MarkTheGoose Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 The diff is coming out of my 2005 CSR (probably for the first time ever) so that I can get the prop shaft out. Everything went swimmingly, bolts out of prop shaft at the front of the diff. Both bottom diff mounting bolts loosened. Suspension all dismantled. Drive shafts out of diff. Trolly jack with wooden block under diff. Nut removed from long bolt.That all took around 45 minutes, with no problems anywhere.I have now moved the bolt 163mm through the diff, but it needs to go 231mm for the diff to actually come out. It's the classic problem of the spacer now being an interference fit with the bolt. The bolt turns freely in the chassis and diff housing.Lots of plus gas.I've been drifting it out with an 11mm coach bolt and have now run out of length. I'm seriously considering cutting the bolt off near the chassis on the head end and then pushing it 50mm back the way it came, to clear the chassis. However, Caterham have no stock of the bolt and of course it's longer than the bolt from the de-dion chassis.Suggestions on a postcard please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrightpayne Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Any threaded bar? Cheap enough from screwfix.Or hardwood dowel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 It could be that a thin spacer shim has been dragged in between the bush and the bolt shaft (this happened on my car during diff removal). Tapping it back in a bit and getting lubricant down between the bolt and bush can help, then tapping it out again and repeating with the in/out motion. I used a 10mm (could have been 3/8") piece of steel rod slightly longer than the length of the bolt to tap the bolt out.This is what a couple of my spacers looked like after being dragged in between the bolt and bush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 @Aerobod - helpful, thank you. It does seem to be that bashing it back is currently easier than bashing it out. BUT, bashing is the operative word. @Wrightpayne - I did try a piece of mild steel threaded bar - it ended up completely splayed out at the end and then just bent. The forces are pretty huge, I'm bashing as hard as I can with a club hammer. I'm currently trying to see if I can source a long cylinder head stud for the job - both bashing and ultimately reassembling, with a nut on each end. Thanks for your suggestions guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Threaded bar would not support the load correctly as there are no plain shanks.You could have a bar made to length and threaded both ends with nut and washer each end, local tame engineering company should help, or use a plain nut one end and weld it in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grebby Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 @MarkTheGoose If you need to get something made up I have a lathe in the garage. Are you in/near Warwick? If so I'm not too far away In Sutton Coldfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Have you tried redline? When I needed a long bolt for my DD, CC didn't have but Redline did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrightpayne Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Neil - the threaded bar is only to knock the bolt out, not a permanent fixture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brown Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Had similar problem a few months ago. Can't remember what I used as a drift but had to use something that allowed me to get out from under the wheel arch and give it a decent "tap". Worked back and forth from each side and turned and used Plusgas. Was just slight corrosion that caused it to bind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 arh see what you mean Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 K series head bolts make good long drifts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 @Grebby, thank you for your generous offer!@Scott - I'll give Red Line a call this morning. To be fair to Caterham, when I spoke to them, they said that they had sold one in the last 3 years and so it dissapeared from stock in a rationalisation exercise. Darren at Caterham has also said I should call this morning as he has a Plan B solution that they now use when assembling CSRs for Europe.@David - I do remember when we were exchanging around your propshaft you told me that the top bolt was a real pain to remove. I'm certainly going to go try the backwards / plus gas / forwards / plus gas approach today - decent "tap" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Lots of Copaslip on the plain shank when you get round to reassembling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 If you can get a helper, it may be worth turning it with a socket wrench while tapping from the other end. Once the thread reaches the bush it may also be easier to thread the bolt out with the thread getting purchase on any corrosion or bits of shim fragment, as opposed to still tapping on the bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brown Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Mark, had another look at our earlier postings to remind myself what I did. I was reminded that the bolt was seized on the bushes and would rotate 45deg and spring back. Here is what I did: "Several socket extensions allowed me to get out from under the wheel arch and get a decent lever on the long bolt and get it turning. This eventually, with Plusgas and thumping, allowed me to get the bolt out, drop the diff and release the propshaft"Hope you have success, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Shortshift Posted March 11, 2021 Leadership Team Share Posted March 11, 2021 "CSR victim support group" shaping-up nicely...James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 Thanks all for your support - James you're comment especially resonates. Stuff shouldn't be as tricky as it is, but I did choose to buy a 15 year old car! Anyway - the bolt is out. Having drifted it out just over 6 inches, even bashing it in & out again, it seemed to get to a point where it wasn't going any further and so I threw the towel in and cut through it with a dremmel, close to the chassis, about half way along the length of the bolt. It then took about 2 minutes to bash it back a couple of inches to clear the chassis and I was then able to drop the diff and withdraw the the cut off bit of bolt. It was a relatively loose fit in both of the bushes (chassis mount points) and quite loose in the diff housing. It was very very tight in the 2 inch spacer!I put the cut off bit, on the vice loosely, with the spacer above the jaws and used a club hammer to knock it out of the spacer. It took at least 10 big hits from the club hammer to move it. No wonder it was hard. It's actually a silly design, there is no need for the spacer (which is only ever loaded on it's ends) to be such a tight fit - I'm tempted to actually run a drill down all three of them, so that there is no way it can get stuck again.Anyway, at that point the diff is no longer attached to the car anywhere, so I just simply lowered it out through the chassis top the floor - except I didn't! I cannot figure out how to get it out. To be fair, I think that I just run out of strength and trying to juggle on the trolley jack with nobody manouvering the front flange end proved too hard. I have a helper coming tomorrow to give me a hand, so hopefully it will be out tomorrow and I can start on the propshaft. The other bit of excitement is I touched the fuel hose with the dremmel cutting disc spinning at 30,000 rpm and so to be on the safe side, I need to replace a short length of fuel hose - Does anyone know if this piece with the screw fitting on one end and a jubilee clip on the other a standard part?In other news, Darren at Caterham cars has come up trumps. He's sending me a specially machined head stud and two nuts & washers, which is how they now do CSRs at the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Fuel hose:Whilst you have good access I would change all the rubber hoses for new see the post below, unions can be reused as you can cut the swaged part off which leaves a male barb, push the new hose on and secure with Oetiker clips (O clips) as they offer a more uniform constriction on the hose.https://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/fuel-hose-time-check-yours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldAndrewE Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 A general comment: Jubilee type clips are not the best in small sizes, especially for fuel. O clips as 7WOTW says or if you want something removable this type of clip is better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brown Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 It was tight getting it out (and back in). Think it helped removing the breather plpe fitting to gain an extra few mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Thanks @David - breather pipe fitting off next then. Thanks also for tips about fuel hose. I'll buy some O' Clips. I already have the crimper from doing the gaiters on the driveshafts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 It's out! Gosh it takes some wiggling & I have no idea how you did it on your own! Propshaft also now off the car. Let the checking commence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 When putting the diff back in use proper washers:top through bolt (usually half inch)https://caterhamparts.co.uk/washers/282-washer-1-2-x-11-8-chamfered-plain.html?search_query=washer+1%2F2&results=476bottom side bolts next to the prop connection (usually M12)https://caterhamparts.co.uk/washers/942-washer-m12-plain.html?search_query=M12+bolt&results=246 Don't use small thin washers - they are s**t and cause trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brown Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Mark, and it's to come back out as appears to have a leak in the front seal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTheGoose Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 Igor, thanks. Caterham sent me nylocs and proper washers with the new top stud...Propshaft is back with new bearings and balance and the hope is that it will all be going back in the car today. I did a test fit of the propshaft last night and it refused to slide onto the gearbox splines - is there a knack to this?David, I feel your pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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