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Oil leak timing chain cover


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Well, I have a rallye this weekend and I noticed a small pool of oil under the car.. I cleaned everything and then ran the engine. The leak is coming from the bottom of the timing chain cover. I tried, just in case, to tighten the bolts but they were tight. It's bad enough not to risk the rallye.

Various questions.

I imagine there is no quick fix and that the cover will have to come off and a new gasket fitted.

That being the case I will be able to change the timing chain which is quite noisy.

I haven't looked at the job yet but I have some one coming out from the UK very soon and it seemed a good idea to order the bits to go to them. So I need to do that pronto.

Would someone be kind enough to list  the bits I'll need ? Thanks in advance.

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I'll bet five euros that the leak is from the oil seal on the timing chain cover rather than the gasket.

The list of requirements is not very long: Oil seal, gasket (+some gasket goo)  chain tensioner, possibly chain. Split pin for the tensioner peg

Have a good look at the inside of the timing cover, they can wear a bit from rubbing of a (broken) tensioner. 

It's a long and tedious job as the front apron has to come off

james

 

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 Thanks chaps. That's a good start. I was going to ask about the quality of the chain, so it seems there is a Moss higher quality option.

I thought I saw somewhere that the chain tensioners were not very good quality ?

I have the rack and pinion conversion, so I don't know if anything extra will have to be removed ?

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56 minutes ago, james christie said:

I'll bet five euros that the leak is from the oil seal on the timing chain cover rather than the gasket.

 

 

Please send a 5 euro note asap to help with the parts purchases.

I thought the same but having cleaned everything I ran the engine and it was definately coming from the bottom of the timing chain case.

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53 minutes ago, TwinCamJohn said:

Please send a five euro note asap

 

The story of my life, I never win a bet! The only time I put money on a dog at Haringay Stadium it came out of the trap backwards.

I always pay up though, PM me your address!

 

james

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1 hour ago, TwinCamJohn said:

 Thanks chaps. That's a good start. I was going to ask about the quality of the chain, so it seems there is a Moss higher quality option.

I thought I saw somewhere that the chain tensioners were not very good quality ?

I have the rack and pinion conversion, so I don't know if anything extra will have to be removed ?

I have the Moss tensioner in mine and doing well 40,000+ miles.

Jeff at Moss was concerned that people are using the cheap chain with sharp edges that cuts into the tensioner.

 

Roger

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2 hours ago, james christie said:

The story of my life, I never win a bet! The only time I put money on a dog at Haringay Stadium it came out of the trap backwards.

I always pay up though, PM me your address!

 

james

And I normally insist on being paid, but this time I'll wait and you can buy me a drink sometime. Neither of us will forget:D

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Spend the most you need to on the chain. No point fitting cheap Chinese or Indian junk. I would also put a new quality oil seal in anyway while you have everything apart. Having said all that the seal on mine is seeping again despite all being replaced only a few thousand miles ago! 

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Been here not that long ago and the following are necessary:

Check the Seal on the crank shaft pulley for pitting corrosion which tears the seal apart.

Look at installing a double lip seal in Viton material that won't heat up and leak. Let me know if you want the details of the seal to use.

If you do not do this right you can look forward to doing it again in short order. It is a paIN BELIEVE ME.

Mine turned out to be the original leather seal material which would you believe it started leaking after 60 years. Not good enough!

 

Rod

Edited by Rodbr
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It is also very useful to fit a speedi sleeve to give the seal a longer life. I have a number fitted around my car. and now the seals last a long time. They are easy to fit as well.

good luck

Richard & B.

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John, To be brutally honest The amount of work required to get to the timing chest is not something you want to do often and so it is a no brainer to renew the seal. It is a simple knock out and press in with a suitable size socket. Viton is a more durable material but the cost for the seal is approx twice the price of the original type. It really depends on what you value your time or garage time to completely re-do the the process completely removing rad, apron etc just to replace a seal.

This is one case of if it ain't broke, do fix it but with something better!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me an accurate measurement of the crank pulley shaft that the seal bears on and I can then advise, I wont tell you what to buy without this as I don't want flack for advising you wrongly. I have no doubt that it will be the same as mine BUT!!!!

Rod

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Rod, I didn't mean that I wouldn't change the seal, rather that if it hadn't been leaking the shaft was hopefully going to be in good condition. I agree that it should be changed whatever.

I'll contact you later when all is apart. Thanks for your offer of help. I shan't start anything for a while as I still have a couple of rallyes and a hillclimb in view and need to concentrate on that. The car is however positioned in the workshop ready to begin. The long winter evenings certainly will fly by !

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Don't miss out on the speedi sleeve. I had an oil seal on the LHS half shaft which was needing replacement every year until I fitted a speedi sleeve . It has now been dry for over 8 years. I have one on the diff and on the crank shaft also. They are so well made from quality material that you can stop replacing oil seals.

Go for it,

Richard & B.

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I chased a timing cover leak for weeks before I discovered the crack high up on the timing cover made by the tensioner. It was not visible but opened up when the engine got hot and oil dribbled down the side and dripped off the bottom of the timing cover.

Stan

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