The Lotus Grand Tourers

Interesting Tony - admittedly I did use a breaker bar with a medium extension to clear the CV and they were certainly tight - but not as tight as yours it seems!

Good luck with the MOT!

Andy

I had the same problem when i removed my rear suspension, the nuts on the diff side would not move.
Lots of anti seize and heat failed and in the end i had to buy an impact wrench as nothing else worked. Be sure to use a a socket with a true hex shape , you dont want to round one of these.
These work really well for thread cleaning after and the nut shape allows a spanner to help.
good luck
ian

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25mm-Hexag ... SwVLRaW6MJ

Once disconnect from the outboard hub you may be able to pop out the shaft still connecte to the inner diff output shaft complete if nuts are being problematic and work on the bench thereafter

Just been looking at the manual and these nuts are torqued to 44 to 57 lb ft, so shouldn't be too bad to shift. It's just the fact they've not been disturbed for 30 years I believe.
I've got a good small O/D 14mm socket that fits snug, so fingers crossed. I can see that a 3/8" sq drive normal socket is too big O/D to not interfere with the hub of the joint, so that can stay in the garage.
Is the diff output shaft an easy slide fit to pull out? I can move the flange maybe 1mm in and out of the diff very easily, but reading the service notes, I'm not as concerned as I initially was.

Tony

Mine popped out very easily (steady...)

Spring clip on output shaft small diameter so doesn't require a lot of force.

A tip is when reassembling just crimp the dust protector ring against the shaft gently with a screwdriver and hammer as they commonly come loose leading to scraping sounds.

Andy

The output shaft just pops out - literally. The spring c clip is the only retainer, A flat blade and good snap leverage .

I'm wondering if the spring c clip's are in place on my car. Both sides have 1mm of float (in and out from the diff). I would expect a c clip located into a radius and wouldn't allow easy (by hand) axial movement.

It's all working fine though and no funny noises or leaks (Uhmmmmm.... no leaks might not be a good sign. You know what they say about old British motorbikes!!!!).

Tony

Yes they're in place, otherwise they would slide out a lot more - there is a a fair bit of engagement. I think the C Clip just stops it sliding out of the bearing - i.e. it sits behind the race not in a machined groove.

I had the same concern with mine as there was as least 1mm of play if not more but the bearings seemed fine and with new seals no leaks at all.

Note that if you do pop them out you will need to drain the oil first. Before you do that make sure you can undo the filler plug as these are often tight, difficult to access without the correct socket and can be rounded depending who has been there before...

Andy