Crossflow rear main seal.

[User01 11]

Maybe I am just crap at the search function. Point me in the right direction if a post already exists. 

I'll preface this by saying I am a weekend warrior not a mechanic. I am having a nightmare of a time trying to reassemble the bottom end of my 80DA block crossflow. Specifically the rear main rope seal. I have tried twice and cannot get it to seat properly. I have followed the install instructions, watched a bunch of youtube videos etc. and I am sure I have done everything right, but as soon as I torque down rear mains cap the cranks seizes on it. It's still possible that with all my research I have missed something and haven't installed correctly. 

 

To me It seems far too thick. I was super sceptical when I pulled the things out of the packet. I bought and am trying to use a Permaseal HN055 From Bursons. 

 

From the wisdom of YouTube I am thinking that I need a different brand of rope seal that is a higher quality and better fit. A dude building 265 valiant motors sold me on this thought. He showed in a video that some brands of rope seal were plain useless for the 265's. 

Originally I had to replace the sump gasket and clutch, and thought, you know what, I am going to do all the seals while I am at it, new bearings, Crow cam timing chain set,  new water pump, new hoses, new everything that can fail me. Feeling a bit of defeat and regret in this endeavour. 

 

Can anyone lay any wisdom on me, as I really want to get the engine back in the car and driving.

P.S. To add to the insult the mains bearings came with two top side bearings  on the 4th main (the one with the girdle) instead of a top and bottom, so I have to package them back up and post them back so they can replace the set. 

[deankxf 20,288]

I'm going to tag @gerg and @Thom and hope they have some tips for you. 

I've never done the rope seals personally. 

 

 

[motoSycho 690]

I used one of these instead of the rope seal when I built mine.

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FELPRO-REAR-MAIN-OIL-SEAL-FORD-WINDSOR-289-302-PREMIUM-HIGH-VACUUM-FE2901/361379952955

 

[cisco 111]

I have a leaking rear main seal in my 84DA block (XF series therefore a lip seal). It was brand new when I put the engine in my XE 9 months ago. I spoke with my go to Ford expert and he asked me where I got it. Repco I said and he said I should have gone genuine Ford and he has lost count of how many he has replaced.

 

Maybe you should go genuine Ford with the rope seal. I am going to replace mine with genuine but if it leaks again I am going to refurb my original engine and put that back in the car. That will make it a matching number car again.

 

I have had a few XDs and XEs and never had a rear seal leak on any of them.

[gerg 10,871]

In my nearly 30 years of doing the mechanic thing, I haven't had the pleasure of doing a crank rope seal. I do understand that they need soaking in oil, softening up and lubing before installation, and cutting to length in a way that provides a certain amount of crush. The correct process is quite involved and lengthy. I found this video on a Holden V8 on YouTube. Not sure if your seal is the hard type or the soft graphite one I have sometimes seen.

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[User01 11]

16 hours ago, motoSycho said:

I used one of these instead of the rope seal when I built mine.

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FELPRO-REAR-MAIN-OIL-SEAL-FORD-WINDSOR-289-302-PREMIUM-HIGH-VACUUM-FE2901/361379952955

 

Man, I did look at this exact thing when looking up parts numbers. I suspected that this might be possible but I couldn't find someone with another knowledge to be ale to confirm this. I do like this route as it feels like it would be a lot more forgiving for backyard mechanics like me.

 

 

10 hours ago, cisco said:

I have a leaking rear main seal in my 84DA block (XF series therefore a lip seal). It was brand new when I put the engine in my XE 9 months ago. I spoke with my go to Ford expert and he asked me where I got it. Repco I said and he said I should have gone genuine Ford and he has lost count of how many he has replaced.

 

Maybe you should go genuine Ford with the rope seal. I am going to replace mine with genuine but if it leaks again I am going to refurb my original engine and put that back in the car. That will make it a matching number car again.

 

I have had a few XDs and XEs and never had a rear seal leak on any of them.

hmmm, Bursons didn't even give me the option of genuine ford. I wonder if a ford dealer could track this down for me, or who the manufacturer of the genuine one is. 

 

 

2 hours ago, gerg said:

In my nearly 30 years of doing the mechanic thing, I haven't had the pleasure of doing a crank rope seal. I do understand that they need soaking in oil, softening up and lubing before installation, and cutting to length in a way that provides a certain amount of crush. The correct process is quite involved and lengthy. I found this video on a Holden V8 on YouTube. Not sure if your seal is the hard type or the soft graphite one I have sometimes seen.
 

 

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We'll there you go, something I missed. Mine is a graphite impregnated rope seal and was very rigid out of the packet. Not one video I watched mentioned oil bathing the graphite rope seals, and neither did it make sense to me that it would be needed (given the graphite). I have to pull the crank again anyway so I am going to have a play with this and see if I can make it fit better so that I know what I did was wrong. I think either genuine ford or possibly or even solid two piece from a Windsor will be the end fix. 

 

First time around I completely assembled the bottom end and was in the torqueing sequence for mains and concord caps before I realised I had messed up (I couldn't rotate the engine to torque down some of the conrod caps). I guess these are the things you learn the hard way when you have no qualified training and start messing with things before to your time.   

Thank you all very much for your input. I'll let you know how I fair and what ends up doing the trick for me.

[gerg 10,871]

Note that when I mentioned the graphite type being soft, it's only because I've used that stuff on some plant equipment (not engine) so it may have just been a generic type not suited to crankshafts. I think your application most relates with the Holden video.

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[cisco 111]

5 hours ago, gerg said:

In my nearly 30 years of doing the mechanic thing, I haven't had the pleasure of doing a crank rope seal. 
 

 

Sent from my CPH2197 using Tapatalk
 

 

 

And after watching that vid I am sure you don't want to.

 

I know I don't.