REFLECTOR: Franklin seal leak

Scott Derrick scott at tnstaafl.net
Wed Apr 20 09:36:43 CDT 2005


If you can get it out with out touching the lip that seals around the 
shaft , good for you..  I always end up ripping them up.

Also seals are cheap, my time is limited.

I've installed a few seals over the prop flange, its amazing how far 
they can stretch with the stiffeners removed.

Scott

mike deeter wrote:

>John,
>
>Notwithstanding Steve's comments (undoubtedly correct)
>I did try prying the seal out of its seat and applying
>the sealant.  It's a real pain to try to get a new
>seal over the prop flange.  I can't figure out how
>you'd do it.  Also, you have a leak now; it probably
>won't get worse if you remove the seal, clean it up
>and apply sealant.  You'll probably be no worse off. 
>I was able to pry the seal out and work w/ it w/ no
>visible damage.
>
>Alternatively, you could try my gasket fix.  It wasn't
>hard and I don't see a downside, even if it shouldn't
>be necessary.
>
>I forgot to check on the sealant I used.  I'll check
>and get back to you.
>
>Mike
>
> 
>--- Scott Derrick <scott at tnstaafl.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>If its like any other crank shaft seal I've seen its
>>not possible and 
>>highly discouraged to reuse seal that has been
>>removed.
>>
>>Your just asking for leak.
>>
>>Scott
>>
>>John Dibble wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Mike, Steve,
>>>Today I few 1/2 hour to get my prop balanced.  The
>>>      
>>>
>>seal didn't leak a bit.  The
>>    
>>
>>>procedure took to long and my oil got overheated,
>>>      
>>>
>>and it started leaking again.  I'm
>>    
>>
>>>going to try the sealant.  I'd prefer not to remove
>>>      
>>>
>>the seal and risk damaging it.
>>    
>>
>>>How do you remove the seal without damage?  Do you
>>>      
>>>
>>think applying sealant to the back
>>    
>>
>>>side only will help?
>>>
>>>John
>>>
>>>Mike Deeter wrote:
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>John:
>>>>
>>>>I did remove the seal to look at it and found that
>>>>        
>>>>
>>the sealant used was
>>    
>>
>>>>dried up.  I cleaned the seal and casing surface. 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Then I gooped up
>>    
>>
>>>>(it's a standard industry technical term) the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>outer surface of the seal,
>>    
>>
>>>>plopped it back in, and smeared the outside of the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>seal in an attempt to
>>    
>>
>>>>make sure there was unbroken sealant all the way
>>>>        
>>>>
>>around.  I also
>>    
>>
>>>>fabricated a gasket from gasket material I bought
>>>>        
>>>>
>>at Tractor Supply
>>    
>>
>>>>which closes off the same gap.  It has no effect
>>>>        
>>>>
>>on the seal between the
>>    
>>
>>>>inner surface of the seal and the crankshaft.  I
>>>>        
>>>>
>>can't remember what the
>>    
>>
>>>>sealant was but I'll check in a few hours when I'm
>>>>        
>>>>
>>at the hangar and get
>>    
>>
>>>>back to you.  In any case, it was a common
>>>>        
>>>>
>>automotive form-a-gasket type
>>    
>>
>>>>sealant.  It wasn't cement, though.
>>>>
>>>>Mike
>>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org
>>>>        
>>>>
>>[mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
>>    
>>
>>>>Behalf Of John Dibble
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 11:27 AM
>>>>To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
>>>>Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Franklin seal leak
>>>>
>>>>I wondered about that.  When I replaced the seal,
>>>>        
>>>>
>>the shop didn't have
>>    
>>
>>>>the special
>>>>cement that the instructions specified, so I used
>>>>        
>>>>
>>common automotive
>>    
>>
>>>>cement.  Since it
>>>>lasted 28 hours, I figured the cement wasn't an
>>>>        
>>>>
>>issue and I hadn't
>>    
>>
>>>>checked because I
>>>>have to remove the pickup for the Rose EI, but I
>>>>        
>>>>
>>guess I'll have to
>>    
>>
>>>>check.  What type
>>>>of cement did you use?  Do I understand correctly
>>>>        
>>>>
>>that you didn't remove
>>    
>>
>>>>the seal,
>>>>just put the cement on the back side?
>>>>
>>>>John
>>>>
>>>>mike deeter wrote:
>>>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>All:
>>>>>
>>>>>I had significant leakage out of my crankshaft
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>seal
>>    
>>
>>>>>and found that it was leaking out around the
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>outside
>>    
>>
>>>>>of the seal, i.e., between the engine casing and
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>the
>>    
>>
>>>>>outer surface of the seal, NOT between the shaft
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>and
>>    
>>
>>>>>the inner surface of the seal.  I did two things:
