Camshaft oil seal

[Triton]

Hi... The camshaft oil seal is leaking on my 1973 Special. I have measured it before removal and i get  1 3/8  x 7/8 x 1/4  is this correct. To replace can i carefully slacken the cam till i get clearance and then torque it down after i have fitted the new seal. Any tips would be appreciated .  Thanks  Stuart....

[4129R]

Oil seals, usually measured in mm can be bought for £2 - £3 each on eBay. OD, ID and thickness in mm is all you need.

If your oil seal is leaking on the joint to the head/cam cover it can be sealed with mastic, and does not need replacing. If it leaks between the seal and the cam, it is probably old and brittle. Look to see if the silver spring inner collar has come adrift in the oil seal in case it falls out into the cam/head space and causes problems.

The thickness of the oil seal is crucial as it fits in a groove in the head and cam cover, Europa heads only. 

Seal around the oil seal with mastic once you have located it on the cam in the head.

The seal can be easily fitted on the cam by undoing all the 10 x 7/16 nuts holding the cam caps in place.

Seal the cam cover to the head with mastic. Old cork cam gaskets fall apart quite easily, so you might need the big cork gasket.

[Exlimey]

Hi,did mine last week. Your sizes sound correct, the cam is 7/8 , the oil seal,relaxed, is 13/16. I found the hardest job was getting the square section snap ring/ circlip off. I used a utility knife blade and a dental pick ! Loosening the cam gives enough clearance, careful getting the new seal on as it drops into the circlip groove, once again a blunt dental pick solved the problem. ‘The book’ says use no sealant but I carefully cleaned the seal landing groove and applied a smear of hylomar around the outside .  All back together,no leaks. I prefer to glue my cam cover gasket to the cover and oil the head side. Much easier to clean it off the cover if you ever need to replace it. Oh ,,I also cleaned the pulley bolt and threads and added a couple of drops of blue locktite.

[4129R]

I prefer to glue my cam cover gasket to the cover and oil the head side. Much easier to clean it off the cover if you ever need to replace it.

Agreed 100%.

[Triton]

Thanks for the advice on the seal but the problem is worse than i thought. Before i restored the car the engine was not running,I rebuilt the the engine and when i started it i could see that the alt drive pulley was not running true i thought the pulley must have had a knock and was not true. I made a short shaft and put the pulley on and spun it in the lathe and it was perfect,This means that the cam must be slightly bent at the end.There is no tight spot when turning the cam when bolted down so it is just at the end. My plan is to get the cam ground down until it is running true and then fit a undersize oil seal and i will make a sleeve for the pulley. The car has only done 300 ml since the rebuild and it was a new seal but with the shaft running out the seal has failed.I will strip it tomorrow and post my result when finished.  Stuart......

[4129R]

New Europa inlet cams with the pulley extension are available from QED.

[Dilkris]

Triton - as 4129R advises, indeed Europa Inlet Cams are available from QED - at £380 plus VAT and postage - so be mindful of this fact when you commit to the machining route as unless you have a very friendly machinist - believe me the cumulative value of £380 plus VAT and postage can be reached very quickly.     

[Triton]

The cam is perfect apart from the end 1 1/2". If i fit a new cam i will have to keep putting the cam in and taking out to get the shim clearance. I know my  friend who has a grinding company will only charge me £20 for the grind.I can sleeve the pulley myself. I seem to have won the battle with the drive shafts leaking,i have done 250ml and both are snuff dry,  early days but fingers crossed.

[EuropaTC]

I must admit I never imagined a cam would bend. Break yes (done that    ) but the things are so hard I'd never imagine one bending.

Europa cams do come up on Ebay if you've got other things to be getting on with and can wait a while.  It might also be worth asking the usual suppliers (incl. QED) if they've got any s/h cams in stock ?

Brian

[4129R]

Cams are a real pain to shim up.

The shims are not cheap either.

I have done several, and you need a lot of patience, and a pencil and paper to write down the calculations and make a list of what shims are required.

It is best done listening to your favourite music to calm yourself. "Capital Gold" on the radio works for me.