Front oil seal
- Thread starter tinmanlsu
- Start date
Dave in MN
Well-known member
You installed it correct.
For longer seal life, (means no leaks) make sure the front pulley is highly polished where it contacts the seal. When polishing, spin the pulley in the direction it turns in the seal.
I have found if you do not polish the surface, you will soon have a small leak.
Start with 320 and go easy...move to finer. Use 600 with oil as your last paper and finish with a light polish with fine crocus cloth. It should be a mirror finish when completed. It only takes 5 minutes to complete the process...and when set-up and doing 6 at a time...it is a very small investment of time for the better results.
Good Day!
For longer seal life, (means no leaks) make sure the front pulley is highly polished where it contacts the seal. When polishing, spin the pulley in the direction it turns in the seal.
I have found if you do not polish the surface, you will soon have a small leak.
Start with 320 and go easy...move to finer. Use 600 with oil as your last paper and finish with a light polish with fine crocus cloth. It should be a mirror finish when completed. It only takes 5 minutes to complete the process...and when set-up and doing 6 at a time...it is a very small investment of time for the better results.
Good Day!
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Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
Has anybody had good luck with these?
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I've never tried one because I never had a rope seal leak. When something works, I like to stay with it.
Dave in MN
Well-known member
[QUOTE=Mike V. Florida;815627] Has anybody had good luck with these?[/QUOTE]
Mike,
I have used quite a few (50-60) of them over the past 5 years. I had a couple early ones leak...then I started polishing the pulley and have had no leaks since.
Over the past year, I have gone back to using the rope seals...but I still polish the pulley. of late, If someone asks for a modern seal in a long-block rebuild, I will use them.
For the engine rebuilder (Pro or Owner) that is not polishing the pulley...IMO...the rope seal is a better choice.
Modern is only...well...modern and not necessarily better.
Good Day!
Mike,
I have used quite a few (50-60) of them over the past 5 years. I had a couple early ones leak...then I started polishing the pulley and have had no leaks since.
Over the past year, I have gone back to using the rope seals...but I still polish the pulley. of late, If someone asks for a modern seal in a long-block rebuild, I will use them.
For the engine rebuilder (Pro or Owner) that is not polishing the pulley...IMO...the rope seal is a better choice.
Modern is only...well...modern and not necessarily better.
Good Day!
Last edited:
Purdy Swoft
Well-known member
I only use rope seals in my engines. The modern front seal would be harder to deal with when it fails.
H. L. Chauvin
Well-known member
FWIW, humble opinion:
1. Same here, only installed rope seals per professional vintage mechanics recommendations years ago, & never had a front seal leak in 55 years.
2. First, coat upper & lower metal concaved areas with Permatex No. 2, insert rope seal.
3. Next, with a small hammer, mash down & seat the rope seals tightly with a proper diameter socket from a socket wrench set & allow both ends of rope seal to protrude upwards about 1/8" max. whereby rope ends can be compressed together forming a "tight" joint between upper & lower ends of rope seals.
4. Then apply grease generously top & bottom contact areas where both ropes meet a smooth unpainted rotating steel pulley.
5. Never soaked rope seals in oil overnight as recommended by some. In my opinion, soaking allows rope seals to become totally saturated with oil & swell up ......... then later, when the inner petroleum products evaporate & dry out in a few months, the rope seals begin to shrink ....... hence, always install rope seals dry & allow crankcase oil to enter gradually, naturally, & swell the dry rope seals for a "tight" fit.
Just another actual experience ................. hope this can possibly help someone installing new rope seals ........ or, "if" & just in case their modern front seal leaks later.
1. Same here, only installed rope seals per professional vintage mechanics recommendations years ago, & never had a front seal leak in 55 years.
2. First, coat upper & lower metal concaved areas with Permatex No. 2, insert rope seal.
3. Next, with a small hammer, mash down & seat the rope seals tightly with a proper diameter socket from a socket wrench set & allow both ends of rope seal to protrude upwards about 1/8" max. whereby rope ends can be compressed together forming a "tight" joint between upper & lower ends of rope seals.
4. Then apply grease generously top & bottom contact areas where both ropes meet a smooth unpainted rotating steel pulley.
5. Never soaked rope seals in oil overnight as recommended by some. In my opinion, soaking allows rope seals to become totally saturated with oil & swell up ......... then later, when the inner petroleum products evaporate & dry out in a few months, the rope seals begin to shrink ....... hence, always install rope seals dry & allow crankcase oil to enter gradually, naturally, & swell the dry rope seals for a "tight" fit.
Just another actual experience ................. hope this can possibly help someone installing new rope seals ........ or, "if" & just in case their modern front seal leaks later.