If free play in the steering wheel of an early Plus 4 can be attributed  to the steering box and not sloppy steering components and if there is no adjustment left in the box then replacement or rebuilding are the only acceptable options. The replacement unit is a Gemmer box.

For a rebuild new pegs are available and it is possible to press out the old peg and press in the  new one.  The worms, the sector shafts and the bushes also wear over time.  Line bore the body of the box and  install a second bushing where the sector shaft originally ran directly on the cast body of the box.  This type of wear is usually caused by prolonged lack of lubrication.

REPLACING THE REAR MAIN SEAL ON A PLUS 4 (Triumph Engine)

Currently there are two different seal kits available: one from Moss Motors and one from Racetorations in England.  One can also try the bigger Morgan Agents. Reports back indicate VERY poor success with these.

Thse who have used them have noted;

1. There could be a very sharp edge at the back of the block and a radius on the corresponding portion of the oil seal carrier.  The sharp edge will cut into the alloy radius and the result will be that the mounting plates will not fit properly, but will rock back and forth. Round the sharp edge on the block with a die grinder, and when filling the seal holders prior to assembly he applied two narrow beads of Loctite anaerobic red cement, one line on each side of the bolt holes.

2. The inside diameter of the seal cavity can be .020" too large. Double pass around the bottom of the shells with Permatex No. 3.

3. Next the oil-tightness of the seal where it comes together. Before anything is assembled to the engine, connect the two ends of the spring and insert the spring into the cavity of the seal. It will require a little force. Then place the seal into the cavities of the two halves of the alloy housing and hold the assembled unit up to a strong light source. If triangle of light can be seen where the seal comes together, caulk the area with Loctite anaerobic red cement. Be sure to wipe off any excess as it will adhere to the crankshaft.

4. Be sure the alloy housing halves fit together properly. With the crankshaft removed from the block fit the two halves up to the block and install the rear main bolts. If they don't fit perfectly, the edges of the housing pieces can be dressed down with #600 sandpaper on a piece of glass. When the fit of the housing halves is correct mark the upper half to indicate the location of the split in the seal (after having determined its position with prior fitting of the seal inside the housing). It is very important that the break in the seal be straight up after the unit is assembled.

Or another method is to first assemble the seal on the crankshaft. With the block inverted on an engine stand, first put in the upper main bearings and  lubricate the thrust washers, then lay the crankshaft in, first rotating it so that the #2 and #3 throws are facing upward. Have a helper start the bolts on the rear main seal housing, with your indicator mark  pointing straight down (remember, engine is inverted).

When it comes to sealing the rear main cap, the Payen gasket kits contain less of the felt sealing wick than ever before. To get a good seal 3" more of this stuff  is required than supplied. Additional felt is available from most parts suppliers. The best sealing compound for this is either Permatex #3 Aviation Cement or Indian Head Gasket Shellac (the latter well known and loved by old timers!). Push the cement-coated felt into the groove in the rear main bearing cap and force it in with a punch. Make sure the cement is forced out of the gap between block and cap all the way to the top, both inside and outside, and wipe off the surplus. Finally place a small bead of Loctite red cement between the edges of the alloy seal housing halves where they join. Experiments show no harm in doing this and it may actually help sealing.

A Better Alternative to TR Rear Rope Seals

I just learned that 'Me Mog' is profusely leaking oil from the rear seal. I understand that there is an improved product that can replace the original rope seal on the TR 3 engine.  Do any of you know  what this product consist of, and moreover where may I find it?

The product is a conversion to a neoprene lip seal. It can be found in Moss Motors, British Parts Northwest, and probably any other TR source (British Frame & Engine, Victoria British, etc).
N.B. Some eMog members have reported problems with this seal! Ask on eMog for the very latest wisdom.

It involves having a portion of the crankshaft machined down to a specific diameter (included in the instructions with the seal) and polished.  The kit also includes the two steel capture plates that hold the seal and adapt to the block.

Everyone that I know that has converted to the seal has said it worked wonderfully.  I have done it to my '61 but it isn't on the road yet.

The cost runs between $88 (BP NW) and $130 (Moss).  I've found that BP NW has some terrific deals with very good quality so they are always on my recommended list.  Others prefer BF&E or TRF.  Moss seems to be on the high side in general but not always.

