Lotus Elise S1 Service Notes page 96

Lotus Service Nctes
Section CG
is important to appreciate that if the bolt is disturbed, the locking compound must be re-applied. The
following procedure should be adopted for all such fixings:
- Check the torque of the fixing.
- If the specified torque is attained without the fixing being disturbed (moving), take no further action.
- If the bolt moves, the locking action of the thread adhesive will have been lost. Remove the bolt
completely, clean off all old adhesive with wire brush and acetone, and apply new adhesive as specified.
- Refit the bolt and tighten to the specified torque.
- If for any reason a bolt is found to have become loose, and the car has been operated for any period in
this condition, the bolt should be renewed as a standard precaution.
Torque Settings. Nm
Upper and lower wishbone pivot bolts 45
Upper and lower swivel joints to plinth 55
Upper swivel joint plinth to hub carrier 45
Lower swivel joint plinth to hub carrier 45
Toe link outer ball joint to hub carrier 45
Toe link ball joint lock nuts 78
Damper to lower wishbone 45
Damper to chassis 45
Caliper mounting bracket to hub carrier (early - tapped into carrier) 45
Caliper mounting bracket to hub carrier (later - through bolted) 62
Brake caliper to mounting bracket - upper M10 4 5 - 5 0
- lower M8 26 - 30
Rear hub nut 220
DE.4 - REAR TOE-LINK FIXINGS
The inboard end of the rear toe-link shares its fixing to the chassis with the lower wishbone rear pivot
bush. The outboard end of the link is fixed to a rearward extension of the hub carrier, with a conical spacer and
shim washers providing a means of adjusting the amount of toe-in produced with suspension travel - referred
to as the 'bump steer' characteristic.
On cars built prior to December'98, the ball pins of the toe link joints incorporate female M10 threads, into
which are fitted M10 bolts, the length of which are critical to ensure adequate thread engagement without
danger of 'bottoming out' in the joint, with the length of the outboard bolt dependent on the bump steer shim
pack. Cars built from December '98 onwards use toe-link ball joints with integral studs, secured to the chassis
and hub carrier with M10 Nyloc nuts. The outboard end conical spacer and bump steer shim washers differ for
the 'integral stud' type joints, and should not be mixed with the earlier components. Service replacement ball
joints are supplied only as integral stud type, complete with associated spacers and shim washers.
Cars built prior to VIN: W 5479 (December '98)
These cars use female threaded ball joints and Permabond A134 thread locking compound for secondary
bolt security. A conical spacer and stack of shim washers is fitted between the outer ball joint and the hub
carrier in order to provide for adjustment of the bump steer characteristic, the specification for which is fully
described in sub-section XA.8. In order to optimise the thread engagement of the outer fixing bolt into the ball
joint, for various shim washer configurations, two variations of bolt length are used, and it is vital to follow the
build procedure detailed below to ensure complete integrity of the joint.
If the toe-link is released from the hub carrier, note and retain the shim washer stack and conical spacer
fitted between the ball joint and hub carrier, and do not disturb the toe-link length setting to avoid the necessity for
a subsequent full geometry check. If, on disassembly, the bolt is found to have been significantly below the
assembly torque of 45 Nm, such as to allow potential movement between the ball joint and hub carrier, the bolt
should be renewed (see below for correct bolt length) and the hub carrier hole and ball joint carefully inspected
for wear or damage. If a ball joint requires replacement, the later type 'integral stud' joint should be fitted,
together with the associated spacers and shim washers - see below.
Page 8
1999 / Q 1