QUESTION
This weekend I noticed that on my Lotus Elan S4 there is an oil leak at the rear hub from the bottom of the strut.
My local mechanic did all this work and in his notes on the bills he says that he rebuilt the strut and refilled with oil.
I read into that, that is what he did as there is no cost on the account for a new strut insert.
I seem to remember that on my first Elan that there is an insert strut process to replace the original.
Are these the shock absorber inserts you offer?
M.C - New South Wales
ANSWER
Your mechanic is correct if he has refilled the strut with oil
This ensures heat generated by the shock absorber insert is dissipated to the external strut casing
However, it sounds as if he may have overfilled the strut
You only need about a cupful of oil to fill the air gap
If the strut has been completely filled then the oil will expand when its gets warn and force its way out of the top of the struts
I suggest you clean the strut so its free of oil and then periodically inspect to determine where the oil is coming from
Copyright © 2019 Lotus Marques
This weekend I noticed that on my Lotus Elan S4 there is an oil leak at the rear hub from the bottom of the strut.
My local mechanic did all this work and in his notes on the bills he says that he rebuilt the strut and refilled with oil.
I read into that, that is what he did as there is no cost on the account for a new strut insert.
I seem to remember that on my first Elan that there is an insert strut process to replace the original.
Are these the shock absorber inserts you offer?
M.C - New South Wales
ANSWER
Your mechanic is correct if he has refilled the strut with oil
This ensures heat generated by the shock absorber insert is dissipated to the external strut casing
However, it sounds as if he may have overfilled the strut
You only need about a cupful of oil to fill the air gap
If the strut has been completely filled then the oil will expand when its gets warn and force its way out of the top of the struts
I suggest you clean the strut so its free of oil and then periodically inspect to determine where the oil is coming from
Copyright © 2019 Lotus Marques