The Lotus Grand Tourers

Can anyone recommend how to extract the outboard drive shaft from the hub, once the nut, washer and coupling flange have been removed, please? I have tried using a puller on the hub itself pushing against the shaft but it doesn't want to budge.

I made up a fixture to locate the hub carrier on the hydraulic press. The back of the hub carrier is curved so ISTR (it's ~ 12 years ago!) that I used some large OD steel water pipe and ground it to match the back of the hub carrier until it sat horizontally on the press table, touching the periphery of the casting all the way round. Worked a treat.

Welcome to the forum by the way!!

Pete

Thanks Pete and apologies for delay in acknowledging.

I have emulated what worked for Pete, using a 6-ton press and a 6" length of 168mm steel tube, but the shaft is continuing to be stubborn. I guess the issue is the inner bearing is tight on the shaft and doesn't want to let go. I don't want to use too much force in case of damaging the bearing (I am hoping not to disturb the bearings - the only reason for removing the shaft is to replace the backplate). Might the cold weather be a factor - and might judicious application of heat and cold help? I would appreciate any further advice. Many thanks.

Don't know why I didn't ask but presumably it's an Elite/Eclat you are working on?

Pete

Thanks for your reply Pete.

No, it's a 1986 MY Excel SE. I don't know the design of the hub and shaft on the earlier cars but the principle of what you suggested sounded right! I feel I must be missing something obvious!

I should explain that the objective is to replace the brake backplates on both hubs, as the old ones have completely rotted away and I managed to source a good second-hand pair. However they came still attached to the hubs. I successfully drew out the shafts from the donor hubs using a puller thereby releasing the backplates, but getting the shafts out of my own hubs has proved challenging, as described!

I appreciate the Excel suspension and brake components are Toyota Supra based so will be different to Elite/Eclat.

I'll dig out an old Excel hub and remind myself, but the only real difference is in the bearing arrangement. On the Elite the outer drive shaft comes off from the inside and with the Excel from the outside.

Pete

Thanks Pete. That would be appreciated.

Is swapping the hubs an easier solution ? I can say from experience that setting the preload on the bearing is a pain and usually needs another check after a couple of hundred miles

Bash

Thanks Bash. You're probably right. However in my case one of the donor hubs was damaged, and in any case I have now dismantled both of them so I at this stage I would be no better off trying to use these over my original hubs unfortunately.

OK - lets look at each step: Has the inboard splined drive flange come off ok?

Pete

Thanks Pete - Yes, that was straightforward.

Having carefully ground away the part of the nut that had been staked the nut undid quite easily. I then checked with a torque wrench the torgue needed to tighten the nut back to the same spot - which was 50 ft lbs. I am trusting in the theory that on re-assembly if I tighten the new nut back to that torque then I should get the pre-load on the bearings near enough, provided nothing gets disturbed in the process. If anyone thinks this won't work then please say.

Once the nut and washer were removed the inner drive flange pulled off easily. From that point I took great care to make sure no dirt dropped through the oil seal onto the inner bearing.

OK - which part of the outer drive shaft are you pressing on with the hydraulic press - because from there the outer drive shaft should press out fairly easily. I know this sounds a bit patronising - sorry!! . Do you have a photo of how the hub assembly is sat on your press?

Pete

Thanks Pete,

The large diameter steel tube is on the bed of the press. The outer face of the hub is resting on the tube so that the outer flange is protruding into the pipe. The pipe is 6 inches deep so plenty of depth. To be more precise it is the centre of the old backplate that is actually resting on the pipe, being "sandwiched" between the hub and the pipe. The ram of the press is bearing down on the inner end of the shaft, where the nut was.

I will take take some pics and post them separately.

That's all set up correctly Geoff. The only thing keeping the drive shaft located is the inner bearing. What sort of pressure did you get up to on the press? It really should not take much - maybe a ton or so at most I would have thought.

Your idea of re-using the bearings and hoping for the best re the pre-load is "hopeful" . I would definitely replace the bearings and shim the spacer if you can't find new ones.

Pete

With my press the hydraulic force is provided by a 6-ton bottle jack, so it's not easy to gauge how much force is being applied. The lever that came with press for the the jack is quite short at about 12" which limits the amount of leverage I have been applying and admittedly I have perhaps been a bit cautious in order not to risk any damage. Perhaps I should find something longer as a lever and not be quite so timid?