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[Les H]

Hi Norm. I find it difficult to belive the engine crank case side has distorted, but if it has I would want to know where it is, in effect sticking out, rather than laying back from the correct surface level. I would remove the oil worm so it does get in the way of the quill or cause any tightness when you place the cover on the engine. You will then have the cover loose and able to rock. So then rock the cover to see at what position there was a high spot rather than push it in hard at the bottom to see a gap at the top.. try rocking it at all compass points to see if there is just one distinct high point on the engine joint face. Once you have this high spot you have two choices. With careful use of 60 grit paper you will be quite easily able to lower the high spot on what ever appears easiset to get at or take some of both surfaces. Remeber to keep the scoring in line with the face direction it will seal better like this later rather than try to smooth away cross scratches. If you go about this carefully and rechecking with some marker ink you will be able to get the cover to match much better. Remember there is likley to be a shortish length that the cover rocks on rather than an entire length of one side. Ultimately you could try 2x gaskets with Wellseal used on the cover and on the engine faces and bring them together, gasket to gasket, without any goo. Always hard to judge how bad the problem is from a description...good luck.

[Norm]

Mark,
That was yesterdays deal, I even took 1mm off the boss the idler gear runs in to make sure. I have nearly 2mm clearance on this now. Previously I have always had a gasket in there so never really checked the fit but yesterday I was determined to find out what was causing the problem and now I am still no closer to solving the problem. I fill the timing cover in through the exhaust valve cover and within an hour oil is coming down around the inside of the oil filter, always in the same spot, and this is without even starting the motor. Visibly the surfaces look fine. I guess the only way is to pull the timing cover off my Series 1 and see what happens. Don't particularly want to pull it off because it doesn't leak and I'm getting sick of leaks

[Les H]

OOPS missed a word out (NOT) should read:
"remove the oil worm so it does NOT get in the way of the quill or cause any tightness"

[Norm]

Les,
Worm was removed, still had the timing chain adjuster on and I had the cover able to just slip into place and butt up easily but it just left this gap along the top and around the corner where the exhaust cam is. The cam is nowhere near the cover except where the tacho drive fits and that wasn't a problem. The cover will flex easily enough to but up but it is the leak down the bottom I can't stop

[Dennis C]

Hi Norm
I am with Les on this and find it hard to understand how the crankcase can distort at this point it would take a severe knock to do this.

Could it be that the gap at the top is leading you away from the real problem lower down?, if the crankcase has had a severe knock in the past to cause distortion perhaps it is possible that there is a crack lower down which you are missing or some other problem which is not gasket related.

[Norm]

Dennis,
You are probably right, I have tried probably 50 times( might be a bit exadgerated) but many times and even with the nitrile gasket I fitted yesterday it still leaked in the same 2 spots and all I am doing is filling the timing chest with oil and it runs out.It has to be a crack that isn't visible that opens up when the cover is tightened. It has to be in the timing cover because it always leaks down over the inside of the oil filter and never runs down the case side. One day I will solve it

[Dennis C]

Hi Norm

If it is a crack and you can find it, I have had success using J B Weld on this type of thing, make V into the crack fill with J B Weld and leave to harden.

[Norm]

Looks like it might have a crack up in the corner under the pump spindle above the oil filter housing. Obviously because of the distortion somewhere, when the case is tightened up it opens this crack up.I have thought of building the whole section up with JB weld but I might see if I can get it welded up properly. I have heard great reports about JB though. I'm not totally convinced this is the problem, but I have to start somewhere. I did fit the cover on my Series 1 today and it still leaked so the problem is in the cover.

[PeteF]

Durafix is good stuff too.
http://durafix.co.uk/

[another Allan]

If, as you suspect, the crack is opening as the cover is stressed when fitting it, I think that JB Weld is unlikely to fix it. The casting will still flex and the JB will come apart. It's great for 'stationary' cracks but IMO it will not hold a casting together if it is under stress. JB would work if you can also manage to flatten the mating surfaces of the timing side, so there is no gap and no flexing when you screw it together.