Oil Tank Seal Early 911

[N882928]

Need a little help. What is the correct way to install the oil tank seal on an early 911? This one is a 1970.

1. Do you use sealant to bond the one side of the seal to the tank? If so, what sealant works well?

2. There is a large snap ring involved (#45 on parts list) but it's not very clear if it goes on the inside of the seal or around the outside. It appears there are two lips, one on the inside of the seal and one outside it could rest in. Not sure of the clip's purpose.

3. I assume the seal goes between the tank and the outer wall of the body. Does the face of the seal fully contact and compress against the body or is it intended to fit in the hole/opening similar to a firewall grommet? As stated there is a lip on the outside of the seal and maybe the firewall fits in there. If that's the case then the snap ring would have to fit on the inside of the seal.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[mcaterino]

I spent a lot of time dealing with tank inssues, so hopefully this is helpful.

The 'seal' you're referring to isn't really. It's more of a grommet/baffle that keeps the filter console from contacting the body and prevents a little dirt/crud buildup around the base of the oil filter.

The only sealing is by an o-ring between the filter console and tank, and then the filter gasket itself when screwing it on.

The baffle doesn't attach to the tank at all, the inner fender wall slips into its outer groove slips to hold it in place, and the filter console moves freely through when installing the tank. I don't believe I used the #45 snap ring, but it holds itself in place just fine.

Mike

[N882928]

Thanks Mike. So the outer lip is for the firewall and the snap ring must fit to the inner lip, maybe to push outward and keep tension on it. Do you think you need to use sealant between the tank and the grommet/baffle/seal or is the compression enough to seal out water?

[mcaterino]

I would say nothing is necessary for sealing, although some kind of silicone grease might help prevent drying and cracking over time. This just isn't that critical a junction. Everything here, inside and out, is pretty exposed to the elements regardless.