Distributor oil leak

[mechanist]

My distributor is leaking oil from the shaft seal. When the cap is pulled off the distributor has oil inside. This oil is leaking from around the shaft to which the rotor is affixed.

Is it urgent to change the distributor? Can it just wait? Is there any risk of fire with it being in such close proximity to a spark?

I'm in the midst of a radiator swap and my budget is almost maxed out.

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

I don't think it's at all urgent.

the distributor o-ring is a common leak. I'm sure you'll find instructions for R&R if you search.

 

[baselfish]

hmmm. if there be oil inside the dizzy i beleive it is more than the standard dizzy o-ring. tell tale signs is oil on the block area just below the dizzy (6 oclock) not (unless i am mistaken) oil inside the dizzy itself. sounds like the internal dizzy shaft seal is kaput.

bf

 

[mechanist]

Yeah it's definitely the shaft seal as the o-ring doesn't impact whether or not oil enters the distributor.

I've searched for 3 days now to see if there is a reman kit - I see @Kernal did the same.

The truck is basically in triage right now. I'm trying to save the critical stuff first with the long-term goal of having a fully cured, like-new '93 fzj80.

 

[Kernal]

No remain kit; long story short the distributor uses both a unique bearing and seal designed by Toyota for this distributor, neither part is available from Toyota or any supply house. The dimensions of the bearing however are standard and a substitute can be found. The shaft seal has a unique design (triple lips and a rear debris shield) so you have to go with a seal that is a tad shorter or taller, but seals with the correct OD and ID are available.

 

[mechanist]

Were you ever able to come up with any manufacturers and part numbers on that? Multiple searches using various keywords yielded nothing yet.

I'm going to leave it alone for now but would love attempting a rebuild once I decide to order a new one from beno or cdan.

 

[Kernal]

You want a HMSA10 SKF Fluro elastomer seal (Viton), 10x20x7
See Fig 2 here:

http://www.skf.com/group/products/s...applications/hms5-and-hmsa10-seals/index.html

For comparison if you look at figure 4 in the next link, that is close to the design of the original seal, however the original seal is both rubber coated(has to be as it is pressed into an aluminum housing) and it has a a third lip along the edge of the rear or inner shield, which Figure 4 does not have:

http://www.skf.com/group/products/s.../crs1-crsh1-crsa1-and-crsha1-seals/index.html

As mentioned the original deep groove ball bearing (6000 series: 10x26x8)) is a unique design. It has a polyamide cage that separates the ball bearings but also serves as shield for the inward facing side; this allows engine oil to lube the bearing as the distributor is oriented horizontally and the housing has open oiling slits for splash oiling of the bearing and the shaft bushing. The outer side of the original beaing (facing the distributor cap) has a nitrile rubber seal however IMHO a Viton seal would be a better choice.

 

[bdg4512]

How do I buy the seal?

 

[BullElk]

I had the same issue in one of my "96s. I allowed it to continue the slow drip for quite awhile with no problems at all other than the lose of a bit of oil. I recently bought a used distributor on ebay for I think $35. No more leak. Everything works fine.

 

[Kernal]

bdg4512: A seal and a bearing close to but not exactly the same as the originals can be found at any Motion Industries store or equivalent, but you need to pay attention closely to what you are getting; it's a bit more difficult than just getting any bearing or seal of the same dimensions. See the links above for parts that should work.

But more importantly, the shaft seal and bearing in the distributor for the 1FZFE are not designed to be serviced, unlike most other Denso distributors. You have to pull off the pinion gear (it's not pinned onto the shaft), knock the shaft out of the housing, knock out the shaft seal and bearing, source a shaft seal and the correct bearing (closest to original would be a shield on one side, seal on the other), and press it all back together. You also need to get the pinion gear on perfectly so it meshes correctly with the cam gear. There are no markings or any built in stop or step for the pinion gear on the shaft,; you must measure the depth and orientation before you pull the gear and get it back exactly to the same point when you press it back on.

Buying a used distributor (or a new distributor) is really the way to go IMHO. A new distributor is a bit pricey, but aftermarket are available for about $100.