3 replies to this topic

[Minimized]

My 1380 injected and Vmax supercharged engine started as an SPI. The timing chain cover breather was removed and blanked off to make room for belts and stuff on that end.
We had an oil leak on the crank seal about a month ago so removed everything and replaced the seal. the crank seal started leaking again and once again we replaced the crank covers oil seal and just started it up last night and the ^&7oi^%a crank seal is leaking again.

Is all this oil leaking due to not having a breather on the timing chain cover?

Do all forced induction Minis need that timing chain cover Oil Breather? Any tricks to plumb a remote breather to the cover?

Thanks

[tuf998]

If your engine is supercharged or turbo'd, you need all the breathers operating due to the excess blow-by past the rings. I assume that the leak keeps returning due to the crankcase pressure cant escape and so is pushing oil through the seal.

[Wil_h]

There could be some truth in that, but I never run the breather on the timing chain cover.

As may breathers as possible is a good idea though.

As for leaking timing chain covers, when re-assembling always put the pulley on BEFORE tightening the cover up. This allows the cover to centralise on the oils seal. also make sure you fit the big disk just behind the cover.

Finally, I've never had one not ever leak, even with copius amounts of goo and the best gaskets I could buy!

[Minimized]

Thanks all. Bought and installed a new cover without a breather. So far no leaks. Turned out that both of the covers I used had a very small bit of warpage and this turned out to be the cause of the problems. Found out by laying the new one and two I owned on a flat surface, and the two both rocked a bit but the new was dead flat.