Sealed Up Tight – Fixing the Rear Cam Seal on the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster

By Craig Ranson
By Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

Our technician Jon has been looking into an oil leak at the back of the engine on the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster.

After inspecting the engine once it had been run up to temperature, he found the offside rear cam cover was weeping past its seal. After removing it, he found the seal was not the correct arrangement for the back cover on the cylinder head. Comparing it to the resource materials we have for these engines as well as several other freshly built Jaguar straight-sixes from the era we have in our workshop, Jon could come up with a solution to fix the oil leak once the cover was reinstalled.

After the test, there was no longer an oil leak from the back of the cylinder head. However, the rear mains eal in the engine does leak and out the bottom of the bell-housing of the gearbox.

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