Rocker arm leak w/RSR 'O' ring?
 

I have just finished the rebuild of my 3.0 SC, after driving it for 50 miles or so I noticed an oil leak from the rocker arm. I tried to tighten the rocker arm bolt but could not get any more torque on it than it already had (difficult to get a whole lot of torque on it when the engine is in the car).

What I don't understand is why it is leaking when I used the RSR seals.

I have ordered new seals from Pelican, but before I reinstall them I would like to know if there's any "special" assembly process or guidelines?

Thanks

Stu

Tightening them will keep the from moving but it won't really do much for leaks. Your rocker shaft bore(s) may be so scratched that even the RSR seals can't stop the leaks. If the rocker shaft itself is somehow scratched (not as likely) and the bore is OK, you could replace the shaft.
If the shaft is leaking on the end that is not flush with the end of the hole, you might try plugging it with RTV/Silicone. A friend of mine told me about that trick but I haven't tried it personally.
If the bore and shaft look good, check the RSR seals for rips. I got a few bad ones a while back.
-Chris

It's also possible to get the seals on inside out - not sure if that has an effect on the sealing ability however...

JB

really? now that will be a stretch

Yup. The seal is flat on one side, and tapered on the other. When you roll the seal into the groove, you need to make sure the flat side is out.

JB

uhhhhhhhhhhhh what?

Huh, eh?

Yes, JB is correct. Take a good look at an RSR seal.

have one in my hand and I have no idea what you are talking about.

Jim

I'm almost thinking there may be two different flavors of RSR seals out there. On one variation, the inside surface and outside surface are both flat. On another variation, the outside surface is flat (the surface that contacts the rocker arm bushing), and on the inside surface, it is shaped to fit the groove, which is narrower at the bottom of the groove than it is at the top.

JB

Oh I get it now the "eh" part is an atempt at humor. Fine. Tell me how you turn one inside out. Maybe I am missing what you are saying. Do you mean you have the outer most diameter sitting in the grove on the shaft and the inner, substantialy smaller, diameter sealing against the bore in the cam housing?

Jeff

You got it.

JB

If you try to slide the seal onto the shaft in the correct orientation, it will probably have a tendency to "roll." I found them a little tough to simply slide. By the time you get to the groove, it could roll into position with the flat side down in the groove, and the tapered side out.

There may not be any downside to installing the seal like this, except you have less surface area of the seal contacting the rocker arm bushing. Certainly, anything in there has to be better than nothing.

JB

When installing the rocker shaft it is important that the bore is completely clean and scratch free. I attached a piece of medium grit "wool" sanding pad to a long 1/4" wooden dowel, just fold a piece over the top of the dowel and tape with electrical tape, put that in a power drill and spin it in the bore, they cleaned and polished up nicely. Put the shafts in dry except for spray silicone to make sure the RSR seal slides in without binding up. 1400 miles no leaks so far!

Hopefully this makes it clearer.....

In the first picture you can see the OD profile of the seal has a radius.

Second picture shows the ID profile is flat.

Very easy to get them inside out when trying to slide into the rocker shaft recess.

The rocker shafts should not leak, period......w/ or w/o seals. Would not blame this problem on a seal that’s been flipped, though. Think you may have other issues (scored or oblong bores).


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1112833527.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1112833548.jpg

Excellent pix Charlie. But, I noticed the inside diameter has the flat side. So, this brings up the question - which side is really designed to seal against the rocker arm bushing? There are no instructions with these things! How are they shipped? Flat side in or out?

JB

They are shipped and should be installed as shown, "flat side in". They will not hold their inside-out orientation at all, unless forced into a tight recess, like the rocker shaft.

Flat side in ..... but if you look at Wayne's rebuild book, figure 6-17, it looks like the flat side is out! Hello, Wayne?

I checked my notes and I installed them flat side in - they just went in the groove easier that way....

JB

JB,
I hope we can clear up the flat side in/out ....then there's the pointy part of the taper in/out....which way does that go? or is the point symetrical? I need to know....engine getting ready to go back together.
-h

By all accounts, the pointy part is the surface that runs against the opening in the cam housing.... JB