Farmall Cub

I noticed oil, engine oil I guess, dripping from the starter of my 1947 Cub. The drip is from the bottom of the metal band that covers the brushes, the radiator end of the starter. I didn't remove the starter yet, too busy mowing grass here in PA just about every other day! Any ideas? Thanks,

Mike

Rear crank seal leaking.

Thanks Big Dog,

Ever since my IH dealer rebuilt my engine the rear crank seal leaks. Before the rebuild the engine was painfully weak. After rebuild at dealership the engine runs strong but the rear seal leaks! Go figure.

Mike

Where in Lancaster are you? I'm in Millersville. Let's try to get together.

S.H.A.F.T.

how the heck did oil get from the rear main seal to the starter brushes??

Just a guess, but I'd say it traveled out the flywheel into the drive end of the starter and back through the case out the metal cover band.

How'd I do BD??

phantom,

I was thinking the same thing. It seems to me that the seal would have to have been leaking for a long long time for a large amount of oil to get into the starter drive and migrate to the opposite end. I would think the clutch would be soaked also.
Bigdog is most likely right but I think it's "old" oil dripping from the starter.

It's easy to pull the starter and look at the flywheel to see if it is dry.

parts man wrote: How'd I do BD??

Fine job!

partsman,

The oil would have to come off the flywheel to get to the starter unless the torque tube is half full of oil. Too many holes for that. I just think it would take a lot of oil to make it to the end of the starter without showing up someplace else first.

I'm wondering if the fella that rebuilt the engine used thread sealer on the flywheel bolts. The bolts wouldn't leak as much oil as the seal but maybe something to look at, along with the clutch plate.

Have a Great weekend Can't wait to hear how much fun ya'll had.

If there were enough oil leaking from the rear main to accumulate in the starter I would think that it would be dripping out the flywheel cover at the rear of the oil pan pretty badly.

Donny M wrote:It seems to me that the seal would have to have been leaking for a long long time for a large amount of oil to get into the starter drive and migrate to the opposite end. I would think the clutch would be soaked also.

I won't say it can't happen, but I've never seen oil on a cub clutch from a leaking rear seal. The shape of the flywheel appears to be such that it would fling it off before it gets all the way around and into the recessed face where the clutch is. I guess it is possible to leak enoght that it could accumulate on the upper part of the bell housing and run to the rear and drip down, but that would take a lot of oil. Loose or seeping flywheel bolts could let oil onto the clutch.

Thanks for the input about my oil dripping from the starter problem. I'm surprised too. I didn't have time to remove the starter yet to check the flywheel area out. Too busy using the Cub to mow about every other day.
To the fella from Millersville, I'm in the Millersville area too. Mike Dianna 872-4386

Mike D:

BD being my fav son ya know, and I taught him everything he knows and some things he forgot, just might not be old enough to remember what really old farts used to do back in the really old days. I have pulled several starters off of a lot of old stuff only to find that somebody totally packed the starter with grease. Never figured out why it was done, but used to be fairly common. Just might be the source of 'yur drip'n earl'. Maybe not.