Contact breaker oil seal

The purpose of the guide is 1) to stop the seal turning inside out displacing the garter band and 2) protect the feather edge.

With care you can do it without. Wrap some PVC tape around the end of the camshaft and twist it into something resembling a cone. Oil the seal and carefully work over the tape and onto the camshaft. You can use a blunt plastic tool, like the end of a toothbrush. Remove the tape (think about this last step when you wrap the tape on).

Much quicker and certain with the guide. Still use PVC tape over the join.

Yes, I was talking about the cone shaped one. I turned up a rather more attractive one from aluminium using the bolt that holds the contact breaker in.

I didn't even know there was a tool for pressing the seal into the cover. Like everyone else, I use a socket of the appropriate size. Seal will press in by hand, no need to hit it.

I know of one of our branch members making the 'cone' out of wood. (In my early days with the Norton I 'dodged' this cone thing, I damaged the seal, that leaked oil through onto the points-disaster)

Don't dodge it!

If you use tape anywhere, make sure that you do not go too far inboard with it so that it gets trapped under the seal when the seal is in its final position.

Conical tool 061359 is currently on ebay £3.00 biddings are being taken, none so far.

I knocked up an alloy sleeve with a .25mm wall thickness, bore size to slip over the cam shaft pushed through the seal to then align together whilst offering up the timing cover all lubricated with Graphogen my goo of choice.

I'm always looking for alternative uses for all sort of things. Was pulling one of these little cake boxes apart to recycle and when pulling off the little clear window from the inside of the box I was thinking about fitting a cam shaft seal. So I cut off a bit twice as long as the shaft end and enough to wrap round it a couple times, cleaned it, a slight film of oil and rolled it up to fit inside the seal. Allowed it to open to the size of the seal, opened the inner end slightly and slid the cover on with a finger on the end to hold the film in the seal. Fit screws, remove film, make tea then sit back and enjoy the cake. Job done.

I keep a couple of these windows in with my gasket material for the next time in case I'm not going to the shops in time. It works great with plain, splined or threaded shafts. Yes, I'm from North of the border, a canny loon!

Stan 

Stan, what a good idea especially as it ends in cake!

Richard