There are some un-converted owners that state that it isn't original and that the rope seal was good enough back then, therefore its good enough now.  That's perfectly fine, but the lip seal means one less place to have to clean up on the garage floor.  M. Miles

TR REAR OIL SEALS IV
by Greg Solow

The main problem with the original "slinger" threaded rear oil seal is that there is to much clearance between the threads on the crank and the id of the threaded "seal". Taking Hardy Prentice's lead, we have been modifying and reconditioning used, original seals, and use them in preference to the aftermarket conversions.  The "blueprinted" stock seals (we reduce the crank to seal clearance from the original .012" to .006") don't seem to leak a drop as long as the seal is properly centered and the ring seal is good. The
revs must also be kept under 6,000 rpm. Above 6,000 there will be a little leakage.

We also have used a Chysler 440/383 rear main seal.  We modify the original aluminum "seal" to hold the neoprene lip seal.  The threads on the crank need to be filled up by welding and then reground to the proper size. This is the "best" seal arrangement that we have used. It does not leak at all, even in a race engine that uses over 7,000 rpm.

We have had the same problems that Bill Button mentioned after using the "Racestorations" rear seal that is sold by Moss, (Br Parts NW) et al. Every one of them has leaked to some extent. We have been VERY CAREFUL to follow the instructions exactly, and they still leak. I will not use this seal system again.

The standard seal works very well on a well built engine with no "blow by" as long as the clearance between the crank and the seal is in the .005" to .006" range and the seal is properly centered  on the centerline of the crank.

TR REAR OIL SEALS V (can be done with engine in the car!)
by John H. Sheally II

I have built many TR engines as I owned and raced Plus-4s for quite a few years. Here is the way I did it with the rear Main Seal. I used the stock gasket kits for everything but the rear main seal. Here, I threw away the felt that comes in the gasket kits for the rear main as felt transfers oil.

What has worked for me was to take a plain old white cotton undershirt and cut it into one inch by six inch strips those were then soaked in INDIAN HEAD SHELLAC. These strips are then worked into the slots of the rear main already torqued into place. The strips are pounded into the slots with a flat ended punch until both sides are filled 1/4 inch shy of being filled with the shellaced T-Shirt that is left to dry overnight. come back the next day and fill the 1/4 inch left on each side with extra strength black RTV.

Let the RTV stand a bit proud of the slots. Put your oil pan in place and torque down. You have at this point a drip free rear main seal.

Here is another special tip. Because I ran the engines hard especially in competition sometimes in the 7 to 7500 RPM range I would change the Rod and Main Bearings on a regular basis. Remember you are dealing with a heavy (always balanced) TR crank running on three mains. I would always do the bearing change in car so the tip is to trim the tips off of the the main cap bolt on alloy rear main crank seal. That is bolt the alloy rear seal half one to the block and the other half to the main cap with the 7/16th bolts and then trim the alloy "ears" off of the main cap. The reason to do this is that you can not remove the main cap for a bearing change in car unless these ears are trimmed off but you can when this is done letting you have access for the main bearing changes.

Enjoy this "KISS" application.

Extra note from the WEBMASTER: Gerald, When you bolt the bottom half of the two piece alloy seal onto the rear main cap you will see that the corners (ears) of the bottom alloy half stick out beyond the flat sides of the main cap. If you trim those pieces even with the sides of the main cap you then will be able to remove the bottom half of the main cap with engine in car and with transmission bolted up to replace your main bearings (IN CAR). The front and center main caps can be removed when the pan is removed but the rear can not unless these "ears are cut off".

Do not pack the wide groove on the crank with anything or any of the other groves they are are for oil circulation and transfer. Only pack the sides of the main cap after it is torqued into place.

After soaking your one inch by 6 inch strips of white cotton T-shirts in shellac ( I use Indian Head Shellac ) feed them into the sides with a drift/punch and pound them in tight leave about a 1/8th inch in each side and fill that  space with RTV/sealer even with the end of both side of the cap and let tack up a bit before running a bead of RTV/Sealer across the bottom of the cap and block and bolt the pan in place. Let dry for 24 hours, add oil to engine start and go.  Sincerely, John H. Sheally II