Cross Member Seal Positioning

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Hi all,

I have taken a lot trouble to read all the posts I can on this topic and really haven't come to a straight forward fitting procedure. Much talk of 0.05mm feeler guage between the stainless cup (on the arm) and the body of the seal. This doesn't look possible to me. The shoulder of the seal is actually the lip of the carrier tube as far as I can see. When the the seal lip is compressed it splays out and as the lip material itself is 0.72 mm the seal will be squashed and wear in next to no time.

 

Secondly the machined bearing housing (the tube itself) will permit the bearing to be inset by about 4mm. Is it worth driving the bearing in 'til it bottoms against the tube lip? I can see that some clearance is required between the stainless cup and the bearing face so presumably 4mm might be bit too much. Wurzel states that you "drive the bearing home so that it was recessed into the tube by about 5mm" which seems to imply bottoming the bearing in the tube.

 

On the actual tube I'm refurbing the bearing outer face was just below the inner bevelled lip (about 2 mm in).

The carrier tube sets this gap by being offset itself (relative to the outer housing of the tube end) but does the stainless cup actually need to be within the tube itself - admittedly it wouldn't be in by much - when it's in it's final position prior to setting the torsion bars and locking them off.

Would it also be worth putting some rubber grease on the lips of the seal prior to seating the arm.

regards

Dave

[pug_ham 245 3 Cars]

Much talk of 0.05mm feeler guage between the stainless cup (on the arm) and the body of the seal. This doesn't look possible to me. The shoulder of the seal is actually the lip of the carrier tube as far as I can see. When the the seal lip is compressed it splays out and as the lip material itself is 0.72 mm the seal will be squashed and wear in next to no time.

It is possible & doesn't take long to set but the seal shouldn't be pushed into the carrier far enough for it to contact the carrier when this gap is set. It shouldn't be pressed tightly against the edge of the carrier causing it to wear rapidly.

 

Secondly the machined bearing housing (the tube itself) will permit the bearing to be inset by about 4mm. Is it worth driving the bearing in 'til it bottoms against the tube lip? I can see that some clearance is required between the stainless cup and the bearing face so presumably 4mm might be bit too much. Wurzel states that you "drive the bearing home so that it was recessed into the tube by about 5mm" which seems to imply bottoming the bearing in the tube.

I've always pressed the outer bearings into the tube until they are flush with the edge of it, just like the factory buyuilt beams I've stripped & have never pushed the new bearings into the tube until they sit flush with the edge of the machined section.

 

On the actual tube I'm refurbing the bearing outer face was just below the inner bevelled lip (about 2 mm in).

The carrier tube sets this gap by being offset itself (relative to the outer housing of the tube end) but does the stainless cup actually need to be within the tube itself - admittedly it wouldn't be in by much - when it's in it's final position prior to setting the torsion bars and locking them off.

Would it also be worth putting some rubber grease on the lips of the seal prior to seating the arm.

I'm not quite sure what you mean there but the stainless cup is just wider than the seal which when pressed into the carrier has a gap between itself & the bearing outer face that I fill with grease.

 

I don't grease the seal but there is usually some build up spread around the face by the process of inserting the radius arm shaft into the tube

 

Graham.

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Hi Graham,

I think I've probably misunderstood about this 0.05mm gap. This is a picture of a beam you and Welshpug were discussing a few years back.

 

 

If I understand you right - the feeler guage would be on the inboard side of the seal lip - i.e between it and the seal carrier edge. Thus the gap between the inner face of the stainless cup and the carrier would be (according to my measurements) seal lip thickness + 0.05 = 0.79mm. - correct?

 

When compressed by (the arm) the stainless cup inboard edge coincides with the inner face of the seal. So with the bearing just inset then a small gap would be maintained. Thanks for that though as it is a little hard to visualise sometimes even when it's in front of you.

Thanx again.

Dave

[welshpug 1,678]

the .05mm clearance is from the stainless cup to the body of the seal itself, not the lip.

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

the .05mm clearance is from the stainless cup to the body of the seal itself, not the lip.

Hi Welshpug,

Does the seal body get pushed into the the metal ring carrier then as you adjust the arm itself?

If it doesn't then it's not possible. In the picture the seal lip is shown clearly and it is about 0.7mm thick. You can't see the main body of the seal and if you hit the arm as stated and pinch a 0.05mm feeler guage as you say then the seal will be crushed as 0.7mm seal into a 0.05mm gap don't go.

regards

Dave

[welshpug 1,678]

you push the seal fully into the carrier when you fit it, the lip doesn't stick out from the main body of the seal and its pretty flexible, you can have a Zero clearance if you so wished.

[welshpug 1,678]

seal -

 

 

seal fitted-

 

 

 

torsion bar going in -

 

 

torsion bar fixed end secured -

 

 

setting clearance -

 

 

locking in place -

 

 

completed assembly-

 

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Nice pictures and that would be how I was intending to do it. What do you mean by "the lip doesn't stick out from the body of the seal" of course it does and in your "seal fitted" picture. This is getting surreal.

A close-up of setting the gap would be useful.

regards

Dave

PS this is a picture of my seal/carrier (test fitting) - seal protruding!

 

 

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Eureka Moment !!!!

I have just blown up the picture of "setting the gap" Praise the Lord for I can see again.

Sorry - got a bit carried away there.

I can see where the feeler guage is going in.

I thought it was between the stainless cup face and the edge of the seal carrier.Hence my confusion.

Thanks Welshpug and Graham

regards

Dave