302 front cover oil seal

Simon · 11-29-07, 01:15 PM

Is it installed from the inside or outside? I've installed it from the inside of the cover but it hits the oil slinger. Have I put it in the wrong way?
Simon

Big-Foot · 11-29-07, 01:25 PM

I always install it from the outside and get the face of it flush with the lip on the cover.. I use a piece of 2x4 wood to drive it in. I did measure the hole once a number of years ago and found the inside to be a slightly smaller diameter than the outside. As I recall the taper was on the order of .002" to .003".. Not much - but something...

JimmyMac · 11-29-07, 01:30 PM

It depends on which year your timing cover was made.
There are two different seal configurations.
Some early seals were inserted from the rear and later ones from the front respectively.

Simon · 11-29-07, 02:03 PM

It's an '86 engine, I now think it's meant to install from the outside.
Thanks guys

Jac Mac · 11-29-07, 02:38 PM

If you are still using the large dia oil slinger with a double row chain assy you will need to trim the slinger or obtain a smaller dia version from late model engines. As a point of interest I usually mod the early covers to take the later ( external lip ) seals.

Jac Mac

MReid · 11-29-07, 02:54 PM

Probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway! Loosely install the front cover bolts and then install the balancer fully. This centers the seal around the balancer. Now torque the front cover bolts to spec. Helps ensure you get no oil leaks and long service out of the seal.

Mark

Jac Mac · 11-29-07, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MReid

Probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway! Loosely install the front cover bolts and then install the balancer fully. This centers the seal around the balancer. Now torque the front cover bolts to spec. Helps ensure you get no oil leaks and long service out of the seal.

Mark

Only if you have the block standing on the bell housing face, gravity will cause the cover to drop slightly otherwise. Late model blocks/covers eliminate the concern with dowels for location. Yeh, I know, Im a fussy old bastard.

Jac Mac

MReid · 11-29-07, 05:03 PM

Actually, you fussy old bastard

, you bring up something that has bugged me for a while. The last three Ford racing crate engines I bought didn't have the dowels in the front cover, but the replacement front cover did. What's up with that?

Jac Mac · 11-29-07, 06:39 PM

Mark , while Im fairly passionate about Ford & racing, its been about two decades since I gave up trying to work out their reasons for some of the things they do, actually probably much longer when you consider while they built the most sensible blocks with good oiling etc,yet poor cylinder heads in terms of making power [Windsor]on one side of the river, the folks on the other side [Cleveland] were building cylinder heads cabable of making huge HP & what did they do, install them on a block with a flawed oiling system & weak cylinder walls that cracked every time there was a hint of detonation. Then they put both into production to compete against one another. The only good thing that came out of that was the Boss 302 and the Hot Rod guys who persevered to where we are today with an aftermarket reincarnation of what we could/should have had in the early 70's.Go Figure!!

Jac Mac

Gary Kadrmas · 11-29-07, 07:52 PM

If you look further into history, you will find decades of the same thing happening over and over at Ford. So what is new....nothing.

Simon · 11-30-07, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jac mac

If you are still using the large dia oil slinger with a double row chain assy you will need to trim the slinger or obtain a smaller dia version from late model engines. As a point of interest I usually mod the early covers to take the later ( external lip ) seals.

Jac Mac

DAMN! just installed the front cover and water pump before realising that the slinger seemed a bit tight against the front cover. Damn! guess the whole lot will have to come off again.Damn

Simon

Jac Mac · 11-30-07, 03:59 AM

Life can be a Bit**!

Jac Mac

Rick · 11-30-07, 03:21 PM

The covers for early and late engines as mentioned are different, the seals are different too. However they will interchange (diameters) but the later one has a flat flange on the outer diameter and is only intended to be used on the later cover.

John · 12-06-07, 02:41 PM

I checked with my local parts dept about the oil slinger for small blocks, and they said that the last engine to use one was in the '79 or '80 model year, and they were pulled from the catalog in '95 or so. Apparently, they,(Ford) feel that they are now unnecessary. And now that I think about it, I haven't seen one in quite a while on the engines I've torn down. John