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Curing oil leak at distributor?....
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:48 am
by Nickathome
Guys;
I posted a few weeks ago about an oil leak I think is coming from where the distributor shaft enters the engine. Someone mentioned a cork or rubber washer, or gasket whathave you that can be placed there to stop this problem if i remember correctly. Can someone reenlighten me on this issue and where I can obtain this item. I had first thought the oil was coming from one of the oil pan bolts that might have been loose, but I tightened all of them and noticed the leak again when i took the truck for a drive yesterday. Thanks
Re: Curing oil leak at distributor?....
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:09 am
by MSeriesRebuild
Nickathome wrote:Guys;
I posted a few weeks ago about an oil leak I think is coming from where the distributor shaft enters the engine. Someone mentioned a cork or rubber washer, or gasket whathave you that can be placed there to stop this problem if i remember correctly. Can someone reenlighten me on this issue and where I can obtain this item. I had first thought the oil was coming from one of the oil pan bolts that might have been loose, but I tightened all of them and noticed the leak again when i took the truck for a drive yesterday. Thanks
The distributor seal is Fel-Pro #C4276, You can give this a shot at Fel-Pro dealers to see if it's available individually, but I believe I'm correct in saying it is only supplied in full gasket sets these days. A dealer might could special order in some quantity, not sure. The original is made of cork material & is a square cut o-ring type. Many have tried using regular round o-rings, while better than nothing at all, the square cut is much better.
The dimensions are 5/32" thick, OD is 1 11/32", ID is 1 3/32". We have used both cork & rubber that is compatible with petroleum oil with good success. The rubber material is more durable as far as repeated re-use, cork will get brittle faster & of course tends to break sooner than rubber.
One other issue with oil leaking at this point is this, there is an oil drain back hole in the block just below the flush mount of the distributor bore. If this hole becomes clogged, oil will leak around the distributor no matter the seal that's in place. When you have your distibutor pulled out, always check for any obstruction in the oil drain back hole. Small pieces from a deteriorating cork seal are often lodged there. Many new seals have been installed yet leaks persisted, an obstructed drain back hole is the reason.