The engines in the Sprites and Midgets don’t have a rear main seal.

They have like screw threads on the rear of the crankshaft and like a small cup cast into the block on the backside. There is a small flat plate that bolts at the top and the clearance between it and the crankshaft is critical to keep the oil from getting by

It literally screws the oil back into the oil pan.

See item # 35 for the plate I’m talking about.

.That damn Sprite of mine literally used to leave a trail of oil behind it. One drop every 8 imches or so and it would leave a little puddle under it every time I parked it.

Part of that was because I didn’t have the $75 PCV Valve assemnly hooked up.

See Item #30 at right for that contraption.

The bottom slides into a rubber hose that fits on a nipple in the middle of the intake manifold and the other hose goes to a nipple sticking out of the timing chain cover.

When I last tore the engine down and rehoned the cylinders, I took care of both of those issues.

I bought a $250 Billet Aluminum rear main seal conversion kit and “machined” the back side of the lip on the flywheel down that slips over the back of the crankshaft flange for clearance by 1/4 of an inch using a pneumatic die grinder and a bunch of Roto Lok surface preparation discs and then hand polished the flange for the crank where it fits into the flywheel. That’s what the seal rides on and it works like a charm.

I also paid the $75 and got a new PCV valve and hooked it up.

Now I have something as rare as hen’s teeth. A 1275 CC A Series British engine that DOES NOT LEAK OIL!

Like old Harley’s, THEY ALL leaked a little oil. Now mine doesn’t.

It’s nothing short of a miracle, I’m serious.

I’m still having trouble with it popping out of 2nd gear when decelerating so at some point I’m going to have to pull the engine and transmission FOR THE SEVENTH TIME and when I do, I’m going to swap out the tail shaft housing from the last one I had in it that I put a brand new rear seal on because this one is worn and it does drip a little gear oil where the driveline slides in when I park in the driveway because it’s sloped.

But other than that, I am very happy to have cured that oil leaking shit.