Speedi-sleeve

[lorendad]

Season's greetings to all. I replaced the oil seal on my 1980 Spitfire. I checked the surface of the crank pulley and found the surface to be flat with no grooves. Problem is it's leaking more oil now than with the old seal. I'm wondering if anyone has used the speedi-sleeve with any luck and if so how hard is it to install? I see it comes as a kit with the installation tool. Thanks in advance!

 

[Brosky]

I've used them on other cars over the years. The hardest part is usually getting the damper off and the old seal out with scarring the crank.

 

[TRDejaVu]

I used one on mine and it's still bone dry after 3 years. Hope I haven't jinxed it.

 

[Tullamore]

I just used one this weekend, went on easily and seemed to work great. I was just as skeptical until I did it.

 

[tomshobby]

From 1989 to 1994 I worked for a company that salvaged old food processing equipment and restored it for resale. This equipment had to pass all the government requirements to be sanitary for food safety and was sold all over the globe. I ran the machine shop which rebuilt the electric motors, mechanicals, gear boxes, and pumps. We used a lot of speedi-sleeves to keep those old relics from leaking.
It seems that if they were good enough to keep gear oil from leaking into cheese vats they are probably good enough to keep a Triumph from leaking.

 

[tomshobby]

Problem is it's leaking more oil now than with the old seal.

There are at least a couple of possibilities.

One is that you either tore or cut the seal lip when you installed the seal. That can easily happen if the key way has a sharp or jagged edge. It is always a good thing to use a file and some fine emory to make sure there are no sharp edges before installing the seal.

Another is that the seal was already old and hard before you got it. That might make it unable to form to the shaft and make a seal.

There are other things that can happen but those are the most common.

 

[TR4nut]

I think the trickiest part on the installation is breaking off the tab on the sleeve that is needed during installation. Careful use of tin snips with some gentle flexing and pulling and the tab shouldn't be a problem.

 

[PeterK]

Could also be the seal is in backwards. Always face the slot side towards the fluid.

 

[dklawson]

I have yet to install an oil seal on a Triumph engine so my question below comes from the BMC A and B series engines. I'm also assuming you mean the front seal.

Is there the possibility that you tightened the timing cover back on in such a manner that the seal was pushed off center and distorted the seal?

 

[TR3driver]

I think the trickiest part on the installation is breaking off the tab on the sleeve that is needed during installation.

Usually you can just leave the tab in place. It won't hurt anything, unless there is a need to slide something completely over the sleeve.

I've repaired both a TR3 & a Stag front hub this way, it's worked great both times.

But I have to think that, if your sealing surface is already perfect, then a Speedi-Sleeve is not going to help the problem.

BTW, in both cases I took measurements and selected the sleeve myself. The sleeve I picked for the TR3 turned out to be a different part number than the one listed by application; there is room for a longer sleeve than the one they specify. Local NAPA had to order it, took two days. The Stag application is not listed at all, but there was a sleeve that was just a few .001" oversize; worked fine. I used Loctite to retain it, but it probably wasn't necessary, it was still a snug fit.

In addition to Tom's suggestions, I like to give both the hub & seal a generous smear of grease before assembling. Dry startup can instantly ruin a new seal.

 

[lorendad]

I really appreciate all the input from everyone. I've taken the timing cover off and looked closely at the hub as it comes through the seal. It's a very good fit all the way around, but not very snug. I'm going to go ahead and order a new seal along with a speedi-sleeve. I wasn't aware they come in different thicknesses. I did oil the seal. No nicks cuts or tares. Not much chance of putting the timing cover on crooked as there are two very tight alignment pins. Have to order a new water pump too as I see the old one just started dripping out the slot. Great... Once again thanks to all and hope everyone gets something neat for that special set of wheels this Christmas! I'll post the outcome after I get it back together next week.