| Author | Message | ||
| Paul Hill (348paul)
Member Username: 348paul Post Number: 372 Registered: 12-2002 |
Bill, If you do find another seal make sure it is a Viton type seal. Do you know the size of the seal? For the last year I have been supplying a few local F-shops with a Simrit Viton Seal for the 348 and have had no report of failures. Of course as it has been said before - the fitting is the critical operation. (And also close inspection of the journal it seals against!) The 348 seal size is 50-65-8 Paul | ||
| Kurt Kjelgaard (Kurtk328)
Junior Member Username: Kurtk328 Post Number: 212 Registered: 3-2001 |
Haven't tried it but yep, looks that simple. The strange traverse thing going down to the left from the extension in the picture is part of the special tool. Apparently it transfers the shock when caulking the pin to the engine casing to avoid ruining camshaft/bearings. | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 161 Registered: 2-2003 |
If I read this correctly the you do not have to pull the cam out to do this? One person posted that you had to pull the cam out and have a machine shop do it. This looks like you knock the pin out, pry the extension out, then put the new one in? Is it that simple? Thanks | ||
| Brian Wasinger (Bpwasi)
New member Username: Bpwasi Post Number: 40 Registered: 3-2003 |
Kurt, Thanks for the information. I have determined that my seal around the rotor is leaking. The bulletin listed all the information I needed for the repair. Bill, Same as you, I believe my other seal installations were probably fine. | ||
| Kurt Kjelgaard (Kurtk328)
Junior Member Username: Kurtk328 Post Number: 211 Registered: 3-2001 |
Go to http://ferrari.jenkins.org/books/ Find the "328 Technical Specifications, Publications List, Recall Campaign, Service Bulletin Index" document. Check out Service Bulletin 10-15. It adresses this exact problem. | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 160 Registered: 2-2003 |
Ok I found potentially better seals. Car Quest part numbers SLS 1172 and SLS 223340. (Spent an hour at their regional warehouse with a micrometer) One is just like the stock black rubber but slightly tighter on the cam and with a "hyrolock" seal edge. The other is brownish neopreme. Regardless if they are better they are only $6. Turns out I cranked my car with that distributor off (running on 4) and the seal is not leaking. The oil was coming out around the rotor. So it is this discussed cam rubber seal problem and probably both my seal installations were fine... ( JRV  - it's not so tough) | ||
| Brian Wasinger (Bpwasi)
New member Username: Bpwasi Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2003 |
Mentioning about the part that holds the rotor on and is bonded by rubber is interesting. I have replaced the seal on my 86 TR twice with no luck of stopping the leak. Mine calls for a spacer and I was going to try that but I have also noticed that my same part that holds the rotor on has some play in it and by lightly twisting it I can create a gap between the part and the rubber. Could this be the true leak? Is the part pressed on? Can it be removed and repaired without removing the cam? Thanks | ||
| Verell Boaen (Verell)
Intermediate Member Username: Verell Post Number: 1061 Registered: 5-2001 |
Bill, I think I may remember the post you're thinking about. Someone was suggesting replacing the stock nitrile(black) rubber seal with a viton(brown) rubber seal. Viton is a premium seal material. Better temp, solvent, & abrasion resistance. Since I'd just dropped new nitrile seals in, I don't remember the specifics. | ||
| Craig Dewey (Craigfl)
Member Username: Craigfl Post Number: 660 Registered: 1-2001 |
All I remember is that the latest change was from a single lip seal to a double lip seal. Because it's a wider seal, there was a machining change to a part so that both lips still rode on the shaft. References: http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/113245.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/237321.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/112/301000.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/76521.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/103748.html | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 156 Registered: 2-2003 |
BTW, Verell, I know the spring is in place. The spring was in place on the one I took out that was leaking also. I thought the same thing - that the spring had popped out was the reason I replaced it a second time but it was there when I took it out. No one remebers the post about the better than stock seals? Bill | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 155 Registered: 2-2003 |
So if this rubber piece is leaking then the oil doesn't come out arround the edge of the seal but rather at the base of the rotor? If this is the case then I could potentially remove the front distributor and run the car on four cyclinders until I see a drop of oil? Or is that a bad idea? Does it put bad stress on the engine to run it on four? Thanks, Bill | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 154 Registered: 2-2003 |
How do I tell if I have this rubber piece? Do you have a pic? I looked at the Cam when I had it out and it looked like a one piece cam. | ||
| david b holmes (Mondial86)
New member Username: Mondial86 Post Number: 11 Registered: 7-2003 |
I replaced that seal 3 times including the seal holder ,only to still have oil in the dist.The problem was not the seal but the part that holds the roter it was the two piece one that is bonded together with rubber ,the rubber gets old and this allows oil to come into the dist.the new piec from Ferrari is not drilled for the securing pin so the cam has to come out and go to a machine shop to have the new piece indexed and then drilled. I just did this to my 86 mondial 32 and no more leaks . | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 2143 Registered: 11-2002 |
>>I hate to say it, but your careful screwdriver work may have caused the leak!<< *wink* | ||
| Verell Boaen (Verell)
Intermediate Member Username: Verell Post Number: 1053 Registered: 5-2001 |
I hate to say it, but your careful screwdriver work may have caused the leak! One of the more common causes of seals leaking is the small tension spring slipping out of the back of the seal, thus significantly reducing the seal's wiping force. Any non-uniform deformation of the seal such as caused by slipping a screwdriver blade under it is likely to displace the spring(been there...). Find a deep socket that's the same diameter as the cam's sealing surface. Oil it & slip it thru the seal making sure the seal lips are properly positioned & the little spring is inside of the back of the seal. Then slip it over the tip of the cam & slip the seal along it & onto the cam's mounting surface(seems like I saw a photo of this a while back). | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 153 Registered: 2-2003 |
JRV, I thought you guys said "Hey" in Texas rather than "Hi" like we did here in NC. But anyway... this is a great chance for you to help a guy out who is 1500 miles away with a little advise since there is no way I can ship the car to you for this kind of minor repair. I have heard about special tools for installing cam seals and seals that are available that are better than the oem cam seals. After two sets of factory seals the only sign of oil I can see is on a front distributor seal (all other cam seals are clean). I thought the first one I put in leaked because there was a little deformation in the process of installing it. The second went in perfectly and it still leaked. So it is either design, seal age, alignment, etc... I am going to get this right and not going to use any "form-a-gasket" or "stop-leak" etc.. Just looking for advise here... Thanks, Bill | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 2135 Registered: 11-2002 |
Hi Bill, { } | ||
| Bill White (Nc_newbie)
Junior Member Username: Nc_newbie Post Number: 152 Registered: 2-2003 |
I remeber a post on here but I can not find it where there are better distributor seals than the stock ones. I just put a new one in (2nd time) a few weeks ago and noticed that I have a drip again. I was extremly careful putting the second one in and actually used a jeweler's screw driver to make sure the lip was properly seated all the way arround before pushing the distributor base all the way onto the cam. I can not see how cam bearing wear w/30K miles could cause this kind of problem. The only thing I can think of is that these factory seals are NOS built years ago and the rubber has gotten hard. I got both seals from GT car parts who has to turn over their inventory pretty fast. Can I get tighter/better/oversized dist. seals for my 3.2 (328) engine. Thanks, Bill |