Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Dear Elan Front Hub Experts:

I've just finished replacing the front bearings and races in my '69 S4 DHC. I've used one of those "plunger" type tubs to pack grease into the bearings and everything is ready to reassemble.

I've received very good advice on packing the bearings, but what I'm still a bit uncertain of is how much grease to put into the space of the hubs between the inner and outer bearings.

Bryan Buckland's book says "make sure there is enough grease in the hub." The Workshop Manual makes it clear from the following diagram there is suppose to be "grease" in that space, but the text gives no instruction on how much:

Should I pack the space full of grease, or what?

For what it's worth, I'm using Nilos hub bearing seals from Dave Bean and not using the felt seals.I look forward to seeing how that works.

Thanks in advance for your guidance,

John

Hi John, I was taught to fill the hub to an imaginary line between the two bearing cups with the cone roller races removed. This allows for some expansion of the grease. Naturally, the bearings are carefully packed with grease, never had a problem, several hundreds of repacks later!
Alan P.

Panda wrote:Hi John, I was taught to fill the hub to an imaginary line between the two bearing cups with the cone roller races removed. This allows for some expansion of the grease. Naturally, the bearings are carefully packed with grease, never had a problem, several hundreds of repacks later!
Alan P.

Yes I normally do the same.

I have used the Dave Bean Nilos seals for many years with no problems and it makes access to the adjusting nuts on the hubs easier with bolt on hubs as you dont need the end caps.

cheers
Rohan

Thanks Alan and Rohan, Got it.

The Nilos were a snap installing. Looking forward to seeing their performance, which I expect to be very good.

Regards,

John