30 replies to this topic

[A-Cell]

Perhaps the seals leak so regularly that everyone knows how to change them by now!

[minimender]

No, only one size of seal was ever used, part number AHU1672.

There are two sizes, I know because I have fitted both

[Guess-Works.com]

There s one size for the rod change, and a different size for the remote/magic wand...

 

However there are two part numbers for the same seal...

 

13H6862 is the original part number which was superseded by AHU1672, but it's the same part

[tiger99]

Mention of the dreaded magic wand takes me back to my first Mini, and second vehicle, an ancient and decrepit van, which I acquired in 1967. It must have had a very hard life to get into the state it was in, as it would only have been about 6 years old.

 

Considering where the seal was, it would be difficult for it to do any more than weep slightly, which it did of course. But that mechanism caused me major grief one night, and I had to be towed home by my old man, who was not amused, as the van suddenly lacked power, or torque, and could not go up a very modest hill. I checked EVERYTHING and finally had to strip down the engine and gearbox, finally finding that the problem was that one of the levers, 25 or 28 in the link below, had been loose on its splines, which had eventually failed, leaving only the loosely fitting pinch bolt to transmit rotation, so it was only going into 3rd and 4th gear, 3rd being too high to get up the hill. In view of the low value of the vehicle, I just arc welded the lever to the shaft.

 

Nowadays that van would be restored, as although in those days it was not economical to do anything but scrap it in 1972, it was actually far better than most that are restored nowadays and only needed front inner wings, a PROPER sill job, not the bodge that had already been done, rear side panel lower edges, and the closing panels just ahead of the rear wheels. Everything else was solid. I wish I still had it.

 

http://www.somerford...age=page&id=150

[minimender]

There s one size for the rod change, and a different size for the remote/magic wand...

 

However there are two part numbers for the same seal...

 

13H6862 is the original part number which was superseded by AHU1672, but it's the same part

Thanks, must be getting mixed up with my gearboxes, know I always carried two sizes

[Gil-galad]

Getting ready to do this; and it may be a silly question but I can't seem to find an answer in the literature.  One side of the seal has a bevel and lettering, the other has a groove. Which side goes towards the rod change sleeve (i.e., toward the rear)? Thanks in advance for the guidance.

[Gil-galad]

Getting ready to do this; and it may be a silly question but I can't seem to find an answer in the literature.  One side of the seal has a bevel and lettering, the other has a groove. Which side goes towards the rod change sleeve (i.e., toward the rear)? Thanks in advance for the guidance.

 

Okay, found one post that says "...open side in..." Assuming this means the grooved side of the seal faces the gearbox, but would appreciate any confirmation.

[A-Cell]

Getting ready to do this; and it may be a silly question but I can't seem to find an answer in the literature.  One side of the seal has a bevel and lettering, the other has a groove. Which side goes towards the rod change sleeve (i.e., toward the rear)? Thanks in advance for the guidance.

 
Okay, found one post that says "...open side in..." Assuming this means the grooved side of the seal faces the gearbox, but would appreciate any confirmation.

Yes as you describe it 'open side in'. It's an oil seal so the lip side with the metal coil Spring reinforcement goes to the oil side to keep the oil in and stop it leaking. Well that's the theory. Oil seals are designed to stop oil leaks on rotating shafts not in/out reciprocal motion, hence the poor performance of this particular application.

[Gil-galad]

Many thanks.

[tiger99]

Actually, just thinking about this, if you are using the double seal trick, with two new seals, it might be better to put the inner seal the correct way round, lip facing in, to keep the oil in, and the outer seal backwards, lip facing out, to wipe dirt off the shaft and prevent it getting to the inner seal. Yes, I know, there is supposed to be a little flexible telescopic boot to keep dirt out, but those I have seen never fit and never work.

 

I can see some possibilities for improvement in this area.

[Spider]

Usually (like 95% of the time), these seals leak not through any fault or damage of the seal itself, but the amount of movement (read: slop) in the selector shaft. Most seals will work with some shaft movement and misalignment, usually the bigger the shaft and seal the more forgiving they maybe, but these tiny seals,,,,, they only have something of the order of 0.15 mm take up and it's not uncommon to have up to 1 mm movement in the shafts. Fitting another or even 2 or 3 seals won't do much.

 

Enter the Anti-leak kits. These usually have an aluminium bush with them which holds the shaft in closer centre alignment and takes most of the excessive movement out of them. Only then does the seals have a hope of sealing and from my experience with these, that it does and does well.

 

The concertina boot that comes with them though I don't fit. I've found these only hold dirt and then when shifting in to 2nd, 4th and reverse, only serve to shove that dirt in to the seal lips,,,,, Not a good idea,,,,,,

[tiger99]

Agreed. The bush is very necessary. But I think there is scope for fixing the problem properly. If the seal(s) go inside of the bush, which then protrudes sufficiently to properly locate a well-designed boot, maybe?

[Gil-galad]

Just finished this as my very first Mini repair job on my new (to me) '77 998 to fix a steady, couple of drops of oil per day drip.  Done in-situ and on jack stands making it a bit more of a challenge but certainly do-able. Glad I bought the designated roll pin punch to give me confidence that I had the right fit.  I ended up removing two old seals without any bush. I found the self-tapping screw technique to be a big help in getting the old seals out. Got it all cleaned up and re-fitted the new bush and seal, using a spark plug socket to drift in both.

 

Frankly, the hardest part for me was near the end, getting the new roll pin inserted. It seemed like the rod and shaft had become slightly misaligned while apart. I had to clamp a vice grip on the selector rod to give it a slight twist and then use the punch on the end of the pin to clear the exhaust bracket. Not much room under there to get a good whack on the punch with the hammer (a three-handed task with only two hands, made possible by pushing on the vice grip with my elbow). I also slightly pinched the inserted end of the roll pin. Once I could tell the end of the roll pin had made it into the shaft hole, it all went pretty quickly after that.

 

Thus far, no leakage.  A good feeling.

[tiger99]

Well done! May it be the first of many successful maintenance procedures on your Mini.

[newenglandmini]

I installed the anti-leak kit when I rebuilt my gearbox.  I recently serviced the gearbox with oil for the first time, and noted a leak at the seal location.  I'm going to replace the seal and use sealant on the seal OD when I do so.  The aluminum spacer came out relatively easily - I drilled a 1/8" hole in the spacer, inserted a self-threading screw and pulled on the bolt.  My problem has been with the seal.  I've been using a set of small picks and a self-threading screw without success.  Any recommendations?

Thx.