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Date:         Tue, 14 Jan 2003 12:20:24 -0500
Reply-To:     "G.M.Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "G.M.Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Organization: Bulley-Hewlett
Subject:      O-Rings, was: rebuilder blames coolant for failure under warranty
In-Reply-To:  <7b.72219f0.2b554207@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

I'm not sure if you guys are joking about putting sealant on o-rings, but if any of you are, I'd strongly urge you to read up on how o-rings work. They are perfect in their simplicity, and rely completely on absolute cleanliness, and absolutely no other material in their sealing zone.

I'd be up their with Bill Gates if I had a dollar for every type-4 I found with leaking push-rod tubes seals, only to find RTV or 'high-tach' sealant on the o-ring seals. Since the type 4 motor gets wider as it heats up, the heads must be able to move in and out, and the o-ring bores (for the pushrods) are about 2mm wider than they need to be (at rest) so the rings can roll as the heads move. Clog up that 2mm with goop, and they won't roll, and they leak within 50k miles.

The pressure of oil behind an o-ring causes it to seal better as the curve of the ring is flattened under the pressure. If the oil can't get behind the curve of the ring (again because of RTV) you get leaks.

Were you joking?

Bringing ideas to life, G. Matthew Bulley Bulley-Hewlett www.bulley-hewlett.com AIM = IExplain4u +1.919.658.1278 "Fax mentis incendium gloria culpum"


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