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Hi all,
I'm new here because I've never owned a Lotus but always wanted one. I'm focused on finding a '05-'07-ish Elise.
Still shopping, but I called the local dealer and an independent shop that advertises they work on Lotus cars to ask if they could do a PPI when I locate a car. (They both can)
Then a surprise- the guy at the independent shop (which also does all the Italian exotics) mentioned in passing that a clutch replacement on the Elise was $7500 (ouch). I called the local Lotus dealer and he quoted $6500.
I wasn't expecting Lamborghini repair prices. Are these numbers what I should expect ?
The clutch job on an Elise/Exige is nowhere near that much. Expect from a reputable dealer or an indy shop to charge you normal figures....say in the ballpark of a grand or below.
Your mechanic may be thinking of the Evora that requires extensive labor to do the repair job. $4-6k is common since you have to pull the engine to replace the clutch in an Evora.
Even with that said...I'm 50k miles in and haven't had to do it on my Evora. With my Elise and aftermarket supercharger, still rocking the stock clutch with over 70k.
Thanks for the answers, guys...I was beginning to wonder if I had to re-think Lotus ownership.
Both the dealer and the indy shop told me the rear clamshell has to be pulled to do the clutch on an Elise, and it was 50+ hrs. of labor total. Does that sound right ?
Surely they aren't mixing up an Elise with an Evora (the Evora never came up in our conversations). The indy shop even mentioned and Elise clutch job was slightly more than a Lambo clutch.
That leaves me wondering who to look to in the Houston area for Lotus service however.
Hmm..my quick replies aren't getting posted. I may not know some rule, so I'll try "regular" reply
First, thanks much for the info in your replies.
both the indy shop and the dealer said the rear clamshell had to come off and the total labor was > 50 hrs. The Evora never entered the conversation so I'm assuming they weren't confusing the two cars.
Since then, I've also contacted half a dozen Lotus dealers across the U.S. asking for a ballpark estimate to do an Elise clutch replacement. A couple would not return my calls, and a couple others said they hadn't worked on an Elise for some years and didn't remember what it would cost. I'm in a seemingly endless text exchange with a couple more still trying to get an estimate.
The rear clam does not need to be removed. You can jack the rear up and remove an engine mount or something to drop the motor some. I've read how to DIY, but it's been a while.
A. You can change the clutch out without removing the clam, but it a real knuckle busting job. Have to remove motor mount and tilt the engine to slide the transmission off. Really a bear trying to slide back in.
B. Removing the clam is really not a big deal. Can even be done by one person if careful. Makes changing the clutch much easier. Also a good time to think about installing clam hinge.
C. In my opinion, it’s easier to completely remove the drivetrain to change the clutch then fuss with it in the car. Can also get to the dreaded u-tube in the coolant system. NOTE: for DIY you need the proper tools; ramps, jacks, jack stands, engine hoist to name a few.
D. The repair quotes seem extremely high, the parts aren’t that expensive even for upgrade clutch and flywheel.
E. Doing it yourself is a great way to learn about your car. Get a manual, go slow, double check each step and get a great sense of accomplishment.
Holy hell. At $7000 a pop, I'd learn to do nothing but clutches.
I'd buy a truck, some tools and a portable lift, and drive back and forth across the country.
Do 25 a year and I'd be clearing $175k for like maybe two months of work total, being diligent about scheduling.
It takes a whole week of 8 hour days to do one. I suspect that they also do things like change the water pump while in there. There is also cost for the materials.
While my post was kind of a joke, I suspect we're talking about different things since your own post indicated that an Elise/Exige clutch could be done in ~3 hours.
I can understand the Evora clutch being so expensive, given the labor and time required, but for a 3-hour job? Even with the cost of materials, that's still got to be a six-figure salary at $7k each doing just 25 a year.
Jeff, You can do this. There are many post with a step by step guide. Clam on no problem. There are some tools you will need such as a low lift transmission jack from harbor freight and a good set of pry bars to remove axle. Yes mine took 2 days but most of that time was waste manhandling the transmission to get it back in. With the jack it was 5 minutes. Also be sure to get new Flywheel bolts and clutch cover bolts from arp. Monkeywrench racing sells them.I will try to find the instruction posts. Do it yourself and be assured everything is done correctly Tommy
I have been with 3 different Lotus dealers, and we always charged the same..
- 10 hours labor (at $125/hr) - $1,250
- Parts (varies, depending on what you chose) - roughly $1,000
- Transmission fluid - (3 quarts, i usually use MT90 at $15-$20 -bottle) $60.00
Total - Roughly - $2,310.00
As much as it pains me to say it, removing the engine from the car is the easiest way to do it. You CAN slip the trans off the engine in situ but it requires tilting the engine a little bit which can be a bear, not to mention mating the trans back to the engine. It's certainly possible, but halfway through, you'll be wishing you'd just taken the engine out. For those with AC, this makes things a bit more complicated as you'll have to evacuate the refrigerant and then refill --- something that usually only shops are setup for.
I did this at home in my garage in Feb 2018 - installing the BWR ubertranny (and new clutch/flywheel). Taking my sweet-ole-time with lots of breaks it took me about 17 hours. I did pop my BOE clamhinge to disconnect things up top but it is certainly possible without doing so.
I swear six of those hours was on my back trying to power lift the transmission back up and getting it to align/set properly but that's my fault for not having a transmission jack or a helper.
Love the comments about becoming a full time Elise clutch replacer - I had the same thought, but not the experience to pull it off...
I might try this myself if it were needed since the car won't be needed as any kind of daily transportation. I have had a 1969 Alfa Romeo since 2003 and have done lots to it myself (like brake system, fuel system, suspension, electrical system all rebuilt) since Alfa was an orphaned brand for so long in the U.S. It was laid up for long periods as I taught myself how to do these things, but I have not done a clutch.
