We're in the same boat.  I'm wondering if some of the razor blade scraping I had to do as well isn't part of my leak problem too.

I did get mine to stop leaking around the grommet that the stator wires run through.  Only for it to spring a leak up front/top.  Spewing oil out like a stuck pig through the tiny gap.

1) I'm swapping out the cheapo ebay gasket that I installed with a quality OEM gasket.
2) I am going to clean off the oil around the mating surfaces real good and I'm using some RTV this time.  I want the darn leak to go away and I'll deal with removing RTV later if/when that day comes.
3) Make darn sure the gasket is situated perfectly between the mating surfaces.

It shouldn't be this hard!  It's a little more meticulous than I imagined.

PS - And I'm worried I may have damaged the threads for one of the bolts.  I think I heard that nasty sound even though I was only at 13n.m. torque (ok, maybe I hit 14nm...).

Surviving Philly wrote on 02/22/24 at 14:43:12:


I clean up the rubber and metal and apply a very tiny bit of sealant in the groove on the back side of the grommet.....and maybe just a bit on the face.  Don't "glom" a thick coating of it.

If the wires don't feel snug in the grommet, then clean and apply a little bit of sealant on them as well.

I do a lot of metalworking and I often use this on the lathe:



These are HHS chisels that you have to sharpen into the correct shape yourself if you use them on the lathe.

They are excellent for removing the last gasket residue and any burrs from the gasket surfaces.

The rods are ground perfectly flat and the edges are razor sharp but do not cut your fingers because the angle is 90 degrees.

But if you keep them flat, you will scrape away anything that shouldn't be there.

Dave,

You mentioned the wires in the grommet -- how did you apply the sealant here? Just clean w/ brake cleaner and stuff it in between the wires?

The grommet is not visible with the pulley cover on - so it really doesn't matter which side you apply the sealant.

Pull the cover off and get the wire grommet out of the case.  Clean the grommet and case with a good solvent.  Clean the wires and grommet, then see if you can slide the wires through the grommet a bit.  Then re-clean the wires and grommet and let it dry.  Then apply RTV to the wires and slide the grommet back to the original position.  Then apply a very thin coating of RTV to the groove in the backside of the grommet and insert it into the case.....then apply a very thin coating of RTV to the outside of the grommet - then put the gasket on and install the cover.