.e. with body on, dif and engine and box in place? I am sure the workshop manual suggest this is possible but has any one ever tried it successfully.

Peter

[rgh0]

I have never done it personally but I have heard it can been done and seen comments posted here about that.

As i understand it you drop the shaft off the diff and pull it back to one side of the diff you can pull it out of the gear box tail shaft and drop it to the bottom of the tunnel. If you then remove the gear box mount and jack it up you can pull the shaft forward under and to the side of the gear box and out of the car.

Hopefully someone who has done it can confirm

cheers
Rohan

[Gray]

I've removed a propshaft on an Elan S4 many years ago. A plus 2 should be the same.

Basically as Rohan describes. If I remember rightly the diff mounts all need to be undone and diff moved to one side /twisted as well as one driveshaft disconnected. I disconnected the nearside driveshaft, more space, the diff comes out this side?

Cheers Gray

[PeterK]

Can't remember exactly how I did it, but I did (had to change the rear Uj that failed). I have a Spyder chassis but don't see that a standard Lotus chassis will be materially different. I also have a standard 4 speed gearbox.
I know that I jacked the car onto axle stands at both ends so that I could crawl around underneath, removed the exhaust from the manifold back (I have a big bore exhaust with centre box on my Zetec engine), undid the bolts that secure the prop to the diff and then slid it out. Not fuss or dramas, or I would have remembered.
Peter

[tvacc]

I have never done it on a Elan Plus 2. But I have done it on an Elan. I actually got it down to about doing in 20 minutes.

On an Elan, you put a scissors jack under the bell housing. You remove the bottom brace under the tranny. you raise the tranny and bellhousing up until it is almost hitting the top of the tunnel.

You then remove the bolts that hold the propshaft to the diff. You then pull the propshaft out the front of the car.

I could do this in 20-25 minutes on the Elan.

tony V

[Peter +2]

Thank you all,

Your experiences and advice, gives me the inspiration to have a go. For some reason when I read the Workshop Manual, albeit some while ago, I thought it implied that the propshaft was removed from the rear. My fear was the WM had forgotten to say "remove the body shell first"!

Peter

[john.p.clegg]

Peter

Don't forget to do a quick "write-up"

Please

John

[Peter +2]

John,

Will do, but as garaged time is strictly monitored by SWMBO it may be a while before I can address the problem.

Regards

Peter

[billwill]

Don't know about a Plus 2 but I have in the past removed the propshaft from an S3 two-seater Elan, from the rear.

So it sounds like it is possible to get it out either way.

[Peter +2]

BIll

Many thanks, it seems I will have two choices.

I hope to report progress in the not to distant future.

Peter

[Hawksfield]

Hi All

Yes you can remove the prop shaft in a Plus two did it in April.

1.Drain Gear box
2.Disconnect 4 no flange bolts
3.Support gearbox to allow the removal of the mounting
4.Jack up gear box to allow clearance
5.Pull prop shaft to rear and position it so that it is as far back as you can get it, the shaft should then be free of the box
6.Raise the gearbox tail of the box to create a space to pull the shaft out between the tail shaft and the transmission tunnel entrance, a bit of fiddle but can be done, remove the shaft from below the gearbox tail.
7. to return the shaft use the access to the transmission tunnel next to the drivers seat.
I did this by jacking up the front of the car and supporting with axle stands but better if you have a lift

Good luck

[denicholls2]

A recommendation: Place reference marks on the flanges at the differential so that you can return the flange "as it was" when you are done. May avoid balance or other issues on reassembly.

And even if you're as fast as Tony at R&R, replace both UJs while it's out. They're cheap.

[Peter +2]

JH

Many thanks for the guidance, out of interest does your car have a Lotus chassis or Spyder and other than disconnecting the dif end UJ, did you have to disconnect the dif from the half shafts to give extra movement?

I will mark and replace both UJ's

Cheers both.

Peter

[Hawksfield]

Peter

My car has the original Lotus chassis, there is no need to remove any of the diff tie rods or drive shafts.
Just make sure you get the diff flange as far back from the gear box as you can so that the splined section is out of the gearbox.
I think I had it lifted over the diff flange to gain as much movement as possible. Pulling the shaft out through the transmission tunnel is a fiddle but turn it till you have the space to pull the diff flange through, remember the orientation for when you replace it.
On replacement I fed the shaft back into place and then slipped a piece of wood under the splined shaft UJ to raise it to somewhere near the male spline, then went under the car to slide it into the gear box by reaching into the transmission tunnel.

Its not difficult and most will be obvious when you carry it out

[Peter +2]

JH

All clear now, many thanks.

Peter