MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - TD - crank pulley SpeedySleeve

Has anyone put speedy-sleeve on the crank pulley to stop front oil leak? Does anyone have part number for such a sleeve?

My pulley had a very microscopic scratch - with new seal it did not leak for 6hrs run time on a new rebuild - now it started leaking and I suspect this scratch

If I use seedy-sleeve do I also need to replace seal or should it work with just the new surface - any experience?

Michael Balahutrak

Are you using the original rope seal or have you installed a modern seal?

If you are using the original, using the modern seal may fix it.

The seal fits in easily. One thing to do if you install it is to cut a small groove in the inner lip to allow oil to go back into the motor and not seep along the outer edge of the seal.

I believe this was covered in the video Stripping and rebuilding the XPAG engine. I have a digital copy of this that I can send you.

Unfortunately, a worn pully can still leak. You could try polishing it, but a new pulley may be a better option.


Bruce Cunha

The main problem with replacing the pulley is that the original was balanced along with the crank, flywheel and clutch assembly, If you look on the back of the pulley you will probably find a series of drilled holes confirming this. Fit a new pulley and it won't be balanced. A speedy sleeve seems a better solution. In my experience fitting a new modern seal is anything but easy, unless the engine is out of the car.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Correction - a new seal is fairly easy to fit (badly), but its difficult to seal, and if you take the sump off, which seems essential to me, it can create issues at the other end and elsewhere.
Dave H
Dave Hill

I put a Volvo seal in mine, around 5 years ago and it has never leaked a drop. Of course my engine was totally rebuilt and the original pully is in excellent shape having, (as near as I can tell), only 38,000 miles on it. Reason for rebuild was it sat for over 20 years, probably longer.
PJ Jennings

Also check that the scratch is not a crack, the pulleys are prone to it.
A couple of people on this site in the USA have made boring tools to fit a concentric bore for a seal.
They may loan one to you to you.
There are two advantages to this; 1 you can fit a new seal at any time without stripping the engine. 2 the seal now runs on an unworn part of the pulley.
I borrowed one and did a friends car pressurising the crankcase to blow out the swarf.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

I seem to recall about a decade ago, I used a speedisleeve on a used crank and siliconed a modern metalclad lip seal in place. I didn't like using silicone seal in the rough cast cavity because the seal did not look like it was centered well. The sleeve was an improvement over the original rougher surface with a slight groove. It worked OK and didn't seem to leak badly (just a bit wet) but we only ran that engine a few years before swapping it out.

A year or two ago, I wrapped up rebuilding that XPAG with a new crank. I had 3 new metal clad seal sizes to choose from. They all have a narrow sealing surface, even with double lip, and need to be well centered to work right. Instead, I went with 1/4" teflon rope seal. It provides a 1/4" wide seal. I cut it for a tight fit but the crank spun very easily considering it has smooth, virgin steel surface against teflon. I'm much happier with this than the new seals, in fact, I'd have probably gone with graphite rope if I didn't have the PolyTetraFluoroEthylene packing. By the way, I have a hydraulics shop.

JIM N

Bruce please send me digital coy would love to get that from you.

Lot of great suggestions from everyone

Let me give more info:
I have rebuilt the engine completely including installing a new Pulley from moss that came with a microscopic scratch, (the old one was indeed cracked) and a new moss single lip seal - not the rope one

During initial fitting I noticed that the new seal felt very loose on the new pulley - this was why I feel maybe a speedy-sleeve will put more stress/pressure on the rubber seal and be a tighter fit thereby eliminating the leak??

Not worried about the balancing since the pulley is so small in diameter and will not be a significant unbalanced centrifugal weight and will be very close to the center

An unbalanced flywheel would worry me much more creating huge centrifugal forces on a long radius from center.

Michael Balahutrak

Fair enough on the balance if you are happy with it, but you already identified the problem with the lip seal. I fitted a speedy sleeve and I think it has made a difference.
Dave H
Dave Hill

If you have done all that, speede sleeve seems to be one way to do. I don't know if the volvo seal is any tighter. Changing where the seal sits is another option.
Bruce Cunha

Michael, I just replaced my front seal with engine in the car ( mgtd ) and used the following:

Speedi-Sleeve # 99146 on page 137 of SKFhandbook

and

Seal # 14005 on page 138 of SKF handbook

SKF handbook link is

http://www.tristate-bearing.com/pdf/SKF/skf_seal_catalog.pdf

Sleeve came with instructions and installation tool
I ordered on amazon.

I did remove the lip used to install sleeve after sleeve was installed. This was first time I ever used a speedi-sleeve.

no leaks so far NONE

Good luck, Steve
steve hillerman

Steve

Thanks for parts info

You said " I just replaced my front seal with engine in the car ( mgtd ) "

Can you tell me did you have to remove oil pan?? or were you able to do it just by removing the timing chain cover???

Michael Balahutrak

Michael

I was planning on just doing seal replacement by removing timing cover. When I removed the timing cover I found the original timing chain was VERY stretched and needed to be replaced which meant I had to drop the pan. It was just as well since the sump was a real mess of goo as well.

My feeling is that I could have replaced the original rope seal with the new skf lip seal without dropping the pan. It would require patience in cleaning the bedding area in the sump pan very well.

I was really worried about creating a big leak at the rear seal, but so far not even 1 drop of oil from the front, rear, sump or timing gaskets. I have road tested to 65 mph with stock gearing and trans.

If you need more info just let me know.

Good luck, Steve



steve hillerman

Steve

Your note is encouraging -

I installed a lip seal 20 years ago and forgot how I did it - but somehow remember that I only pulled the timing cover and not the pan it held for 20 years

Will try to do it again say way but use a speedysleeve this time

Michael
Michael Balahutrak

Why bother with the expense of a speedy sleeve. My pulley had some markings so I simply spun it in my lathe and polished the stub. Modern lip seals are available in numerous sizes and it was simple to buy one with the correct bore size.
Regarding machining the chain cover and sump. It is necessary to dowel the sump to the block before any machining so alignment can be guaranteed. I believe others have made up a mandrel which slips over the crank nose whist the sump and chain chest are locked down.

Jan T
J Targosz

This thread was discussed between 18/02/2021 and 24/02/2021

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG TD TF 1500 BBS now