Lotus Elise / Lotus Exige. Manual - part 15

         

        

Lotus Service Notes                                  Section BR

Page 14

Door beam pivot bearings

The door beam hinge uses two maintenance free ’top hat’ section synthetic bearings, pressed into the

hinge stator bracket.  Inside each bearing, is fitted a ‘top hat’ section steel rotor bush, clamped to the door
beam extension by an M10 cap head screw threaded into the door beam.

The door beam extension also incorporates a cheek flange which abuts against a rubber strip on the

hinge bracket to limit door opening angle.  A spring steel plate fixed to the front of the hinge bracket is designed
to engage around the profiled edge of the door beam abutment flange when the door is fully open, in order to
provide a sprung restraint for the door in this position.  A plastic shoe is used over the sliding surface of the
spring plate to provide for maintenance free operation, with the shoe moulding clamped between the spring
plate and chassis.  To help protect the hinge mechanism from water and dirt ingress, a plastic shield is push
fitted over the retaining nuts for the spring plate.

To remove the door assembly, or for access to the door pivot components, the two M10 cap head rotor

bush retaining screws should be removed, and the door assembly withdrawn from the hinge bracket. The rotor
bushes and/or bearings may then be withdrawn from the hinge bracket.  On re-assembly, note that the bearings
and bushes are assembled dry from above and below the upper and lower housings respectively, and the cap
head screws tightened to 45 Nm.  Insert the rubber bungs into the bush ends to inhibit dirt ingress and corro-
sion.

Door shell to

Tapping plate

beam fixing

Shim plate

Chassis
outrigger

Dirt shield

Door beam
(hinge rotor)

Door restraint
spring plate

Plastic shoe

Hinge bracket

      b243b

(stator)

         

        

Lotus Service Notes                                  Section BR

Page 15

BR.10 - DOOR SHELL ASSEMBLY

The door shell is mounted on the door beam via three screws through a flange at the front end of the

beam, and by the door latch mounting bracket at the rear end. In order to provide fixing points for the beam,
lock mechanism and other components, the door shell includes various tapping plates and brackets jig bonded
to the inside of the shell, including fixing brackets for the accurate location of the window guide rails.

If a door is to be removed from the car, the preferred method is to release the M10 cap head screws

clamping the upper and lower bushes to the door beam. The beam and door shell assembly may then be
withdrawn from the hinge stator bracket without losing adjustment of the hinge alignment and door shutlines.  If
the door shell has to be removed from the beam for repairs or replacement, the beam may be left ’in situ’ and
the door shell slid off the beam using the following procedure:

Removal of door shell from beam

The door shell is secured to the beam via three screws through a flange at the front end of the beam,

tapping into nut plates bonded into the door shell, and via two bolts at the rear end of the door to the door beam
extension bracket.  Access to the two bolts securing the extension bracket to the door beam requires that the
door glass first be released:
1.

Remove the window winder handle and door trim panel (manual windows) or the door trim panel and
window switch (electric windows).

2.

Release the three screws securing the interior release handle, and unclip the control rod from the mecha-
nism.

3.

Remove the two M6 and the single M8 screw securing the door beam flange to the front of the door shell

4.

Release the three M6 nuts securing the door glass to the lift channel, and separate the glass from the
channel. Tilt the glass as necessary to allow access to the two M8 bolts fixing the rear end of the door
beam to the extension bracket. Remove the bolts and withdraw the door assembly from the beam.
Note that it is necessary to remove the drop glass waist seal before the glass may be withdrawn from the
door.

Rubber bung

Rotor bush

Plastic bearing

Door beam/
hinge rotor

Stator bracket

Cap head screw

Hinge bracket
fixings

        b244

         

        

Lotus Service Notes                                  Section BR

Page 16

When refitting the door, take care not to scratch the glass if this is contained in the door.  Insert the two

rear bolts securing the beam to the latch bracket, but do not tighten until the three fixings securing the front of
the shell to the beam flange have been fitted and tightened.

BR.11 - DOOR GLASS, GUIDE RAILS & WINDER MECHANISM - Manual Windows

A manually operated door window scissor type lift mechanism is used in conjunction with two steel guide

rails and a ’frameless’ door design.

The operating principle of the window lift mechanism is that of a scissor linkage, with the front lower end

of the primary leg anchored to the door shell, the lower end of the secondary leg sliding in a horizontal channel
on the door shell, and the upper ends of both legs sliding in a channel fixed to the bottom edge of the window.
The geometry of the system provides for a parallel lift of the glass, where the angle of the bottom edge does not
change throughout the range of travel.  An extension to the primary scissor leg carries a toothed sector which
is engaged by a pinion on the window winder.  The front and rear edges of the glass are guided by steel rails
which engage with point contact Nylon guide blocks bonded to the glass.  The bottom ends of the rails are
adjustable in/out to set the inward tilt of the glass, with the 'up' glass position controlled by an eccentric stop on
the winder mechanism.

Door glass adjustment

To adjust the door glass for optimum weather sealing and ease of operation:

1.

Fit the soft top roof and fully raise the window.  Check the alignment of the top edge of the glass against
the seal, and the seal compression along the cant rail and up the 'A' and 'B' posts.  A light compression is
required; just sufficient to ensure sealing, without imposing loads on the winder mechanism.

2.

To adjust the inward tilt of the glass, screw the adjusters at the bottom of each guide rail in or out as
necessary.  Access is available without removing the door trim panel.  Check that the window glass
moves freely throughout the range of travel.

Beam to extension

Door beam

Captive

Door beam

bracket fixing

extension

fixing

flange

bracket

Door
beam

Door shell to
extension
bracket fixing

Door shell to
beam fixing

      b245a

         

        

Lotus Service Notes                                  Section BR

Page 17

Door glass
lift channel

Nylon guide
block

Door glass

Guide rail

Scissor

Door

Steel guide

tilt

top fixing

linkage

glass

rail

Adjuster

Handle pinion

screw

Reaction

Toothed sector

channel

Threaded
block fixed

Door

to rail

anchorage
point

      b285a

Threaded block
fixed to door shell