Creaking spax bad news?

I admit this might be a SILLY question. The offside Spax seems to be creaking quite a bit over speed bumps, but it doesn’t feel too soft, should I worry or could it just be worn rubber bushes in the front suspension?

And also: What the hell is wrong with my twink, after getting the car last year, it doesn’t seem to use ANY OIL ! ! ! ! !? !? !? !? :open_mouth: This is completely strange to me after two Triumphs with continuous top-ups needed. I do drive very nicely, but have occasional bursts of mad high rpm sprints. The two engine rebuilds the PO did, specially the last one, must have been very very good! :smiley:

TOUCH WOOD.

Thor,

If you’re that worried about it not using oil… swop with mine !!
You’ll never be worried again!!!

Regards,
Stuart.

Spax Bad News :laughing:

Thor, Have you tried a quick squirt around with something like WD-40 to see if you can temporarily stop the noise. If you spray each part it turn you should be able to find out exactly what is squeeking. Could it be a wishbone bush?

On the oil consumption thing, it seems some twinks do and some don’t. I have known professionally built engines (at huge expense) which drink oil and others with fairly high mileages which do not.

You are just lucky I guess :slight_smile:

Or my dipstick is the wrong length…hehehe :laughing:

The WD40 trick is good, I’ll try it.

The dipstick length won’t make any difference. It’s just a measure against which usage can be guaged.

Me?.. I’m still working out whether the dipstick level drops faster than the fuel guage.

I’m convinced oil is winning hands down, so maybe my twinc is truly just running on oil and simply using the fuel tank for a little extra rear ballast.

Probably just forget the Optimax, plug the fuel line, and fill the tank with water.

Nope, that’d just rust the tank. Stupid. I’ll try sand. Half-full, maybe?

Regards.

Sometimes the shrouds catch on the springs and squeak a bit, assuming you have the shrouds of course!

WD-40 usually does the trick

Creaking is usually a sign of metal to metal movement.

Check the bottom damper bush and the inner wishbone bushes are firmly clamped on their inner metal sleeve. Movement should only be via twisting of the rubber part of the bushes.

Thor,

You are not alone. I too have a worringly low oil consumption engine! It was re-built by Osselli in 1990 to their “motoway spec” bottom end specification (basically lightened and balanced) when the car had covered about 50,000 miles. It has now done 85,000 and uses less than 1litre of oil between 2,000 mile oil changes. This includes drives to the south of France and back in mid-summer.

It leaks nicely though and the front dampers also squeak when hot and dry.

Ian

[quote=“thor”]
I admit this might be a SILLY question. The offside Spax seems to be creaking quite a bit over speed bumps, but it doesn’t feel too soft, should I worry or could it just be worn rubber bushes in the front suspension?

Thor,
No Silly questions only silly answers!
I reckon your Spax are suffering the same fate as my brand new ones just fitted. I have spoken to Spyder about this and Andy Widnall reckons this is a common thing due to the length of the front spring. It tends to distort slightly and rub on the damper body.
I cured mine ( probably only temporarily) by removing the spring and fitting two lots of large electrical heatshrink rubber tubing over the body of the damper and refitting the spring. ( P.S. my boss doesnt know I took it from the workshop) but you can get some from RS or Farnell the electrical / electronic retailers.
Regards
Jeff

my 72 elan sprint coupe doesnt burn oil nor does it leak it…hmmm maybe my elan is having an identity crisis and doesnt know its a lotus

Thor & Jeff,

Coincidentally I discovered that it was the spring rubbing on the damper tube on my car this weekend! A spot of grease has (temporarily) cured the noise!

Ian

aha, I’ll try the grease bit on monday as I’m doing some servicing then. Trunnions, they take gear oil not grease, right?

:open_mouth: Don’t start that one again :unamused:

so that’s gear oil then? :smiley:

If you believe in the Lotus manual use gear oil. If you believe in basic lubrication theory use Grease.

In the end it probably makes no difference. Its sort of like religion and a question of faith.

Rohan

You race your cars don’t you, what do you use?

I have always used grease in both my race Elan and road Plus 2.

Why ?

Easier to put in as its in my grease gun already and pumps properly

Grease is actually designed for low speed lubrication as found in a trunnion, gear oil is designed for the higher speed of rubbing gear surfaces

It does not leak out as easily or let water in as easily given the rudimentary seal on the top of the trunnion and crude pressed in lower closing plate

It purges itself better when changing it as it plug flows out of the trunnion bringing any water contamination with it ( even if its messier to clean up)

I have never had any problems in 30 years using grease in terms of trunnion wear (but then lots of people can say the same about using oil)

Like I say it depends on what you believe in

Rohan

I’ve seen the light Rohan…

Thor,

If it helps I was an oil user, then I had Miles Wilkins change the chassis on my car and I found grease in both the new trunnions and the steering rack. His response was similar to Rohan’s. I also read about a steering rack restorer in one of the clasic car mags a couple of years ago and they put grease rather than oil in. Applying grease to Trunnions isn’t as much fun as there are no jets of gear oil to dodge/ ruin clothes with etc. I believe Miles used Duckhams Keenol grease which is waterproof and used in outboard motor drives etc.

Ian

fantastic. I’ll do this monday. Any idea if I need to buy a flexible pipe for the side action grease pump (it now has a fixed angled pipe) to get access? I don’t want to find this out when I’m in the garage with the car up on stands…