Those latest prices from T.J. and Shinoo in the $2000's seem a far more reasonable range of cost. Was that with the rear clam on ?
I'm sure I'll have other questions as I keep shopping for a car, but thanks again for the input. I like this board already !
If you can do suspension and brakes on a '69 Alfa you positively can do a clutch in an Elige. You'll want an engine hoist (or well placed rope into the garage roof truss, which is what I used last time)* and a small assortment of floor jacks, jack stands, scissor jacks, etc.
Once you've got the rear clam off it just doesn't look that bad.
*Why the rope? Well, I didn't really have room for an engine hoist when I was putting the drivetrain into the '92 Celica last fall. In that case, I jacked the front of the car way up, slid the engine under the engine bay, lowered the nose back down about a foot, Hooked hoist rope and come-along up to the lift hook on the head above the bellhousing, lifted the drivetrain off the ground, put the front of the car on a trolley jack and rolled it around until everything lined up, put it back on jack stands, then hoisted the drivetrain into the engine bay with the come along. It actually went very easily, and I think I prefer it to an engine hoist because you're right there looking at the lump as you lift it into place.
In an Elige you'd be going the other way (down instead of up) but the principle would hold: Hoist the drivetrain up in the air, roll the car under it, then lower it into place. Given how much lighter the 2ZZ is than the 5S, it would be easier than the Celica was.
When jacking on stands I put it up on a Tripod, 2 under jacking points in front, one in rear center of cross-member. Gives better access and is very stable.
Basically, you will end up jacking under the oil pan and removing the Driver's, Front, and Rear motor mounts(because they attach to the transmission)
Drain Trans fluid
Driver's Rear Suspension(DR)
Remove driver's side ebrake cable from same caliper(vise-grips and some muscle will slip it out)
Remove driver rear(DR) brake caliper (17 hex and 6mm allen) including 10mm nut holding brakeline to A-arm
Zip-tie caliper to upper control arm
Disconnect DR ABS connector
Remove DR brake disc
Remove 30mm axle nut.
Remove Axle(use plastic deadblow or brass hammer to knock axle back out of hub.
Use prybar or forks to remove CV/axle from transmission(this side has a snap-ring that has to be overcome)
Remove 2 bolts that hold driver rear lower control arm in chassis.
Remove 2 8mm Allen bolts that attach upper control arm to upright.
Use rubber mallet to tap Lower A-arm out of the chassis.
At this point only thing holding the entire assembly in the car is the upper shock bolt.
Remove upper shock bolt and take entire lower control arm, upright, and shock assembly out.
Passenger Rear(PR):
Goal here is to loosen the Upright enough to pull the axle out enough to free the transmission
Disconnect PR ABS connector
Remove passenger side 8mm Allen upright bolts
Remove Rear-most lower A-arm bolt(toe-link ball joint bolt)
Disconnect Brake line clamp on A-arm.
Remove 2 bolts that hold right side axle into bearing carrier
Pull the axle back enough that the carrier bearing clears its mount on the engine. The entire axle does not have to be removed.
Transmission:
Remove the 2 x 12mm hex that hold the clutch slave cylinder. (Pro-Tip: Stud these for MUCH easier installation).
Remove the 2 starter bolts - 14mm hex one on starter side, other on transmission. Let Starter hang out of the way.
Remove main bolt on front mount and remove mount from trans.
Remove mail bolt on rear mount and remove mount from trans.
With jack supporting the engine on the oil pan(use a board to prevent denting the pan), disconnect the driver's side motor mount from trans. Might be helpful to pull main bolt and remove that piece of the mount as well
Remove all other trans bolts except 2 main 17mm hex
Have trans jack or floor jack under the transmission as well
Lower the engine and trans assembly so that it hangs down and to the left. Often best way is to work both jacks a bit at a time. Ultimately it will hang down until there is no more room.
With the trans hanging and jack under it lightly touching or very close to the trans, remove the 2 remaining 17mm hex bolts at the top of the trans.
Slide the trans off of the clutch and onto the jack. You may need to lower the jack under the trans a bit.
Lower the jack and slide trans out under the driver's side of the car.
Remove Axle(use plastic deadblow or brass hammer to knock axle back out of hub.
Use prybar or forks to remove CV/axle from transmission(this side has a snap-ring that has to be overcome)
Transmission:
Remove the 2 x 12mm hex that hold the clutch slave cylinder. (Pro-Tip: Stud these for MUCH easier installation).
Having just removed my trans to ship to fzust I have a couple comments/questions.
I pulled the driver's axle out with the driver's rear lower contral arm and didn't pull the axle out of the hub. How big of a pain is this going to be to reinstall? I've pulled the axle out of the hub before and there is a cheap tool that works great (or you can rent it at an auto parts store for $0), it's a front wheel drive hub puller and worked well for me when the brass hammer didn't.
Can I stud the clutch slave cylinder with a factory supercharger? The brace on the supercharger also mounts to where the clutch slave cylinder mounts so that the clutch slave is sandwiched between the two and guessing if I install studs I'll have to remove that brace as well?
You can stud the slave cylinder even with that brace. Just remove the top bolt for install. Or throw the brace at the wall, either way.
Reinstall with the axle has always been easy enough for me. Just be very careful going through the axle seal not to dislodge the spring. I always replace the seal.
Thanks for the excellent info guys.
I'm feeling more at home already since this is just like the Alfa BB I've been on for years. People are more than happy to help !
I am going to save this thread for reference. stay tuned ….
I don't know where you're located but Harry at A1 in SoCal R&R a clutch on my 2008 S240 for less than $2K with OEM parts a few years ago.
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