Crankshaft rear seal

[Biek]

Hi everyone,

My Costello is in dire need of a rear seal replacement and its engine has been taken apart for that job. As it turns out, the engine is featuring one of those troublesome rear seal ropes, which, from what I've read so far, are either leaking (little or a lot) or about to start.

The guy I bought my car from, however, was very certain that he's seen a neoprene replacement seal, which would fit instead of the rope seal without any other modifications. Back then he decided that the rope was good enough and hadn't changed it.

The trouble now is finding that part.

Has any of you been through the same exercise and successfully replaced that rope for a normal seal? And if you did, would you be able to point me to the place where I can obtain this part?

Many thanks for your help.

Best regards,
Biek

[Thierryd]

Hi Biek,

I suppose the rear seal can be found with any classic Rover parts dealer without difficulty. For example you can try Rimmerbros from the UK, they have a lot of pre SD1 V8 engine parts :
http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Category--Rover-V8-Engines--m-558
If any supply difficulty, I am confident our british fellows will be able to provide you with other contacts.

Hope this helps !
Best regards
Thierry

[Thierryd]

Hi Biek,

I suppose the rear seal can be found with any classic Rover parts dealer without difficulty. For example you can try Rimmerbros from the UK, they have a lot of pre SD1 V8 engine parts :
http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Category--Rover-V8-Engines--m-558
If any supply difficulty, I am confident our british fellows will be able to provide you with other contacts.

Hope this helps !
Best regards
Thierry

[Thierryd]

Hi again Biek,

I just checked on the various links I have, and there is also the V8 tuner site, which is proposing either the standard seal, or the rope one :
http://www.v8tuner.co.uk/category.php?id=21
Good luck !

BR
Thierry

[Biek]

Hi Thierry,

Thanks for taking the time to think with me on this one.

After first searching for that illusive neoprene rope seal replacement ourselves, but to no avail, and then email anyone having anything to do with the Rover V8 engines I could find online, we've decided on simply replacing the rope seal with ... a rope seal. A new one, of course, but a rope nonetheless.

During my search, I've also read a few confidence boosting stories of people who have no problems whatsoever with their rope seals, and even one person who had the neoprene seal and has returned to the rope seal because that was superior in his perspective.

The trick seems to be in the process of fitting the seal. Do that correctly and it'll work a treat. So that's what we're aiming for now.

The parts are in already, and next week we'll be putting the engine back together and refitting it in the car. I'm hopeful that I'll be driving it again in a matter of a few weeks now, which would be a superb closure of something that's given me serious headaches.

Thanks again for finding those addresses Thierry, and hopefully we'll be able to shake hands at the end of May.

Biek

[Roger Cook]

There are a number of specialist suppliers, but rimmerbros.co.uk list an aftermarket non-rope rear oil seal under part number RTC6710P.  Good luck!

[Biek]

Thanks for the heads-up Roger, I'll keep them in mind for future reference. The engine is almost completely back together now, just waiting for the starter motor to return to us and then it can all be put back in the car. I can't wait to take it for a spin again, seems ages ago that I drove it.