Silicone for Cam Seal?

Post by **plumsmooth** » 29 Jan 2015, 07:28

When my former mechanic reset my rear Intake Cam Seal he said he "glued it in".

I'm pretty sure it was silicone because that is what his assistant recommended when I drove back to show them the leak at the Exhaust Cam Seal.

I have also seen oil mentioned as a lubricant in one tutorial.

This one here makes No mention of any seal lubrication or setting compound:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=24925

Well I should have a couple of new seals in the mail today or tomorrow and I am wondering what might be recommended?

Anyway I found a 10mm socket but I might need a T40 bit -- and I certainly have screwdrivers!

The weather is warming up here too today -- maybe even 30 degrees -- making it a good day for what looks like a relatively easy project.

I was also wondering in general if Penetrating Catalyst is a good idea to have on hand for stubborn screws and bolts. I'd hate to strip or break something on this job!

Post by **E Showell** » 29 Jan 2015, 07:39

No sealant needed, unless your prior mechanic messed up the mating surface for the seal.

Penetrating lubricant -- I swear by "PB Blaster" as do many on this forum, although it is but one of many similar products.

Post by **plumsmooth** » 29 Jan 2015, 08:30

Actually he reset the Rear Intake Cam Seal, now I have to reset or replace the Exhaust Cam Seal.

I guess he was just being preventative, since he was feeling the pressure of the delayed diagnostics to realize that my Intake Seal was the source of the original problem...

Post by **cn90** » 29 Jan 2015, 10:12

You can read the link below by SKF for detail as how a seal is designed:
http://www.skf.com/us/products/seals/in ... index.html

The basic principles are:
- The "garter spring" keeps the "primary lip" tight against the rotating shaft, whether it is cam, or crank or whatever that is rotating. This part of the seal is considered the "shaft side". If you touch it, it is pliable and moves around.

- Note the outer cup is metal and is coated with polymer (or rubber-like material). It is slightly larger than the engine bore diameter: this way when it is installed, it is a press-fit. In otherwords, the sealing effect is made by pressing the polymer rubber against the engine bore.
This side of the seal is considered the "bore side".

Now the important part ---> brand matters for some reasons:

- If the bore side is not correct (you are talking about 0.1 or 0.2mm larger than engine bore diameter), then it is a problem:
* Too tight ---> difficult to drive it in.
* Too loose (? Elring brand), it will come out during operation.

- A good seal is one that requires moderate force (hammer + appropriate adapter) to drive it in. If it comes in too easy, you will have problem.

- The primary lip side: a good seal should remain soft/pliable for 100K under engine heat. Low-quality seal leaks as soon as 10K-20K! So stick to Volvo OEM, Corteco, or SKF, nothing else.

People take seals for granted, trying to save a couple bucks here and there, only to find out they lose a lot of oil, and worse...the whole engine itself!

Post by **plumsmooth** » 29 Jan 2015, 11:27

A good seal is one that requires moderate force (hammer + appropriate adapter) to drive it in. If it comes in too easy, you will have problem

Thank you for your time!

Both tutorials I read here I believe do not make any mention of adapters or special tools for driving the cam seals in. Do you have any suggestions?

mika · Post by **mika** » 29 Jan 2015, 12:20

The few I have read explain a way to cut a white pvc pipe of the correct diameter to help drive it in (if I remeber correctly.)

I recently purchased a seal from IPD without paying attention to brand: and it is made by Elring. I will stick to the one I purchased for now: if cam seals are anything like oil cap seals, it is better to have a fresh one instead of a dried out rubber one that is leaking anyway.

I found it also interesting to point out why the seals are labeled as "front seal or rear seal." If you look at a RWD engine, the timing belt side is the "front" and the other side (distributor) is actually the rear.

wjhandy850 · Post by **wjhandy850** » 29 Jan 2015, 21:57

This best tool/way to press these seals in is already built into the car. Last time i did them I used the rotating steel plate that you have to remove to get to the seal. If you put your old seal in between the plate and the new seal and slowly push it in with the retaining nut, it pushes it in perfectly straight, and as if it was designed that way. The depth even seems perfect at full bolt depth. I hope I explained it well enough.

Post by **plumsmooth** » 30 Jan 2015, 17:20

Not that I'm giving myself any credit here until I complete the job.

However, using the old seal is exactly what I mused upon.

It would only make sense that using something the exact same dimension would meet the specs for a compatible tool.

Thank you everyone dearly for your time!

Looks like my seals will be here tomorrow.
I got a pair of seals made by a company called Vollig.
I also discovered my Local Auto Parts Store Fischer Federated Auto Parts actually sells tools too.
This is great because if I start a job and am missing something I could walk a couple of blocks and maybe get it.

I saw they had a socket t40 bit...

I feel a little silly not just spending the extra money on Volvo seals since I am saving so much but doing this myself.
But I figured as a newbie, in case I just downright fucked it up twice, it would be a less expensive learning experience...