18D2 dissy oil seal?

If your distributor body doesn't have an oil seal then it is from an ES2! Might be better to find one from a Dommi with the seal. I'm assuming its a Dommi being an 18D2 as opposed to the ES2's 18D1.

Regards.

Ian.

Hi Robert.

Give me a day or so and I'll send some photo's. I replaced the seal in my Dommi's distributor a while back - it was quite pricey for a simple oil seal - I think I got it from Norvils'. Incidently, I also have a 1960 ES2 hence my original comment!

Regards,

Ian.

I did not find an oil seal in my 18D2 when I dismantled it to fit new springs and correct problems of unequal timing and points gap. I believe you can machine the body to fit an oil seal such as that offered by Norvil.

Hi again.

I've just looked at my ES2 and its distributor is marked 18D2 and like I said, it doesn't have (or need) an oil seal. My 58 Dommi, which has been in the family since 1964, definitely has the seal and its distributor body is machined to take it. These distributors are liable to break the ring where the timing clamp fits- I fill the gap on mine with araldite to give a bit more support - so after all these years may have been swapped. The parts book lists the ES2 body as 21459. The Dommi's as 20684 and the seal as 188643. These are from the 59 list.

Hope this helps - I guess you'll have to look for one with the seal.

Regards,

Ian.

Hi Robert.

No, it fits inside the body under a nylon spacer under the auto-advance gear. I'll see if I can photo it tonight - it's all in bits.

Cheers,

Ian.

Hi again.

Here's a photo of the distributor body with the seal

And here's one of the assembly. It is worth checking the clearance between the auto-advance gear and the points back plate when it is all assembled. I once discarded a rather tatty looking washer from behind the sprocket. Several miles later the auto-advance gear hit the plate and self desructed!

You can also just see where I've filled with araldite the inside of the ring that the timing clamp fits onto to provide a bit of extra support.

Hope all this helps.

Ian

Get an old spark plug, discard the washer and knock the ceramic innards out of it, cut a thread through - say 5/16 CEI I think - and add a piece of studding, about 3" should do. Set your timing disc up on the bike. Put your ignition on full advance and lock it using the screw that holds the points cam and a suitable thick washer. Turn your crank to the required ignition point, screw in the spark plug body then the stud until it makes contact with the piston and lock it off with a nut. Re-check. You've now got a tool that'll set your crank at the right point without having to go through the rigmarole of taking the chain case off and setting up a timing disc and it's certainly more accurate than trying to measure fractions of an inch at an angle through the plughole!