Timing Chain cover install

[Chuck Lutz]

The last GPW engine and the prior Slat Grill engine were assembled the same way...we put the T/C cover on and installed the pulley before tightening the T/C cover nuts. There was a little movement before the pulley was installed so in theory, doing it this way does center the T/C cover pulley oil seal in the best possible location. I find it amazing that the rope seal and the rubber seals could put a "groove" in the pulley, but they can.

Better to be safe than sorry and have a leak there that was possibly 100% avoidable.

[artificer]

I find it amazing that the rope seal and the rubber seals could put a "groove" in the pulley, but they can.

FI.
The seals are not the culprit in wearing grooves in crank pulleys, differential/transmission flanges etc.

All seals are 'wet' with oil between the seal lip & it's riding surface, so seal wear should not take place.
Remember we always smear grease on the seal lip & running surface when fitting up.

A very slight amount of this oil is always outside the seal/s & this mixes with dust particles.
These particles form a 'grinding paste' that causes the wear groove & the seals to wear out, causing additional leakage.

[Chuck Lutz]

The POINT I was making was that it is amazing that a rubber/fiber material could, over time, cut a groove in STEEL....and the statement I made holds true, just as your statement that material may abrade the steel with any pressure on it by the rubber or the rope seal.....no pressure, no groove, ergo it is the SEAL that CAUSES the groove to be cut no matter if it is due to material acting as an abrasive.

Kinda like saying he died when he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and being told that ...No, he died because he came to an abrupt stop when he hit the water. OK, what killed him wasn't the JUMP, it was the abrupt landing in the bay. Without one, the other is insignificant.

[Joe Gopan]

The seal also gathers crap such as road dust which is an abrasive and the seal itself also causes a groove on the crankshaft, it is a fact of life. Some Jeeps operate in a more sterile environment which also helps.
Army machinists get to see a lot of grooved Crankshaft Pulley Hubs, Companion Flanges and Differential yokes to resurface.

[Michael Browne]

The seals are not the culprit in wearing grooves in crank pulleys, differential/transmission flanges etc.
.

That statement couldn't be further from the truth John G......

The seal material can and will wear the shaft due to a number of things.

Yes... the oil film lubricates and cools the seal up to the sealing lip, however when the seal material goes hard from age, or has a reaction with the fluid, or the seal lip adheres to the shaft and overheats,
the rubber lip will cut the shaft surface and allow a small amount of leakage. This leakage then attracts dust which then causes more wear and more leakage and so on..
How long this takes to occur depends on a whole number of things like, speed of shaft, type of oil and how often it is changed, shaft surface finish, shaft material, driving conditions, period of vehicle inactivity, and so on.

Cheers

[Tony W]

Hey Oldpal

""My dad, a professional mechanic, always says, "If they had silicone during WWII, they would have used it." Who knows?""

Well they didn't then but we have that wonderfull technonogy nowdays. Use it with confidence.
Don't buy the cheap rubbish. Buy best quality silicone sealants . Do it once and do it well. Your engine will outlast yourself.

Tony

[Old Pal]

The goal of the day was to get the timing chain cover on. After three attempts in my 100F shop and blowing out three gaskets, I wanted to light my engine stand on fire and push it down a cliff.

I don't want to get into a debate on cork vs felt/paper or permatex vs silicone. I tried both. The real question is how much to torque the bolts.

I did a search and can't find anything but I seem to remember seeing 30 ft-lbs. I know 3/8 bolts usually require approximately 35 ft-lbs, depending on what chart you're using. This seems to be too much for this application and I can't find anything in the maintenance manual.

So, how tight?

[Joe Gopan]

It's a learning thing, if cork, use caution not to squish the gasket. I provided the specs earlier. Different gaskets have different feel.

[Old Pal]

It's a learning thing, if cork, use caution not to squish the gasket. I provided the specs earlier. Different gaskets have different feel.

The only thing I found posted earlier by you was use a cork gasket and permatex #3 both sides. I thought you posted a torque spec earlier but I can't find it. Is it more of a 9-14 ft-lb for a cork gasket, similar to oil pan? Or is it more?

[Old Pal]

One more thing. Cork gaskets were difficult to source. Ron is out of them and Napa only sells Felpro. I found some older stock ones locally. They were a little dry but usable. How thick should they be? The ones I sourced are approximately 1/16" thick, unlike the cork gasket for my valve cover which is approximately 1/8" thick.

[Joe Gopan]

Cork valve cover gasket thickness can be all over the place and are normally thicker than oil pan gaskets.

[Old Pal]

Cork valve cover gasket thickness can be all over the place and are normally thicker than oil pan gaskets.

I obtained a different cork gasket today. It does contain cork material but has an additional cork like material added, observed as blue. Here is a photo showing the new gasket and an older style cork gasket.

TC Gasket.jpg (58.07 KiB) Viewed 572 times

The new gasket is substantially thicker, approximately 0.1000" vs 0.0625". I think this will help with any deformities in the cover. I'm going to use Permatex #3 to attach and hope for the best.

[Joe Gopan]

If there are deformities, best get a tube of Permatex #2 (Non Hardening) it will fill voids and remain soft forever.
Do not be afraid to use your index finger to spread a little extra in problem areas. A single bead along the middle of the gasket is sufficient, practice will teach you how much to apply to prevent ooze.

[Old Pal]

If there are deformities, best get a tube of Permatex #2 (Non Hardening) it will fill voids and remain soft forever.
Do not be afraid to use your index finger to spread a little extra in problem areas. A single bead along the middle of the gasket is sufficient, practice will teach you how much to apply to prevent ooze.

My cover is pretty straight. If my cover was that far out I would probably go with some RTV with a gasket.

[Joe Gopan]

I avoid any use of RTV where it can work its way to the crankcase, that's why Permatex #2 is still good stuff after 80 years.