Howard 350 serial number/oil seals.

[rjy]

Looking at my Howard’s (“The family machine”) plate it seems to have a serial nimber of 310A11106. Is this for parts purposes 11106?

The Service & Repair manual says, about oil seals (parphrasing), “Up until S/N 3151725 rotor bearing housing 64355 was fitted with two oilseals INAG 30 x 37 x 4 per housing. These seals were superseded by a double lipped seals 261215002 which are a direct replacement”

If I’m right about the S/N, then I assume I want double lipped seals 261215002 .

Double lipped 30x37x4 double lipped seals are cheap and available (£2.65 inc). 30x37x8 double lipped are also available at a higher price (£10 inc).

I’m undecided. Any suggestions/comments?

[andyfrost]

Earlier ones imperial , later metric , measure your housing with a vernier and go from there.

Andy.

[rjy]

A good thing I checked – they’re 1 34/4″. The same question I guess still stands, about whether or not to get two oil seals per side, plus another question: What size are the imperial ones?

Wmtbearings have an imperial seal, saying: “This seal is 1.3/4 = 44.45mm”, but don’t say whether it’s one per side or two, or whether single lip or double. I’m wondering about that because the seal’s garter faces outwards on my machine, which is (to me) unexpected. An eBay seller has some £.robbery_with_violence and I can find online some 175 118 18 TC (1 3/4″ x 1 3/16″ x 3/16″) at £.reasonable.

I suppose the best thing to do is press the seals/bearing out and have a shufti.

[andyfrost]

Roger at WMT is a first rate man to deal with if yours is imperial then the ones he sells as imperial are the ones you need , but once again you need to check your housing.

Andy.

[trusty220]

If there are two seals fitted the standard practice is to fit the inner one facing inwards to stop the oil coming out and the outer one faces outwards to try to prevent the muck getting into the bearing surface.

[rjy]

OK, it’s got the two-seal setup.

A 27mm socket made an ideal “special tool” to use for pressing.

The inner seemed to have been installed rather clumsily (from new I guess) being rather distorted, the metal insert being dented on its face; the outer was considerably worn, the inside diameter being 0.063 larger than the inner seal’s inner diameter!

The rotor drive sprocket shaft surfaces are not in good condition, as pictured.

I have ordered two replacement seals for each side, one R21, one R23 (one with, and one without without auxiliary dust seal), although I can’t really see the point, bearing in mind the state of the metal surface, the outer will likely wear rapidly.

Gasket paper ordered too. I suspect 0.8mm Flexoid is OK (I have ordered some 0.5mm too just in case).

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[wristpin]

If the shaft is pitted etc you can use a repair sleeve to give the new seal a smooth surface to run on. SKF Speedi Sleave is one brand.

[rjy]

Coo! Who’d a’ thunk it! Thanks for the info!

[Author]

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