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MG MGA - Mysterious oil leak - suspecting tachometer cable

Hard to tell where the oil is oozing, but it eventually drips right onto the exhause. How tight a fitting should there be around the cable as it goes into the engine? The nut is tight but there's a lot of play on the cable itself as it goes into that fitting.

- Ken



Ken Doris

After reading Barney's site I'm suspecting the seal or gasket for the tach is the culprit. I'm leaving on a 2000 mile trip on Wednesday. Any ideas on whether a standard plumbing gasket might work?
- Ken
Ken Doris

Long time since I had one apart, but I seem to recall an actual oil seal in the tach drive. It may be just an o ring. It is part # 1G2398, retainer ring 1G2399, flange gasket 1G2401. Moss show the seal, retainer NLS, gasket would be in the gasket sets.
If the oil is leaking out the cable joint, then it is leaking past the shaft. In that case, either replace the seal or let it leak - you do not want to fill the cable up with oil, as the tach will drown.

FRM
FR Millmore

Original seal for the tach drive was apparently a thick o-ring. Seal for the speedometer drive in the gearbox is a nice garter spring seal. The speedo drive seal can be used in the tach drive) and maybe works better). It is what I have been using for tach drive seal for 20 years. There should be no oil getting past the tach drive into the cable.
Barney Gaylord

Barney - do you have a Moss part number for that? I can't find it.
- Ken
Ken Doris

Ken,
I'm a bit curious about why there is oil in your tach cable. As far as I know, these cables are lubricated with grease, not oil. Good luck on the trip!
Gerry
G T Foster

Moss has the speedo drive seal marked for about a dozen different applications. It does appear as a standard part on the MGA Gearbox page as Item 90, part number 461-445.
http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29221

Lots cheaper too. I have no idea why Moss has the "lip type seal" for the tach drive tagged at more than three times the price when they were the ones who cross referenced it to the speedo seal about 25 years ago. Someone there has a short memory?
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 07/08/2011 and 08/08/2011

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