S1 locking wheel nuts - what should I have?

[zebedee]

I've never used these, but there has always been a red cap in the hole on the chassis member in the front (or it might not be a 'cap', it looked like one.

Anyway, I noticed it was missing and all there is in there is a hex bolt thing with 2 spiggots on it on the inside - kind of a concave dome shape with these 2 spiggots in it. But the locking nut on the wheel has a kind of fake screwdriver 'slot' on it and is otherwise totally circular, so no socket type thing is ever going to turn it. Only thing I can think of is that the screwdriver slot thing is a kind of cover that you have to take off and either the 'cap' or something else that should have been contained undeer it, but is now missing is needed as part of the process to get the locking wheel nut off...

Can anyone help?

[Thorburn]

I think the red cap thing is just a tool for removing the locking wheel nut cover which clips over it. Mine doesn't have locking wheel nuts but does have that little tool in the front.

IF you have original Rover locking wheel nuts then the key pattern is printed on to the nut and you can order a replacement key from EliseParts: http://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/76/730/s1-...

[Esprit]

The red cap should be pressed into a black plastic "tube" thingy that's about 3" long. The locking nut should sit underneath the red cap for stowage in the back of the black plastic tube.

The black plastic tube thingy has prongs/clips on one end, this is to remove the caps over the locking nuts. You simply press it over the locking nut cap (the ones with the fake screwdriver slot) and then pull back to remove the cap, and the locking nut will work on the nut underneath. The locking nut cap simply presses back on afterwards.

Whatever you do, don't clip it over one of the non-locking nuts as those caps don't pull off and the only way you'll get the black plastic tube thingy out is to smash it

[zebedee]

thanks for the advice, seems I do have the tube after all, I thought it was part of the chassis member itself rather than a part that comes off, but all good, so the cap does nothing other than keep things in place (and any manouevre that leads to the locking nut coming out of the tube will lead to far more serious issues than finding the nut again!)