>>>>>fabricated a gasket to cover the above-mentioned
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>area,
>>    
>>
>>>>>and gooped it w/ sealant there as well.  That
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>seemed
>>    
>>
>>>>>to fix the problem.
>>>>>
>>>>>I actually think the gasket was overkill; in the
>>>>>directions for changing the seal, I think (my
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>failing
>>    
>>
>>>>>memory at play here) it says to apply some
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>sealant
>>    
>>
>>>>>where I mentioned above.  Mine had evidence it
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>came
>>    
>>
>>>>>that way but it was all dried up.  I changed the
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>seal
>>    
>>
>>>>>but, frankly, it didn't look any the worse for
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>wear
>>    
>>
>>>>>and I probably just needed to add the sealant.
>>>>>
>>>>>Try the sealant first.  It's easy and you can try
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>the
>>    
>>
>>>>>gasket if that doesn't work.
>>>>>
>>>>>Mike
>>>>>
>>>>>--- John Dibble <aminetech at bluefrog.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>Thanks Steve.  That's an interesting point about
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>oil
>>    
>>
>>>>>>temp.  Mine normally run 92-98 C
>>>>>>(198-208F).  When I replaced the seal there was
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>a
>>    
>>
>>>>>>lot of dark brown deposit on the
>>>>>>shaft and I wonder if this abraded the seal and
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>made
>>    
>>
>>>>>>it start leaking.  I assume the
>>>>>>deposit came from degradation of the oil,
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>perhaps
>>    
>>
>>>>>>due to a high temp.  What are your
>>>>>>oil temps (before and now)?
>>>>>>When I bought my Velocity it had 205 hours and
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>the
>>    
>>
>>>>>>seal was not leaking.  I flew it for
>>>>>>about 100 hours before the seal began leaking. 
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>I
>>    
>>
>>>>>>wonder if one's operating habits
>>>>>>(MAP, rpm, and amount of leaning) have any
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>impact.
>>    
>>
>>>>>>Do you balance the prop?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Steve wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My Franklin has only 65 hrs on it. I have
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>already
>>    
>>
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>replaced the
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>crankshaft seal due to it leaking oil. It still
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>leaked with a new seal.
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I have also been working on getting my oil temp
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>down  ... with some
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>success. Since the oil temps came down, the oil
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>leaking from the
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>crankshaft seal stopped leaking., so maybe its
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>a
>>    
>>
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>temperature related
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>thing ??
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Pure coincidence, I happened to check for any
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>play
>>    
>>
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>in the crankshaft
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>last week and was surprised to find a little
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>play
>>    
>>
>>>>>>>         
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>              
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>up and down but none
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>from side to side. I am still pondering this
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>when
>>
>>    
>>
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>*******************************************
>Mike Deeter
>N2011 Test Pilot
>iguanamagic at yahoo.com
>http://iguanamagic.siegesmund.org
>*******************************************
>_______________________________________________
>To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>
>Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
>user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
>Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
>
>
>
>  
>


More information about the Reflector mailing list