lower crankcase disassembly

[Rébillon]

Good morning everybody,

I've got a question for M100 experts.
Does anyone knows the best way to remove the lower engine crankcase ?
Mine leaks a lot and i have to remove it to weld it.
I was wondering if I can disassemble the T-shaped cross ?
If I disassemble this crosspiece, will the front axle be misadjusted ?

Thanks in advance
J.O.

[Fredjohn]

J.O.

Before you start this job download the workshop manual from the manual section at the top here. Then read the section on lower crankcase removal (=sump removal).

You must remove the "T shaped cross"(=prongeron) to get at the sump.
You must also remove a bit of the exhaust system.

I had to do it earlier this year as I cracked my sump at the Ypres meeting . I found it easier than I expected.

Once jacked up, put axle stands under both jacking points under the "A" posts. Remove wheels and support the suspension with 2 more axle stands, but do not raise the suspension: just support it. Once these are in place DO NOT MOVE THEM until the job is finished.

Undo prongeron bolts one by one then remove prongeron. This turned out to be quite easy as all my bolts were reasonably free and not rusted.

Remove the front part of the exhaust after the cat box. If rusted use heat on the studs and nuts. You may need to buy new ones: readily available.

You can now undo all the sump bolts and remove the sump. Do your repair. Clean all old sealant off sump/engine block, then replace sump with new sealant. There is no gasket (jointe).

Whilst the sump and prongeron are removed, change the oil filter: access is very easy!

Replace exhaust then replace prongeron after giving it a good clean and perhaps a respray!

Bit simplified but job is quite straightforward if you have some mechanical experience.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions

Fredjohn

[RayD]

Before you start ...

Added to the Wiki

Can be tidyied up and expanded upon if needs be.

Ray

[Rébillon]

Good evening Fredjohn,

Thanks a lot for your helpful reply.
I'm really happy to have found someone who has already done this removal (and more someone who seems to understand my English ).
For me the great difficulty is to jack up safely the Elan...
Last summer i've changed the whole exhaust line for a stainless steel one with my old jack and a few wooden blocks, and I must admit I was a little scared
it's not very easy to jack this car...

For the next two weeks, I will not be able to start this job, cause there is a car that can not run in my garage. But I will as soon as possible, and I'll keep you posted.

Jacques-Olivier.

PS : Sorry for my poor English

[RayD]

There's nothing wrong with your English Jacques.

Ray

[Fredjohn]

There's nothing wrong with your English Jacques.

Ray

Fortunately my French is also reasonably good, so perhaps we can converse in Franglais?

Please put your location in your profile, so we know where in France you are.

Je vous souhaite Bonne Annee!!!!

John

[Rébillon]

"Bonne Année à vous également !"

I've just updated my profile but I can't add an image for my avatar. I will try later.

Jacques-Olivier.

PS : Could you please say me which workshop manual I must retrieve ? For the moment the ones I've fetched do not treat about sump removal.

[Fredjohn]

PS : Could you please say me which workshop manual I must retrieve ? For the moment the ones I've fetched do not treat about sump removal.

Elan M100 Service Manual v6.

Oil sump removal and refit is in Engine section EC9, page 37

Unfortunately it actually says very little: usual Lotus one sentence=3hrs work! It expects you to read chassis and exhaust sections to remove these other bits. I think my brief write-up is more useful!

Bon courage.

[Rébillon]

Fredjohn,

That's really what I thought...
This is why I prefer to ask questions directly on LEC forum.

Your post will be more helpful, for sure. Thanks a lot.

J.O.

[racerstev]

While you have the oil pan off it woul be a really good time to replace the rod bearings. These engines
have real small bearings and they wear faster then most engines do. Simple to do once the pan is
off.

Steve

[Lotus54]

Hello,
I understand about jacking under 'A' Posts, but should the suspension be supported on the wheel side or the centre of the car side?

Looks like things can move, so I want to make certain to support it correctly.
The manual does mention the tapered bolts (location).
Please advise if you can.

thanks
Mark

J.O.

Before you start this job download the workshop manual from the manual section at the top here. Then read the section on lower crankcase removal (=sump removal).

You must remove the "T shaped cross"(=prongeron) to get at the sump.
You must also remove a bit of the exhaust system.

I had to do it earlier this year as I cracked my sump at the Ypres meeting . I found it easier than I expected.

Once jacked up, put axle stands under both jacking points under the "A" posts. Remove wheels and support the suspension with 2 more axle stands, but do not raise the suspension: just support it. Once these are in place DO NOT MOVE THEM until the job is finished.

Undo prongeron bolts one by one then remove prongeron. This turned out to be quite easy as all my bolts were reasonably free and not rusted.

Remove the front part of the exhaust after the cat box. If rusted use heat on the studs and nuts. You may need to buy new ones: readily available.

You can now undo all the sump bolts and remove the sump. Do your repair. Clean all old sealant off sump/engine block, then replace sump with new sealant. There is no gasket (jointe).

Whilst the sump and prongeron are removed, change the oil filter: access is very easy!

Replace exhaust then replace prongeron after giving it a good clean and perhaps a respray!

Bit simplified but job is quite straightforward if you have some mechanical experience.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions

Fredjohn

[Fredjohn]

You need to support the suspension at the outer end, where the brake disc and hub are and under the shock, NOT where it is attached to the prongeron / chassis.
Use an axle stand on each side of the car.

The purpose is to prevent any suspension movement, so when you undo the bolts for the prongeron, only the prongeron moves: to come off! And on re-assembly everything should be stay where it was so the bolts just slide in without having to line things up.

I had never done it when I did mine, and I am not a trained mechanic, just a (fairly competent?) DIYer. I approached it with trepidation, but took my time, checking everything as I went and it turned out to be quite easy really. Proof was when I put it back together, all the holes lined up straight away and all the bolts went in with ease.
Hope this helps
Good luck

[Brit-Car-Nut]

As John says: The suspension shoudl be supported under the lower ball joint

[Lotus54]

Thanks,
After looking at the car that made sense, so I already took off the longeron.
The only problem was the Allen bolt at the front, not easy to get to ( it only had one it in)

Thanks for the help!
Mark