Serving the Gainesville and Hawthorne Florida Area
Seals and Gaskets
All the above seals have a spinning shaft going through them with a liquid or lubricant on the other side of them. By design they will leak a very small amount of liquid: thus it is normal for there to be a little oil around the crank seal after a year or so of driving.
That's one reason you should keep your engine clean!
There are two types of seals common today. The first, and most common, is the rubber lip seal. The second, older, and less common is the paraffin rope seal.
The rope seal has been around for centuries: it is basically a piece of specially treated (with graphite for one thing)piece of rope which fits in a groove cut in a housing which surrounds the rotating shaft. There is a close tolerance between the shaft and the housing, and the rope is fitted tightly in its groove. Because the rope is soaked with fluid, it has little friction on the shaft. Because the tolerance is tight and the liquid isn't under extreme high pressure, very little liquid is lost (a teaspoon per year or less).
Rope seals are a pain to install, and are often messed up by the inexperienced. The only reason they still are out there is they MAY last a bit longer. They aren't made of RUBBER!!
These grommets can cause oil leaks from blowby and can allow dirt to get sucked into your engine. Usually in the valve cover, they should be pliable and make a good seal around the PCV valve and fresh air inlet.
Other o-rings are used around a pipe to seal it where it goes into a socket. Some o-ring fittings move around in their sockets as part of normal operation. Example: some power steering line fittings, Ford A/C lines.
The purpose of all gaskets is the same: to seal the join between two mechanical pieces, preventing the leaking of fluids or gasses at this join area.
Gaskets are used all over a car. Common ones are:
THE OLD GERMAN ENGINEERS SAID NEEDING A GASKET IS A SIGN OF SHODDY MANUFACTURE!
Indeed, many places use no gasket: aircooled VW/Porsche engines have no head gaskets. Many cars have no exhaust gaskets, even no exhaust manifold gaskets!
Other areas use a thin, stays-soft sealer between 2 well machined surfaces, but no gasket.
A
ABS: Anti-Lock Brake Systems
ADVANCE: Car ignition timing
ALTERNATORS and Car Battery
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS
B
BAD CAR DESIGNS
Bad Drivers: How NOT to drive
BATTERIES: Auto, Car or Truck
BELTS AND HOSES
BEARINGS
BODY AND BUMPER REPAIRS
BRAKE REPAIRS: Car or Truck
C
Car Washing and Care
CARBURETORS:Car & Truck
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT
CLEANING: Engine Cleaning
CLUTCH REPAIRS: Car & Truck
COIL (IGNITION)
COMPRESSION: Car Engine
COMPUTER CAR CONTROLS
CV JOINT OR CV AXLES
D
DISTRIBUTORS (IGNITION)
E
ELECTRIC WIRING REPAIR
ENGINES: Car & Truck
ENGINE CLEANING
EXPANSION PLUGS
F
FILTERS: OIL, AIR, ETC.
FREEZE PLUGS
FUEL AIR MIXTURE
FUEL INJECTION: Car & Truck
FUEL PUMPS: Car & Truck
G
GAGES AND "IDIOT LIGHTS"
GASKETS AND SEALS
GLASS: WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
H
HEADS & HEAD GASKET
HOSES AND BELTS
I
"IDIOT LIGHTS" AND GAGES
IGNITION COIL
IGNITION TIMING: Car & Truck
J
AUTO JACKS: lifting cars safely
K
L
LEAN "Car runs lean"
LIGHTS: WARNING OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Limp Home Mode
M
MIL Light
MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS
N
NO START: Car Won't Start
O
OIL CHANGES
OIL: What's right for your car?
OIL LIGHT ON OR GAGE LOW
P
PCV Valve
Q
R
RADIATORS: Car and Truck
RICH: Car runs rich
S
SEALS AND GASKETS
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT
SPARK PLUGS
STARTERS: Auto, Truck
T
THERMOSTATS
TIMING: IGNITION TIMING
TIMING BELT & TIMING CHAIN
TIRE REPAIR
TRANSMISSIONS: AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSIONS: MANUAL
U
V
VACUUM ADVANCE
WARNING LIGHTS OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Car Washing and Care
W
WATER PUMP REPAIR
WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
WIRING REPAIR
X
Y
Z
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