Lotus 2004 Eleven Service Notes page 111

Lotus Service Notes
11. Remove the heatshield over the toe-link inboard ball joint, release the toe-link stud, remove the lower
wishbone front pivot bolt and withdraw the lower wishbone and toe link.
12. If necessary, remove the top swivel joint ball pin nut, and use a ball joint splitter tool to separate the joint
from its plinth. Either swivel joint may be replaced using suitable press tool dollies.
13. The wishbone pivot bushes are bonded rubber type with a plastic flanged outer sleeve, a plain steel inner
sleeve, and a plastic interleaf sleeve within the rubber bush to control the flexing characteristic.
The bushes may be pressed out of the wishbone eyes, and new bushes fitted using suitable press tool
dollies. Smear the outer surface of the new bush with IPC 'P-80' rubber lubricant emulsion (A082C6042V)
to ease fitment, and assemble as follows:
Top wishbone front pivot - insert a single 30mm long bush from the front end of the eye
Top wishbone rear pivot - insert a single 30mm long bush from the front end of the eye. Note: Prior to
January '06 this bush was inserted from the rear end. Inserting from the front provides greater restistance
to bush displacement from braking forces.
Lower wishbone rear pivot - insert a single 30mm long bush from the front end of the eye.
Lower wishbone front pivot - insert a 16mm long bush into each end of the front eye.
Lower wishbone front pivot
FRONT
Weldnut
bushes
d19b/d
14. The road spring may be removed from the damper using a suitable spring compressor to allow the spring
lower slotted seat to be withdrawn. Note that the spring upper seat is retained by a square section circlip
in a groove in the damper body:
- Standard Elise & USA from VIN 3013: Use centre of 3 grooves for mid-laden ride height of 130mm.
- USA Elise prior VIN 3013: Use lower of 3 grooves for mid-laden ride height of 135mm.
- Elise with Roadsports suspension package and non-USA Exige: Use the upper of 2 grooves for mid-
laden ride height of 130mm.
15. To remove the hub bearing unit from the hub carrier, release the three Torx head bolts and withdraw the
complete unit. The hub unit is not serviceable, and is replaced complete if faulty.
Reassembly
Re-assemble the suspension in reverse order to disassembly with the following notes:
- Take care to assemble each pivot bolt with the correct washers/snubbers/spacers as shown in the dia-
grams.
- Smear the shank of each pivot bolt with PBC grease, but do not allow contamination of the threads.
- Take care to refit the original camber adjustment shimpack.
Pivot mounting
bracket
Tab
washer
Short pivot Flange nut
Lower wishbone rear pivot
Plastic Rear
interleaf subframe
Long pivot bush
inserted from front
Section DH
Toe
link
ball
joint
Anti-rotation
insert
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