Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi

What's this o-ring called? It goes between the front upright and the plate that mounts the dust shield. I think it's there to prevent grease escaping but I am not sure where to get them from. I need two. The Lotus diagram doesn't show it very well, but it is on the Triumph schematic:

https://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/ProductIma ... 008048.gif

I think it is the part labelled 138051. Rimmer charge more for postage than they do for the parts - is there an alternative (cheaper) supplier?

Also there is another part right behind it labelled 138559. I do not have this part on my uprights, should I be concerned?

Is it not a felt ring rather than an O'ring ?

+1 felt ring with a sheet metal ring stuck to it which gets in the way.
I seem to remember throwing the sheet metal ring in the bin and coating the felt ring with lots of grease.
I'm not so sure my memory is correct
Alan

Yes its a rubber "O" ring but I think it was only fitted on early Lotus cars (could be wrong though) .....maybe a Chapman weight saving exercise
The felt seal fits into a metal ring pressed into the hub.
BTW. the felt seal supplied these days is sometimes too thick and causes the wheel to go tight even with careful wheel bearing adjustment.....a search of the archives should bring up these problems.

I think it's there to stop any water getting into the bearing. Run a bead of silicone around the upright and it will do the same job.
cheers Alan P.

The sealing ring is also used on the plus 2. see photo's in this thread lotus-suspension-f42/front-suspension-assembly-t19004.html#p105353.
Part number 138051 is the correct part.
Part number 138559 is a steel collar that fits onto the hub to act as a shield for the felt seal. I have not seen this fitted to either of the plus two's that I have owned...nor is it fitted to the Caterham.
Canley Classics are another supplier that you might try , but their postage rates appear to be similar to Rimmers!
Brian.

Yes, that's the one, and my shield mount plate is that shape too. Great!

Off to order a pair from Robber Bros.

This seal actually has a rectangular cross section, not round. I had a devil of a time finding the correct replacement. In an industrial supply catalogue I finally found two rings of square cross section that nest one inside the other and duplicate the rectangular section of the original seal. I am away from my notes right now but will post again later with the seals I found. My application is for a +2 with the larger axle diameter so my findings might not be correct for an earlier Elan with the small diameter axle.

Mine's the same, Russ.

So, I ordered some from somewhere and got O rings (circular cross section). I will fit them with a little silicone or grease to hold them in place while I tighten the bolts. Should be ok.