Airbox Seals

[jkolb]

There is an Elan airbox seal listed on eBay (Lotus Parts). I have ordered one and will report on its quality when I receive it.

Jerry

[jkolb]

Thanks, but I resent the condescending tone of your reply. If you will check on earlier threads with respect to this part, you will find that the problem is pretty universal, and some of the fixes have been pretty strange. I am relatively new to Lotus land and just trying to be helpful. Thus the offer to report on the quality. Insofar as ugly is concerned, ugly is the inside of an engine that has been turned to junk by abrasive material getting into the engine through the carbs. I can live with a seal that is not black.

Jerry

[marcfuller]

Gasket: A static seal made from deformable material and compressed between surfaces to prohibit the entry of water, dust, etc

From my perspective the problem with the Lotus airbox is in trying to get a good seal between an aged, light weight fiberglass cover and the sheet metal backplate with only one bolt. Yes, there are many materials to make a seal from other than silicon foam, but they are too hard to form a reliable seal without overstressing the cover and backplate and/or having to use secondary fasteners, tape, wire, cords etc.

The circumference of the cover is almost 40". To provide an even pressure on the seal for that length with one fastener requires a very deformable material such as closed cell foam. Solid neoprene and similar materials with a typical hardness similar to a tire (Shore 60A) will last a much longer time but at the expense of having a good seal and/or the airbox cover integrity.

Silicon foam has good temp tolerance range from -100 to +400 F and ok resistance to oil (there is a lot of silicone under the bonnet from plug wires to hoses) but it will breakdown if continually wet from fuel. Of course, fuel wet areas represent many other potential problems that need to be immediately addressed.