Pelican Parts Forums - Tony

Tony (Boytoy) - your private message box is full, so I couldn't send this to you that way.

Tony - any ETA on the FD?

I had hoped I'd have mine installed and working, with the six 7x2mm O rings inside I got through Grainger. I did get it together, and installed in the car. But bad news - it leaked. Best I can tell, the leak is down one or more of the bolt holes, probably one holding the FD to its base. I've had it in and out about 4 times now. The next to last time I had it apart, trying to see what was wrong. The very last time, really torqueing the star bolts hard, I thought I had it solved. At least no indication of leaking at the joint where the diaphragm is externally. But gasoline still starts moving out from under the FD and across the top of the base, and eventually dripping down as well.

The new 7x2 O rings have gone on fine, and I haven't dislodged any (when I tried some not quite right sized rings earlier one would fall off unnoticed, and would be the reason I could see light at one or two of the corners of the FD joint). I use a little Dow Corning 111 paste to lube the outsides of these O rings, and check a couple of times as the halves are brought together to be sure they are all still in place. I have also replaced the O ring at the top of the "tower part."

Something goes at the base of the "tower" part - where the six O rings go. I had removed what was in there - an orange plastic ring, and used the apparently right sized O ring from the kit instead. My mistake might have been to put the O ring on top of the diaphragm as I assembled the upper half of the FD. Along the way I disassembled the FD, removed the O rings and their holders, pulled the diaphragm, and put the plastic part back in, down at the base of the "tower" and under the diaphragm (which means it is above the diaphragm when the FD is assembled.

This didn't stop the leaking out somewhere from the bottom of the FD (has to be a bolt hole). So something is preventing a seal, though I can't see anything which would do that, and there is nothing interfering with the seal in the middle.

Do I need the O ring as well as the hard plastic ring there at the tower base?

I thought about using a sealant of some sort where the three bolts hold the FD to the base. But, among other things, the left side threaded hole on the base isn't a full circle where it is raised up as a standoff, so ordinary sealants, which require pressure from compression to keep them in place, wouldn't work there, though perhaps I could try with the other two. But that is a kludge, and shouldn't be necessary.

So I am at a loss as to what I am doing wrong.

Anyway, we had planned to drive out to the track Friday afternoon, and do the DE and instruct Saturday and Sunday. Without an FD that doesn't leak we'll have to cancel the DE part.

Walt