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MG TD TF 1500 - Rear Oil seal

We have had varying success with lip seal conversions, mostly first time good. The problem is that if you have an oil leak after fitting you do not know if it is the new seal or the sump to cork joint.
I made up an adaptor to slightly pressurise the seal via the main bearing drain, I used a modified caulking gun and a rubber hose to the drain. (an oil can would do just as well)you do not need a high pressure as it is just a drain area.
If you do it without the flywheel,do not forget that the flywheel bolts will go all the way to the seal and damage it, so you need spacers and bungs in the locating pin holes.
This will prove the seal and if you have a leak you need only remove the sump to fix and not the whole engine.
On the same subject, a friend made a dummy front lip seal in steel. We use this with engineers blue to mark the sump and timing cover to relieve with a Dremel to centralise the seal.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

Ray there is a great rear main bearing mod devised by a Sydney mechanic who specialises in T Types. This eliminates almost all of the oil leaks without the need of what I understand to be an irreversible and 'hit and miss' conversion kit. I've just had it done on my backup engine. There is also a much better range of gasket materials available nowadays including Alapin, Blackmar and Conafi. Not cheap, but state of the art and eminently suitable for automotive applications. These seriously outperform the original cork gaskets and make the originals appear second rate. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

The latest seal conversion does not need any modifications at all. No machining or drilling of the block or bearing cap (except the drain hole) and is totally reversable. It even caters for a block that has been line bored.
I also make up my own cork rear cap seal that is pre-formed (arced) to fit snugly in the channel.
With the front seal dummy jig All oil leaks are eliminated.
Mind you I have not done mine yet as removing a TF engine requires a lot of thinking and OSH before saying "I will do it next year". I am convinced they put the water pump on the line and built the car around it.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

Peter,
Do you have any info on the Aussie rear seal?
Regards
Declan
Declan Burns

I do Declan, but as it has been developed by a Sydney XPAG/XPEG mechanic who has spent some time perfecting the process and developing the jig for the lathe, I've been asked not to; and so I won't divulge the details. I've just had it done for my back up engine and the machining cost was only AU $60. All that's required is to forward the new rear main bearing shells and the bottom rear main bearing cap to the guy who does the work. Happy to assist though if anyone's interested. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Declan,
"The Aussie rear seal" might refer to two different seals? The one Peter refers to above could be one, but I have heard of references to "The Australian rear seal" being mentioned many many years ago. I thought that originally referred to the kits I made between about 1987 and 2000, but I could be wrong. I sent many kits to Germany (Dieter Wagner) and Switzerland (Raymond Sunier). I only sent a couple to America. I stopped making them because it was robbing time from work on my own cars. Moss later started making seals of a similar design but with a few differences, which I felt were aimed more at ease of fitting rather than efficiency of function. Mine ran on a freshly machined area on the rear crankshaft flange, while Moss seals ran on the original flange surface (with all its imperfections) before they added a speedy sleeve modification. Mine had a bigger oil return hole and instructions to seal areas where oil can leak whatever seal is used.

Mine were fully reversible, although I don't know why anyone would. However, If one is willing to machine off the original scroll, I have heard of a Chev seal which can be adapted and works well?

Bob Schapel
South Australia
R L Schapel

Bob the Sydney version differs considerably from yours as it doesn't involve any modification at all to the rear crankshaft flange. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter, you will be very lucky if your flange is in a codition where the seal will seat on its surface. After 70/80 years they will have been thrown all around the workshop.
The only times we hae been able to fit directly on the crank flange is with a brand new crank. All the originals were dinged on the running surface.
PS in the early post I said the bolts could damage the seal, I meant the sealhousing.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

I was lucky Ray. The crank lived in a 4/44 with a standard bore and has been sleeping for at least 60 years. It was original, unmarked and appeared to have never been out of the car until I arranged for it's removal from a completely assembled engine a few weeks ago. It's been checked by a crankshaft grinding shop here in Sydney and the mains are standard and in great condition. The big ends were ever so slightly scored - probably due to poor servicing way back when and so were taken out to + 10 thou. So I've got a nice one. The rear cap mod has nothing to do with the flange but I take your point about using a crank that's had a hard life. Fortunately it was rare that an owner would buy a 4/44 and then thrash it, which is part of the reason that these engines are sought after here. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This thread was discussed between 05/07/2020 and 10/07/2020

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