[Healeys] That funny little hole in the bell housing.

[Editorgary at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/17/08 2:41:15 PM, healeys-request at autox.team.net writes:


> I also
> wiped down the tranny and engine oil pan.  This morining I noticed this a
> small amount of oil leaking through the small hole at the bottom of the
bell
> housing.  Any idea what the cause may be?  Thanks.
>

Believe it or not, that little hole is a design feature! In fact, there
should be a cotter-pin in the hole that wiggles to keep the hole from getting
clogged up. Under normal operating conditions, oil collecting around the rear
of
the drive-shaft would be thrown back into the sump by the combination of
negative crankcase pressure and the Archimedes Screw (for fun, look that up on
"How
Things Work") milled into the crank, but when the engine is shut down, the
pressure changes, the Screw stops screwing, and a little oil from the crank
seeps
into the bottom of the bell housing and out that little hole. That having been
said, leakage shouldn't be more than a few drops; if you're getting a puddle,
then the crank opening has been worn out of round and the oil isn't being
kept in the engine. At that point, it's time for serious consideration of a
rear
oil seal and checking the engine (bearings and compression) against the
possibility that a rebuild may be in order.

Cheer
Gary


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