Diasater aversion for /6 owners, All oil leaks are not the same Options

[SLITS]

Ok, finally got around to start checking The Grey Ghost for the upcoming endurance test to Ouray, CO. I've had an oil leak(s) I have been trying to trace down for sometime now. Thought it could have been, in order:

1.) Warped valve covers

2.) Improper tightening of chain housing covers or valve covers

3.) Cracked oil tank

4.) Only Dr. Ferry knows

Anyway, got the car on the lift on Sunday to look again. I looked and didn't find anything out of the ordinary (being old and blind, nothing is out of the ordinary).

Brought in a second set of eyes (no, not my glasses) and wella ... found something that caused extreme distress ....

There is a shaft in the chain housing that chain gear #1 (tensioner) sits on. The shaft had backed out of the housing and was only stopped by the head from completely backing out. If it had backed out, one can imagine this large piece of steel being wound up in the cam drive chain, sucked into the bottom of the case and ... well you might get the picture .. (didn't take any images)

It appears that this shaft is pushed into the boss and the backside is epoxied (factory) to seal it. Now whether the shaft is staked in the housing I cannot tell.

Anyway, I was able to push the shaft back into the housing and engage the boss in the front cover of the chain housing.

I am going to stake the shaft and then re-epoxy the back side to seal it and pray for the best (epoxy doesn't stick to oil very well). Boss does not appear to have been ovaled out.

I know that this would have let go somewhere around Beaver (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif), UT.

Anyway, one leak down ........ Game still on.

Not sure if this is a problem with /6s or just the 2.7.

[J P Stein]

A fairly common occurance with magnesium chain housings. Those shafts (steel)are only pressed it to the mag. Couple that with the fact that the shafts are not as hard as the chain wheel pivot thus they notch the shaft oblong (making a step in the shaft). Some think this notching helps lead to tensioner failure( & shaft walking)....include me in that "some". Your displaced shaft will just walk out again.....the epoxy is just used to seal the shaft/housing interface.
My orginal bits went into the recycle bin.

The cure for this is $tone expen$ive. Aluminum chain housings hold the shaft in much beter. Bushed wide foot pivot arm are also necessary....been there, did both 10-12 years back when it was less expensive.....but not cheep.

I've included a pic showing the ten & pivot wheel on the same shaft.