Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

IMHO the reason No1 Ex is out, when set on the bench, as compaired to on a fully built engine is because of the chain tension.
On the bench the cam is free to lift when the feeler is inserted but on a built engine the chain is pulling the cam down. Just my HO.

I would also add the from a fresh engine I check the tappets at <250 mls then at 500 mls, and only adjust them if they are too close. I then set them all at 1000 mls.
Cheers
John

ElanDNA wrote:

john.p.clegg wrote:That's odd,mine have been good for the past fifteen years or so.....some silicon took days to go off but am well pleased with mine

John

Hello John
In the late 80's, I've done it like you.
Then, in a few of sleepless nights, I've generated a new solution:

O-Ring1.jpg

O-Ring2.jpg

O-Ring3.jpg

O-Ring4.jpg

Only once changed in 24 Years. Greetings Urs

Urs

I really like your solution!

One (big) question, how did you machine the groove?
I have contemplated the same idea but ensuring the groove is the correct depth over such a large area looks to be a challenge.

Ian

Sorry to continue the thread drift but that does look a great solution.
I guess a cad drawing and a cnc router would do the job. Next project looming!!!
First I would need to get the cam cover flat.
Any suggestions on that one.
Maybe a new thread?
Dougal.

My cam cover was anything but flat. Took a while (I'm a little slow on the uptake) to figure out why I could not stop the leaks. Eventually, I took some contact cement and sprayed in on a metal table, to which I glued 4 sheets of wet or dry sandpaper. Using a figure 8 motion, I sanded the mating surface of the cam cover. That revealed just how out of flat it was. Cleaned things up with brake cleaner, and applied some JB Weld. The sand paper had been replaced with some cling wrap (Glad) on which I laid the cam cover. A little weight on the top of the cover helped flatten out the JB Weld. After sitting overnight, the cling wrap easily pealed off the cover and new sheets of sandpaper were glued down. Back to the figure 8 movement and the flatness of the cam cover was restored. Since then, 11 years ago, I have no leaks. I used a firm setting gasket sealer on one side of a cork gasket, then applied to the cover, then set the cover back on the head. Let that sit overnight and applied some Hylomar blue to the other side and secured the cover to the head.

Another trick I tried was to bin the original washer seals under the securing nuts. I took a 1/2" round of aluminum and chucked it up in the lathe. Bored a 1/4" hole in the center the counter bored with a 3/8" end mill to captivate a Viton O ring prior to parting them off. The counter bore depth was a little over half of the thickness of the O ring. The new seals also have not leaked in 11 years.

The only place I get a notice of oil mist is from the oil cap. The original rubber gasket was replaced, but it still leaked a slight amount. Even tired one from a Datsun. Could not find a slightly thicker piece of rubber to cut a new gasket, as the next thickness was too thick and I couldn't close the cap. Wound up using a thin piece of cardboard between the gasket and the cap. This took a couple of tries, but it has reduced the misting to about a once a year cleanup with a quick spray of brake clean .