Lotus Elise Service Notes page 139

ENGINE
8RM3458A
8. Remove crankshaft pulley bolt and washer.
9. Remove crankshaft pulley.
10. Remove 3 bolts securing timing belt lower
cover.
11. Remove timing belt lower cover together with
seals.
12. Remove 3 bolts, mounting bracket to engine.
13. Remove mounting bracket.
M124944
14. Slacken tensioner pulley Allen screw.
15. Slacken tensioner backplate screw.
16. Push tensioner pulley down to fully OFF
position.
17. Tighten backplate screw to 10 Nm.
18. Ease timing belt from gears using the fingers
only.
19. Discard timing belt.
~ CAUTION: Timing belt must always be
/ } \ replaced during engine overhaul. Do not
rotate crankshaft with timing belt removed
and cylinder head fitted.
Refit
1. Clean timing gears, coolant pump drive gear
and tensioner pulley.
^ CAUTION: If the sintered gears have been
/ j \ subjected to prolonged contamination,
they must be soaked in a solvent bath and
then thoroughly washed in clean solvent before
refitting. Because of the porous construction of
sintered material, oil impregnated in the gears
will emerge and contaminate the belt.
2. Check correct alignment of timing marks (or
90° BTDC:
Crankshaft gear dots align with flange on oil
pump.
Camshaft gear mark to right aligns with top
face of cylinder head.
12M3756
3. Slacken tensioner backplate screw, ensure
tensioner moves fully through its adjustment
range and returns under spring tension.
4. Push tensioner pulley down to fully OFF
position.
5. Tighten backplate screw to 10 Nm.
6. Using the fingers only, fit a new timing belt over
crankshaft timing gear, camshaft gear,
tensioner pulley and coolant pump drive gear,
ensure belt is positioned centrally on gears and
pulley and that any slack in the belt is on the
tensioner pulley side of the belt.
7. Clean all traces of Loctite from engine
mounting bracket securing bolts and apply
Loctite 542 to threads of bolts.
8. Fit engine mounting bracket, tighten bolts to 45
Nm.
2 OVERHAUL