Shift shaft seal 328 leak form non use?

If it's a rubber seal then more than likely yes. If left to sit, rubber hardens over time, and gets brittle causing a leak. It should take a while though, I doubt a year would be enough time but anything is possible. Now get out there and drive.............

 

Actually it is the glue that hardens which creates voids in the glue which allow oil to pass.

Heat cycles in the engine closes the voids in the glue.

 

What glue? There is no glue in a shift shaft seal. They are just rubber seals inserted into a groove. Regular use keeps them more pliable. Infrequent use allows them to harden in one shape and become less pliable. They often will leak less when the car is well warmed up because the rubber gets some elasticity back. But honestly, once they start to leak a lot, they need to be replaced. They will not fix themselves.

Birdman

 

Now remember what the folks said about sniffing glue.

 

Sorry Birdman,

I got the glue info straight from the Auto Gallery Service Manager. Glue might not be the correct term but there is an adhesive used.

Call Gary @ 818-884-4411 press 1 for Ferrari and then 2 for Ferrari Service

 

Hmmm, I have never heard of using glue on them. Shouldn't be necessary, but maybe someone found a good way to prolong their life or something. I would like to hear more about this. We did Verell's shift shaft seals last winter and to my knowledge he has no leaking.

Birdman

 

When I first heard that I too was scratching my head. I was under the impression that is was just put in place. At least my 78 was like that. When I contacted Ferrari about my shift shaft leaking and that it was not even a year old, Gary said I do not drive my car enough. He said to keep it from leaking, I need to drive it about 50 miles a month to heat cycle the adhesive to keep it from develoling voids allowing oil to pass. Sure enough, 11 months later the car is leak free.

go figure

 

Yes i was told by the dealer that letting a car sit can cause leaks and most of the time they will seal themselves back up once you start using the car again

 

My shift seals have leaked since I bought my car over 4 years ago. It still leaks today. I've been quoted something like $1k to get them fixed, and I can buy a lot of lube for that kind of cash.

 

I agree with your reasoning, Jim. It's not a serious matter and replacing the seals can wait until your next major service.

And when that time comes, you might want to consider replacing the O-rings with "Quattro" or double lip seal type O-rings. I did that in the spring and, so far, no leaking at all.

See this thread in the old FerrariChat archives:

http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/discus/messages/256120/302433.html

Barry

 

any part no for the quattro o-ring ???

 

Sorry, I don't have a part number for the QUAD-RING®. My mechanic had them on his shelf. He told me to expect a bit stiffer feel in the side-to-side and fore and aft movements of the shifter which is what happened. Nothing objectionable.

Perhaps a call to the company, Busak+Shamban, stating application might be helpful:

http://www.busakshamban.us/prod_global.htm?pid=42

It appears that you need only match the inside diameter and the cross-section of the original O-ring. Composition of the QUAD-RING® depends on application. They give a technical assistance phone number.

This, from their website:

"In contrast to the O-ring, QUAD-RING® Seal has a double sealing function. It requires a lower initial squeeze, which results in reduced friction during dynamic applications.

Furthermore, it has a number of other advantages over the O-ring:
- Avoids twisting in the groove. Due to its special profile, the seal does not tend to roll in the groove during reciprocating movement.
- Low friction. QUAD-RING® Seal requires less radial squeeze than a comparable O-ring. Less squeeze mean less friction, less wear, and thus a longer service life.
- Very good sealing efficiency. Due to an improved pressure profile over QUAD-RING® Seal cross-section, a high sealing effect is achieved.
- A lubricant reservoir formed between the sealing lips improves start up.
- Unlike an O-Ring, themould line flash lies in the trough, between and away from the critical sealing lips.

QUAD-RING® Seals are self energizing double-acting sealing elements. The forces acting in radial or axial direction due to the installation give QUAD-RING® Seal its initial leak-tightness (initial squeeze). These forces are superimposed by the system pressure.

An overall sealing force is created which increases with increasing system pressure. Under pressure, the seal behaves in a similar way to a fluid with high surface tension and the pressure is transmitted uniformly to all sides."

The property of the QUAD-RING® not tending to roll in the groove during reciprocating movement of the shaft provides the effective seal.


Barry
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My underwater camera housings use quad seals. If they fail, seawater destroys an expensive camera. No failures yet in 15 years. A good product!

Birdman