Help with a Series 1 Tach drive generator oil leak

E-Type
1

I am helping a friend to fix an oil leak. When I put my finger right under the bottom of the tach drive, there is lots of oil. Can you advise me on 1) Can I take the drive out without taking the camshaft cover off? and 2) would this be a leak where the tach drive meets the rear of the cam cover I can solve with sealant? or 3) is it possibly a leak where oil is going into the tach drive and coming out the pressed on cover on the back of it? Is there an oil seal in the tach drive to stop oil going into it??

Many thanks

Dennis 69 OTS

2

You can pull the generator off without removing the camshaft covers. There is an o-ring that does the sealing for the unit. When I had mine off and apart this spring, there was no oil within the unit itself. I would replace the o-ring.

1 Like
3

Thanks Larry

Does the o-ring seal between the generator and the back of the cover, or is it inside the generator and thus prevents oil going inside the generator?

Thanks

Dennis

4

The seal I am speaking of is between the generator body and the head/cam cover. There is nothing to prevent oil from entering the generator, but the tolerances of the brass bushing and the lack of oil being in the general area would be my guess as to why oil doesn’t flood it. Erica is pretty well versed on the generator and may be able to help

5

got an O ring last year from SNG, the ones I got from ACE hardware did not seem to fit right.

6

Are you certain it isn’t coming out of the oil line banjo? That is right below the tack drive.

There is no seal on the front of the tack drive. It’s unlikely that oil is entering though. The cam galley would have to be filed up to the height of the drive shaft bushing. That is at least at the height of the oil return ports.

7

It is definitely the tach drive where it meets back of engine.
It is dripping off the tach drive which is higher than the banjo oil feed bolt

8

Then it would be one of the two rubber seals in there, the half moon which seals the rear of the cover or the o-ring

9

This calls for Permatex The Right Stuff!!

10

I forgot about the half moon

11

I’d go buy new seals. You generally don’t want to use permatex on a rubber seal like that. It should seal all by itself

12

It’s a friends car and he will want the quick fix!

13

Ask your friend if he wants it done quick or correctly.:wink:

14

A small amount a sealant is not unwarranted at the back of the covers, specifically the corners of the half moon seal where it intersects with the cam cover gasket. It’s an imperfect juncture between gasket, rubber, cover and rear bearing cap. So a tiny amount of something can definitely help. But gobs and smears of anything is unwarranted if all the seals themselves are in good shape and fit well.

15

If they were in good shape, they wouldn’t be leaking :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

16

Even brand spanky new, that arrangement can weep in the location I described. But for me all it takes is a small dab on the ends of the moon rubber where they contact the gasket. I usually use Hylomar because it doesn’t harden.