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Check your toe link!

110K views 180 replies 82 participants last post by  shinoo 
#1 ·
Please be sure to check yours. Had a track day on Thursday, today I changed oil and checked the links. Both were lose. Be sure to check or they could ruin your day.

-Rob
 
#151 ·
I am new to owning an Elise, but during a recent oil change I noticed that they weren't quite straight. I took a picture so I could ask around. The car is currently in storage for the winter but in this condition is it serious enough to not drive it until I tighten them or will that be fine for some non-track driving until I get the sector 111 brace on it?

 
#152 ·
their reason for existing, is to move around. what is important is that the two ends are 90deg. out of phase (twist) so that there is max. freedom for them to move around. you can grab them and twist them even... but they will just rotate as soon as you drive it.

you do not "need" a brace... i tracked my car plenty of times without it - but a brace is a good thing, and i do have one now. if you run slicks, you deff. want a brace. if you are tracking a lot, you should get a brace.

the torque IS important, and routine maintenance of it. if the loosen, they wear, if they wear, they fail.
 
#153 ·
I've read through this thread, as well as bits and pieces of others. One thing that isn't clear to me, is if the bolts/nuts whatever do come loose, other than the obvious problems that would occur to the link assy and bushing itself, wouldn't there be a major risk of damaging the frame? It seems to me a loose bolt wallering around in there would be bad news for the frame, or at least the hole. This of course assumes that the bolt doesn't come completely out. In that case, frame damage would likely be the least of your worries.

Yeah, first post. I've been lurking on and off for about three years. Call me whatever you want, but I'm still a wannabe. As of recently though, I'm now in the position to actually purchase a used Elise. As such, I'm looking through the Forum for things I need to watch out for.

Dave
 
#154 ·
The toe link "bolt" runs through a sleeve, so it won't wallow much. However the bolt will stress fracture from being loose, causing the beloved failure.
 
#155 ·
Checked toe links yesterday after purchasing ramps and low profile jack after driving home from my first track day a few weeks ago. Car didn't move after I got home from the track until yesterday.

nothing to report, the nuts were tight.
 
#156 · (Edited)
Reviving this thread as I have a couple of questions...

1) my car has the early style track pack brace with the turn buckles. Do these turnbuckles need to be re-tightened at any point? Or is their sole purpose just to adjust the length of the brace to ensure the ends line up with the holes in the subframe?

2) I had a shop check the torque of the toe links a couple months ago. One was right at 60 nm and the other went about 1/4 turn. In future if I do this myself, if I were to put the torque wrench on there and find the nut turns some (say 1/2 or 1/4 turn), do I then need to undo the nut and re torque it from a loosened state?

OR can I simply set the torque wrench to 60Nm and attempt to tighten and if it does turn, do so until it's at the desired torque value and leave it at that?

(Only asking that as there were a few questions about whether you should undo the bolt first, it's just odd because in order to check if the torque setting is right in the first place, you have to do it up first!)

3) if I'm tracking the car recreationally with R comps or slicks, how often should I check the toe links (before and after every track day?) and what else needs to be checked? Do I need to check EVERY single fastener in the suspension system with a torque wrench before and after every track day? I am safety oriented but I'm not racing the car, just recreational track days and I don't have a hoist so checking ball joint torques for example can be difficult due to limited access.
 
#157 ·
Are Nordlocks an upgrade to a stock system? I have a NA Elise which I auto X and do a few track days each year. I run Toyo R1R tires. I am really wondering if for my use Nordlocks are enough and I don't need a brace.
 
#158 ·
Hi all,
Long long thread - read and no quite sure which is best way to go if you find your rear inner toe link loose / damaged on a stock 05 elise you intend to track at times:
A) replace inner toe link only with stock (torque at "increased" torque and check frequently after of course),
B) replace inner toe link only with upgrade X (sector 111, BOE,...),
C) replace entire toe link assembly with upgrade Y...?

I would think A or B shall suffice but wanted to pick brains from anyone here having experience


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#159 ·
most of the brace kits come with new links and rod ends... just replace it all and re-set the alignment in the rear.
 
#170 ·
Just upgraded my Elise to the Sector111 DSbrace

I built a fixture (ok two screws, 6 bolts, 4 washers) to hold a laser pointer so I could adjust the tow back to its original settings after replacing the links.

the fixture holds the laser pointer, the laser shines a dot onto the garage door.
Mark where the laser spot is, change the links, adjust the tow so the laser dot is back to the original spot.
 

Attachments

#174 ·
Old thread, but same topic.

Is there a reason not to use threadlocker with the flanged nut on the toe link threads? The flange isn't serrated, doesn't have a lockwasher, it isn't a nyloc nut, and there is no tab washer as in so many other places on the suspension. Lotus uses so many different ways to lock critical fasteners yet on this proven risky nut there's nothing. How about a touch of threadlocker before torquing to spec?
 
#175 ·
There is no spec for a lubricated torque. The spec is for dry torque, so you’ll have to de-rate. I’d just add some nord-loc washers instead, but mine have still come loose. I can’t confirm whether or not the PO used the correct torque when he added them, so I still just check the torque frequently
 
#176 ·
Then I wonder why Lotus didn't use a mechanical locking method, such as a tab washer and a non-flanged nut. That would keep things "dry" and still provide some insurance. The pivot bolts and nuts on the A-arms are done this way and have a torque spec.
 
#177 ·
Without having it in front of me (and having never owned my car with a stock toe link) I wonder if there just wasn't a good place for the tabbed washer? Is the stock nut possibly swaged? Personally, I'd just slap a pair of nord-locs on the bolt side and the nut side
 
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