fbekholden.com

hey guys

i put new rear seal in grey and sump gaskets but its leaking pretty well
bugger!!

may it bed in or am i doomed to pull it all apart again
there a funny seal

Karsten - you can thump me when we catch up - forgot to write my findings on seals............... and as a result have not stopped you from pulling a probably almost perfect on out...............

I pulled down my red and wanted to replace the rear main seal - wish I'd left it................

GEM (in 1982) were fitting rope seals to their re-manufactured engines and mine came back with one of these - it worked fine for twenty five years - occasionally there would be a single drop if I didn't use the car for a few weeks.............

Just before I pulled the engine out this time, the rear main was leaking at around one drop per five minutes - when hot........... bear in mind here that the engine was only started every fortnight/month or so for some time....... whilst painting some of the body.........

I pulled it out, stripped it down in search of that knock/rattle (which still hasn't been found) and found the rope seal which GEM had fitted - I spent some time debating whether to renew it, or replace it with a neoprene or just to leave it there - you're probably a mile ahead of my writing this already...............

I was told that rope seals these days give a lot of problems due to there not being any asbestos in them.................. I was told "if the old one is still serviceable - leave it" - I should have - why it was leaking was most likely due to it drying out.......... if I'd given it a good run for a number or hours - it would most likely been back to one drop every three or four miles.............. I didn't - I had to track a neoprene seal down - they are like hens teeth around here - most auto outlets only supply the wick type now........... I have since learned that a Chev v8 seal will fit..............

Back to my oil seal trip - put in the neoprene, started it up - not one drip.....
Went on a trip overseas (Tasmania - well one sea anyway, but a number of people were sea-sick, does this constitute "seas") and ran 1,000 miles up on the clock whilst away - checked it at least two/three times per day whilst away - not one drop....... until I got it back home - drip, drip, drip every time I turned off the engine -
lesson leaned - if it's only a drop every now and then - leave it.
One soul pointed out on this forum that it helps preserve the metal under the car...............

If I'd remembered last night, Karsten - I would have suggested taking it for a long trip and hopefully the wick seal would have soaked up again - neoprene seals ( I feel) once shot - have to be replaced - I have since purchased a "sneaky pete" and will drop the sump and rear bearing cap then replace the two halves of the neoprene with a Chev one..........

If that fails, have to pull the engine again............. guess it'll be off the road again for another three months - have a few more "chores" I'd like to do if I get it out of the way again..............

one free kick for you when we meet, Karsten......

frats,
Rosco

os - I was told to soak a rope seal in oil overnight before fitting.
I was also told to fit it proud and then "bunch" it up to perfect a tight fit.
I also received a report that one which was done that way was almost impossible to turn over by hand with the plugs out..............

Hopefully we're going to get the "good oil" on seals..............from your post on this...............

yeah thats why i thought it might take up once it beds in,, and gets a gut full of oil,,i may wait and see if it slows down

it was leaking a bit before , but its been sitting for a few years now,and it did seem to nealy stop when i ran the engine a few times a week as i was moving car in and out of shed,,, dam fool,, i just thought replace it while shes apart i"ll run it every day for a week or two and see if that helps

yeah i think it might of been me that said leaking oil was a savior to my car

will be sad to scrach stuff should it need removing again ,,thats life

thanks once again for your thoughts rosco

maybe you need to kick me for touching it to start with

Hope it takes up for you Karsten - if not, you're not going to loose an oil well - just annoying - I'm probably going to leave mine as is for Yamba - I believe most on this forum know the car won't be going to Yamba if I pull the engine now............ just can't stand to leave stuff when an opportunity arises...... too tempting to strip paint again around that bay........

Glad to hear you didn't start to pull it out today - would have had a serious case of the "guilts" if you had............

frats,
Rosco

Both my grey's leak at a fairly consistent rate from around the rear seal region. Drip drip drip. I like to think of it as a bit of an oil filter system (since neither of mine have an oil filter), I top it up fairly regurlarly and it cuts down how often i require an oil change!

Sigs

Aaaaahaaa - if it dosen't leak oil it ain't a grey !!!