| Author |
Message |
Craig Dewey (Craigfl)
Member
Username: Craigfl
Post Number: 436
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 11:27 am: | |
Forgot to mention, mine is a 328 and uses the later double lip seal... |
Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Intermediate Member
Username: 91tr
Post Number: 1007
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 11:00 am: | |
Mitchell -- you definitely should retorque the cyl. head nuts IMO -- BTDT GTTS -- at ~1K miles post-top end restore my ex-308 definitely needed it (and recheck the valve clearances while you're there). With regard to the dist seal surface condition, the usual problem is that they get over-polished by the seal with use. Ideally, you'd want a true cylindrical shape with a fine ground (not mirror-polished) finish so doing some fine-hand roughing with 600~1000 grit in the polished area wouldn't hurt IMO -- perhaps on one of the lip seal manf. websites (G&T, Federal Mogul, etc.) you could find some running surface condition recommendations. Here's something from B&S (see page 11):
http://busakshamban.polymersealing.com/pdf/cat_radialoil_001.pdf?br=2&im=&er=2
(you'll need to cut and paste this yourself since I added it as an edit) |
Mitchell Minh Le (Yelcab1)
Member
Username: Yelcab1
Post Number: 336
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 10:46 am: | |
Steve, the oil seems to be coming out from the ID. I reached in to feel the cam area there and did not feel a ridge or a groove with my finger. But, I did not have that part of the cam polished either so .... And yes, the seal is single lip.
I am contemplating removing the valve covers and retorquing all the head nuts anyway. This maybe another opportunity to have the cam polished at that one spot. I am not sure if that will do it though. What do you think? |
Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Junior Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 225
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 9:54 am: | |
Actually, I did not change the seals when I serviced the car - maybe I should have. But I figured the part is easy to get at so I could always do it later if I had to. When I removed them, the seals remained in the distributor plate. I just kind of screwed the plate off, then back on when the time came to reinstall. I have a couple of hundred miles on them and have not noticed leakage. But I have not checked in several weeks. There is no oil on floor and pan is dry. But I have not wiped my fingers across the lowest portion of the distributor. Mine have the backward pumping grooves. Putting the seal on backwards would really cause a mess..... |
Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Intermediate Member
Username: 91tr
Post Number: 1006
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 9:50 am: | |
Mitchell -- Where is the leak? -- at the OD of the seal or the ID? What was/is the condition of the surface the seal rides on? My recollection is that the 308 dist seal is not the more modern double-lip type with backward-pumping grooves, but just a single-lip type -- is that right?, have they changed it? If it is a single-lip and the area where the seal rides is super-polished and a little wavy it could be "pumping" oil out at the ID even though there seems to be 360 deg contact...just a thought... |
Mitchell Minh Le (Yelcab1)
Member
Username: Yelcab1
Post Number: 335
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 9:18 am: | |
I installed mine onto the "distributor plate" and then popped that on the cam shaft. Then, I put the distributor on. So, the seal has to be pushed straight in, without any ability to turn them gingerly. The 1-4 side is holding, the 5-8 side is leaking really bad. I need to fix that before I want to drive it any distance.
Did not notice a spring on mine either. But it is for a 75 GT4 |
Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Junior Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 222
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 6:56 am: | |
Mine don't have a spring on them. Is the spring type an upgrade? I just put motor oil on mine and sort of gingerly "screwed" each on. Neither is leaking at the moment. |
Craig Dewey (Craigfl)
Member
Username: Craigfl
Post Number: 435
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 6:34 am: | |
You also need to be careful the little circular spring that provides lip pressure doesn't pop off from inside the lip if installed without a tool. Rolling the lip over the shaft can cause that. That's why the tool (or a homemade tool) is best. |
Henryk (Henryk)
Junior Member
Username: Henryk
Post Number: 203
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 6:37 pm: | |
The back side of the oil seal is being "curled under" by a ridge on the shaft, as it is inserted. This cannot be seen, because the front of the seal is hiding this activity, as it goes in. Hence the seal looks OK from the outside, yet the inner lip of the seal is curled over.
I did this on a 328, and had to buy a special Ferrari tool. It is a tapered round shaft with a center hole in it to go over the cam shaft. The seal is inserted onto this tube......this then is placed over the cam shaft, and held there, while the seal is slipped onto the cam shaft.....without bending the inner lip. Once the seal is inserted, the tool is removed, and NO LEAKS!!!!! I heard that one can install the seal without this tool, but it is pure luck, if you get it right. |
Edward G. Salla (350hpmondial)
Junior Member
Username: 350hpmondial
Post Number: 152
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 6:16 pm: | |
I always grease them with Black Moly Grease and rub enough grease in behind the seal to ensure a good seal. No leaks on mine at 62k mi. |
Mitchell Minh Le (Yelcab1)
Member
Username: Yelcab1
Post Number: 333
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 5:52 pm: | |
I have identified a leak at the 5-8 distributor/cam shaft seal. The o-ring in the center is holding but the oil seal is not. Leaks like a sieve. It is a new seal. WHat is the trick to install this thing? THe 1-4 side is holding very tight. |