rear wheel bearings

[reb53]

By “wrong” I mean that after giving all the information/numbers as to what I was after, I was assured they had them.
When they duly turned up they were different enough, in one dimension or another, ( I can’t remember which), that they were unusable.
As in, “wrong”.

[rgh0]

The Anglia / Mk1 Cortina bearings are 16mm wide outer race. The Mk2 Cortina / Escort bearings are what the Elan used in the Type 18 strut and is 21 mm wide outer race.

cheers
Rohan

[ncm]

Usually these bearings fail because of lubricant failure. The grease dries out.

Having bought new-old-stock Ford bearings that must be at least 45 years old to avoid any possibility of quality problems should I pull the seals to replace the original grease?

Brian.

[2cams70]

Having bought new-old-stock Ford bearings that must be at least 45 years old to avoid any possibility of quality problems should I pull the seals to replace the original grease?

If they are still in their original packaging they are probably OK. They mostly dry out in service. It's probably risker trying to remove the seals as you could damage them as they aren't designed to be replaced. If it were me provided they turn smoothly and with a bit of resistance I'd just install as is.

[ncm]

Having bought new-old-stock Ford bearings that must be at least 45 years old to avoid any possibility of quality problems should I pull the seals to replace the original grease?

If they are still in their original packaging they are probably OK. They mostly dry out in service. It's probably risker trying to remove the seals as you could damage them as they aren't designed to be replaced. If it were me provided they turn smoothly and with a bit of resistance I'd just install as is.

Thanks for the response.
They are still boxed and in their original wrappings.

Brian.

[StressCraxx]

Overall I will agree with 2Cams. When you remove the bearings from their wrappings, if the packaging is soaked with leaking oil, it's likely the oil has separated from the thickener and the oil has leaked out leaving only thickener in the bearing. This is not uncommon with really old distributor stock.

When I worked for SKF, there were specific requirements how the bearings were stored on the distributor shelf (box horizontal flat on the shelf with the part number facing the viewer). There was also a sell by date code on the box to prevent the above grease separation occurring before installation.

If your bearings are shielded(code 2ZZ), they do little to prevent ingress of dirt or water because of the clearance between the edge of the shield and the outer race. They barely retain the grease during operation. 2RS (Rubber Seal) is preferred.

There are different classes of internal clearance as specified by the ABMA. Most distributors stock the C3 (loose) clearance bearings because they run cooler than the closer clearance bearings and will tolerate a higher interference fit on the shaft.

[rgh0]

To add to this threadt, here is my list of alternatives for the Elan Issue 18 rear strut bearings


Rear Inner need ensure variant with 2 rubber seals
RHP 1LG30 may also be 1/LG30
SKF 415662C earlier B suffix obsolete, may be obsolete now also
FBJ 411546R
FAG 508796
Timken 2742 kit includes spacer for Mk2 Cortina, i dont know actual bearing number

Notes: Used on mk2 Cortina & escorts rear, Toyota corolla borg warner axle 74-83
vauxhall viva 64-67 gemini Tx and TC 75-78, torana HB,LC,LJ,TA 67-74

Rear Outer
SKF 6206 - 2RS the worlds most common bearing !
and others


Cheers
Rohan

[skyarch]

I just removed the rear hub assembly from my S3.
I used the SJ removal tool for the hub, worked right away! Then heated the hub in an oven to 150 degrees F., removed the axel after making up a wood stand to place the hot hub on, then the inner and outer bearings, the inner didn't have the rubber seal, does that date it? The axel is in good shape.

So that leaves the new bearings to be installed. BUT....before that happens...
I was told, (by a local Elan Guru), that there is a factory update for a modification to the axel keyway that prevents cracking. I haven't seen the bulletin but was shown that the inner end of the keyway slot has to be modified.
Can anyone share more information about this? Or a copy of the update?

[snowyelan]

Not sure its a 'factory' mod, but the Dave Bean catalogue shows how to do it. Well worth the cost as it contains a lot of other info.

[Baggy2]

Like so many things there are counterfeit bearings being sold. When you consider the work involved to change the bearing, the cost of the bearing is often insignificant. Try to buy a recognised brand ie SKF.

+1 to that. I'm just in the process of replacing rear wheel bearings bought from one of the standard UK Lotus parts suppliers. They had lasted less than 3000 miles. With replacement being such a PITA job cheap bearings can be a false economy.

Just my two penneth

Baggy

[MACCA.GLM]

I have to say guys I only wanted the bearing numbers.

As a retired mc tool engineer I know about quality bearings and not to buy names of unknown quality (SKF RHP FAG FAFNIR ) are the best, maybe more, but I have to say the response to this question has been remarkable from people all over the world.

Lotus elan.net I take my hat off to you. So good to be part of it

Cheers G