Still confused

[Slappy]

OK, I just want to reconfirm this so I won't be pulling the governor back off in a few weeks to correct the oil leak (l can be pretty dense). The ignition drive oil seal is installed "lip forward". To me, that means that the high side of the seal material (i.e., smallest I.D.) contacts the governor and the "open end", as John put it, (largest I.D.) faces the engine.

Thanks for the guidance fellas.

[Donny M]

Slappy,

The open end of the seal (where you can see the spring that controls the I.D.) goes toward the front of the tractor. The closed end of the seal (the end which usually has the P/N) goes toward the mag/dist. If it will make it more clear I can e-mail you pictures.

[Slappy]

That's perfect Donny - Thank You!

[Jim Becker]

Here is a page with probably more than you want to know about seals. In all the illustrations on the page, the oil (governor side in this case) is on the left.

http://www2.chicago-rawhide.com/PDF/The%20Seal%20And%20Its%20Function_2A.pdf

[Slappy]

Thanks Jim. I really have a lot to learn, and references like the one you recommended help a lot.

I think it's the learning aspect that in large part makes working on our tractors so enjoyable, and it's the quality people that are willing to share some of their time and expertise that facillitate the whole process. I for one have benefited greatly from all of the good advice that you and others on the board have provided.

[Brent]

The pressure idea might not be true, but I remember which way they go by thinking, if there was any pressure behind the seal it would tend to push the rubber or leather on the seal forward making it tighter against the shaft or whatever it is sealing. The only way that could happen is if the open side or spring side faces the pressure. Probably is an easier way of saying that!

[Jim Becker]

Slappy,
There is an astounding amount of information on the internet. Pages like that are out there but the challenge can be finding them. I didn't find that page reference until after reading your original question. In fact, it wasn't until after reading Donny's offer to email a picture that I thought I had previously seen a picture. Google is like the magic lantern for finding this stuff.

Here is an exercise for you to try. The IH part number for the magneto drive seal (the one you asked about) is 251379R91. The Cub FAQ lists a cross reference to National, but not to CR. Exercise: Find the CR number for that seal.

Some hints:

The first trick is to pick out some good key words to search for, in this case "oil seals" is a good start.

Go to http://www.google.com/ and type in "oil seals" (without the quotes).

The name CR stands for "Chicago Rawhide".

Think industrial.

If you don't make any wrong turns, you can be at a screen to type in the IH number within 4 clicks from the Google response.

[Slappy]

Thanks Jim,

Didn't get it in four strokes, but I did OK. I'm not too bad at web surfing. My major malfunction is not knowing the correct key words. Of course, sometimes I just have trouble finding the time to get on-line. You're right though - it's downright amazing the information available on the web.