[Healeys] On the subject of oil leaks and racing

[Bob Begani]

Harold:

Thank you for the information and the only pictures I have seen of the rear I
Of the engine, mounting plate and gasket. Know we know what to consider when we remove the trans to replace the clutch disc and will remove the mounting plate all next winter. Meanwhile I have installed a stainless steel bowl filled with oil absorbing sheets under the weep hole and the mounting plate to catch the oil.  It is held up with outdoor extreme Velcro straps. 

Thanks to everyone for there comments

Bob Begani

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 2, 2021, at 12:05 PM, Harold Manifold <manifold at telus.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Bob,
>  
> I was at my local engine shop yesterday that has 3 Healey 6 cylinder engines in various states of rebuild my engine being one of them. After reading about your situation I wanted to make sure mine would not experience any leaks. I took a few pictures and talked to the rebuilder. We identified 4 possible points where oil can leak out and end up in the bottom of the bell housing. These comments correspond to the numbers on the picture.
>  
> The plug at the end of the oil gallery has been removed as part of prepping the block for the hot tank. This shop replaces the pressed in plug with a threaded plug and commented the gasket is not sufficient if the plug is left out.
> The end of the camshaft area where the gasket is narrow. The recommendation is to prepare both surfaces as smooth as possible and use a small amount of RTV sealant to help the seal.
> The infamous Archimedes’ screw, but should not be an issue if the rear seal conversion was done properly. There is always the diaper solution.
> Too much material was removed from the rear mounting plate for the crankshaft rear seal conversion and the opening is below the bottom of the gasket. The rear mounting plate in this picture has been modified for the Dennis Welch square rear seal and the minimum amount to fit he seal was removed. If you compare the two pictures there is not much gasket area left and a small amount of RTV will help the seal.
>  
> Unfortunately, there is no way to get to the root of the issue without removing the rear mounting plate.
>  
> I hope this helps….. Harold
>  
> From: Bob Begani via Healeys
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2021 3:01 PM
> To: Gary Anderson; healeys at autox.team.net
> Cc: George Walker
> Subject: Re: [Healeys] On the subject of oil leaks and racing
>  
> Gary:
>  
> Thanks for your comments.  I had thought of such a diaper pan for my situation, until I can remove the transmission and try and fix the problem as there is a very large puddle when coming to a halt after driving at high speeds for a long distance.
>  
> On the same note, my German friend who raced British and European cars mentioned that on one occasion in the middle of a race the amount of oil had caused the clutch to slip.  One of the pit crew suggested that there may be a hole in the top of the bell housing so you can pour diesel fuel through the hole and flush the oil out off the clutch.  The car did have such a hole so they were able to keep it in the race.  I looked my BJ8 does not have a flushing hole in the bell housing, so I must live with a slippage in 4th gear for a while.
>  
> Meanwhile, PVC system applying negative pressure in the crankcase has reduced the leakage to a pint of oil every 100 miles at highway speed of 60 MPH and above   Not acceptable on a new rebuild. Either the Archimedes screw is not doing its’ job or the gasket or?
>  
>  
> 67 BJ8
> Bob Begani
>  
>  
> From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> On Behalf Of Gary Anderson
> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2021 4:35 PM
> To: healeys at autox.team.net
> Subject: [Healeys] On the subject of oil leaks and racing
>  
> Many years ago, at a panel during a Healey West Coast Meet in Oregon, I took the opportunity to ask Geoff Healey about the issue of oil dripping out of the hole in the bottom of the bell housing when the car would come to a halt after driving a long distance. 
> He gave us the general story that that was actually an intentional design feature, with the reverse archimedes screw typically doing its job and slinging the oil back in the sump at the rear end of the crank shaft. Of course, when the car came to a halt, the oil pressure would reverse and some oil would seep into the bell housing. To deal with that, there is a hole in the bottom of the bellhousing so the oil doesn't pool up. To make sure the hole stays open, a cotter pin is placed in the hole, with the legs projecting out the bottom.
>  
> But then he chuckled and told the following story. When he and Donald were raising street versions of the first Hundreds at Le Mans -- generally for the international publicity benefits -- they anticipated that the race stewards stationed as observers in each of the pits would notice the pool of oil where the car had been sitting when it came in for a pit stop, which would have been grounds for disqualification. So Roger Menadue fastened small pans, contoured to be fastened under the bell housing hole. During the race, the pans would be stuffed with diapers, and that would take care of catching the oil for several stops. During stops when the steward wasn't looking, a mechanic would pull of a filled pan and fasten on a new empty pan. Worked like a charm: no oil leaks in the pits and, as we know, the street-spec Healeys, complete with bumpers and grilles, finished the race in respectable fashion, garnering good publicity and giving rise to the optional "Le Mans kit" that was available from DMHCO.
>  
> And that's the rest of the story.
>  
> Gary Anderson       
>  
> <Back Plate Modification.jpg>
> <End of Block.jpg>
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