Timing side oil leak

[Brian]

I fit oil seals in mine, have done this to every one I have owned plus quite a few others. Cures the problem completely.

[orabanda]

Ditto

[Ratchet Richard]

Hi John I did use the bush you recommended from Drangonfly in your earlier post, thanks.  I also checked both the old and new parts books and saw that the new parts book does list the wrong bush for the inner casing.  When you mentioned the possible problem with the size of the outer dimensions I decided to take the bike to Paul Henshaw of  performance classics to have a look at the bike and do the bush.  That’s how I found out about the crankshaft end float. 
Thanks Richard

[Greybeard]

So looks like an engine out complete strip down is on the cards. The term Bo****k comes to mind.

Greybeard mumbles something about cleaning the sludge trap.   

[Swarfcut]

  Richard, Just reviewed this saga from the beginning and realised the bike has scarcely been round the block since an engine rebuild. To have an engine built only to find the crank fitted to that mediocre standard is a little more than disappointing. Plus the offending bush, in retrospect the confusion over the part number and scroll direction is perhaps more understandable. But if it was done professionally, that's even worse. To echo GB, you'd expect the sludge trap to have been cleaned out as part of the build.
 The crank float aside, it is worth checking the big nut on the drive side end of the crank has been tightened, it needs to be 65-75 FtPounds and bears on the inner drive sleeve to clamp the bearing inner race against the crank. Too loose and the race will move and wear away the adjusting shims which end up (with luck) mainly in the sump.

 Your real dilemma depends on whether you can get any redress. If not, continuing to run the bike as it is for the short term will be fine. It performed well for Mr Henshaw, I think he enjoyed the ride and that's good coming from a man who knows.

 Swarfy.

[Ratchet Richard]

Thanks to all the brilliant comments.  My original post was about the oil leak and I am pleased to say that the new idle gear bush has done the trick. Rode the bike this morning for around 30 miles and no leak. Thanks mugwump for suggesting this and all the following helpful points. 
I am going to take Swarfys advice and run the bike in the short term as I am sure something else will come along and make a strip down more necessary. I will also seek some redress from the seller. 
Thanks again it feels good to have so much support.
Richard.

[mugwump]

Glad it all worked out well Richard. Judging by the excess crank float etc. I would have to question if attention was given to the sludge trap. Certainly worth checking when the end float gets  sorted.

[trevinoz]

Brian, you are the bloke I am looking for.
Do you have a part number or size for that seal?
I initially thought that John Chater Lea was doing that mod.

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
It looks like a big proportion of the bush is "lost" when a seal is fitted ?
Earlier this year I was working on an A10, trying to reduce the leaks, I had to remove the inner case to renew the breather cork washers, when I did I found the idler/ dynamo drive shaft well worn , same with the bush
It had a 15mm wide belt drive to the dynamo ,  I wonder if this contributed to the wear ?
Anyhow I would be reluctant to remove bush material
My own SR does not have a cork washer behind the belt pulley, there was no room to fit it
It does not leak oil into the belt /chain compartment

I am currently rebuilding an Ariel Huntmaster engine, It had been running away(happily ?) without any shimming of the crank    it had 32thou endfloat
There was no cork washer on the breather either 
The reason for the rebuild is accident damage

John

[Brian]

Trev,
       I cant remember the exact size of the seal, it is a metric one though. The idler shaft is pretty close to a metric size and the OD doesnt matter, the trick is to find one as narrow as possible, I cant remember if the seal was 4 or 5mm wide. Being a modern metric seal they are dirt cheap, a couple of dollars.


John,
       you lose about 20% of the bearing surface. I have fitted about 10 of these now and have not had a problem of any kind and it keeps the gen drive compartment completely free of oil. Its one of those modifications that is probably not
"essential" but it does keep everthing dry. Sometimes I use the existing bush or make a new one, turn up a dummy shaft that fits in the bush, bolt to a face plate and clock off the dummy shaft then machine for the seal.

[RDfella]

Should be able to get seals down to 3mm width (usually to accompany needle roller bearings)

[trevinoz]

Thanks Brian.