Lotus Elan Central

by **Dico** » Sat 26.11.2005, 17:51

Hi girls

Planning on sending mine and Montys gearboxes off to Quaife some time soon. Has anyone here had theirs fitted by Quaife? If so, do you know if they automaticaly replace the output bearings (correct term?)
It seems wise to do so whilst the box is out.
Also, any other tips/ideas whilst its out? I'm sure someone once mentioned replacing the speedo drive cog.

Dico :smt023

by **Candles** » Sat 26.11.2005, 17:58

The manual stipulates replacing the speedo drive and the bolts that hold the diff to the ring gear. Replacing the output bearings at the same time for about £40 is just common sense. Checking the synchros and other bearings would also be a good idea. The manual lists things to check on rebuilding the 'box.

Candles.

by **davidjt** » Tue 16.05.2006, 13:11

In case this is of general interest, the post mortem on my speedo cable was as follows:

The new (blue plastic) gear ring which drives the cable is such a tight fit that some judicious machining may be required; my original was forced on (presumably by heating the plastic?) and was under such extreme tension that after a very short time (+ maybe a dozen oil heating cycles) it simply burst apart.

So: either have Quaife themselves, or a mechanic who has done one before, do the installation.

SW Autos in Headcorn now have the expertise :roll:

To be fair, they fixed it for nothing, and the bill for some other work was very reasonable.

by **Candles** » Tue 16.05.2006, 15:31

davidjt wrote:The new (blue plastic) gear ring which drives the cable is such a tight fit that some judicious machining may be required; my original was forced on (presumably by heating the plastic?)

Exactly - the manual states this should be heated and pressed on. This is the correct installation technique.

I agree with the sentiment of your post; having put the Quaife in and rebuilt the gearbox myself, it is very complicated (not heart/brain surgery!) and easy to cock up. It took me 4 months! Best off paying someone who knows exactly what they're doing.

Candles.

by **Dico** » Wed 17.05.2006, 12:25

Quaife will fit your ATB for £125 inclusive of vat. They fitted and supplied new output bearings in mine for that price also (just confirm with them to be 100% sure yours will be)

They also fitted the output seals and speedo drive, which I supplied.

Postage is £40 each way.

Perhaps I should mention that Montys gearbox (which had an atb fitted at the same time as mine) was returned damaged. Was it the gear selector housing monty? Nobody at Quaife mentioned this to me when I collected the finished boxes, but there was a little note saying trunion broke?

Fortunately Monty had a spare.
You just can't get the service these days :evil:

by **Monty** » Wed 17.05.2006, 12:35

Dico wrote:Quaife will fit your ATB for £125 inclusive of postage.

Don`t think that includes posting :roll:

by **Dico** » Wed 17.05.2006, 13:30

That was supposed to say vat

by **Doc Fizzix** » Fri 25.08.2006, 22:46

davidjt wrote:The new (blue plastic) gear ring which drives the cable is such a tight fit that some judicious machining may be required; my original was forced on (presumably by heating the plastic?) and was under such extreme tension that after a very short time (+ maybe a dozen oil heating cycles) it simply burst apart.

Mine was so loose that I just "slipped" it on by hand, I could even turn a little by hand a little after it was on. I hope it is ok, the trany and motor are already bback in the car

by **Candles** » Sat 26.08.2006, 07:59

Worn out then! It'll probably slip around in the gearbox, causing you to show less MPH on your speedo. This will affect the speed sensor reading so the ECU will get confused and lean the mixture off at high boost which will melt your entire car into a giant red ball of jelly. When you step out, scratching your head and wondering what happened, a giant foot will come down from an opening in the clouds and crush the remains:

Something like this.

Alternatively, and more probably, it'll be ok!

by **Doc Fizzix** » Sat 26.08.2006, 16:42

Candles wrote:Worn out then! It'll probably slip around in the gearbox, causing you to show less MPH on your speedo.

Alternatively, and more probably, it'll be ok!

It can only move about 1/8 inch before it hits the locks, so it can not move that far before it is locked in place.

by **Candles** » Sat 26.08.2006, 20:18

I wan only kidding: They haven't re-run Monty Python for ages so there's no chance of it getting bad enough for the big foot thing to happen.

by **kmckmc** » Fri 02.11.2007, 05:26

Hi,

I am interested in Quaife installation pictures.

Would people share them with the rest of us?

Cheers,

Lotus Elan Central

Quaife instalation

Quaife instalation

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