09-17-2012, 05:48 AM
(09-16-2012, 09:07 PM)henryarnold Wrote: Ed,
During the reassembly of my RF-45 I discovered that it is easy to see the seal area before I reinstalled my quill. Lay a mirror on your bed underneath the quill cavity and you should be able to see the seal and seal plate. I did this check 24 hours after sealing the head up and adding oil but before installing the quill. Mine wasn't leaking but I was ready to take the cover back off if it was.
You already know this but I'll repeat it to those that may have missed my post. There were 2 huge issue that I found when examining the inside of the gearbox of my mill. First, there are two sets of seals and they were both in upside down (seal lips facing away from oil inside the gearbox). Second, the seals are installed in a plate that sits on a very narrow surface with 3 screws and a gasket. The gasket was so narrow that it was squeezed out and oil was leaking past the plate. I reassembled without the gasket and a liberal application of the gasket sealer that you recommended. One other thing to check is the drain plug. When it leaks, the oil can run to a different location making it look like a leak from somewhere other than the drain plug. I used white Teflon tape on my drain plug.
I also read about cases where cast iron gear cases can seep oil through porous areas. I sealed the inside of my gearbox by painting it. There is a special paint for this purpose although I used industrial oil base enamel that seems to work fine. This problem is a long shot and hopefully not your issue.
I know you already addressed these things but you might want to double check them. I'm sorry for the frustration you must be feeling.
Henry Arnold
Hi Henry,
I did the same as you and used a mirror to check for leaks around the two seals. My mill sat for weeks without the spindle installed and no oil leaked on the newspaper I had on top of the table. The leak I still have is coming from somewhere behind the spindle and might be the drain plug, even though I also used Teflon tape to seal it. At least it's no longer leaking through the spindle. That's certainly an improvement. And, now that I have the spindle turning in the proper direction, it's definitely much quieter running. I'll have to tilt the head and try to locate the source of the leak but if it isn't the plug then I suspect it's a porosity issue with the cast iron and I'll just leave well enough alone. I'm not really frustrated by it since I now have all new bearings and seals in it and it no longer leaks down the spindle washing the grease out of the tapered roller bearings so it wasn't a waste of time.
Thanks,
Ed