Comet Oil Filter Woes

Matty

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks VOC spares - this has been a problem for many years and I have been modifying the paper filters by taking one end off, enlarging one end hole to one and a quarter inches and fixing the end back on with a thin rubber ring outside with silicon sealant on the card board side inside.
The total length of the filter is then reduced to a little under three and a half inches and the filter then can be put in with the end cap oil tight and seals hopefully against the end of the filter chamber.
I am not too happy with this "bodge" because even with great care it is possible some bits could get into the filter from the work, but have not had any problems for more than 10 years.
However now the older style felt filters are available I shall use these in future and go back to standard.
Matty
 

Phil Hogg

Forum User
VOC Member
Being an infrequent visitor, I have only just caught this thread. I came across this problem last winter when building a 600 Comet motor for my special. Annoyingly I had already put the crank in the cases when I discovered the new type filter canister would not fit. My solution was to machine the boss area to make a nice register for the rubber seal by making a tool that I could drive with a hand drill, I made a spigot that screwed in to the banjo bolt thread to centralise it and it machined very easily. The photos should make it obvious how I did it.
Filter housing.jpg
Filter housing tool.jpg
Machined housing.jpg
 

Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Well Phil, what can I say, a perfect engineering solution, I would not expect anything less, my method was more born out of a lifetime of working with wood as apposed to metal, but it kind of achieved the same objective, just not quite so well, so please keep your tool tucked away in a drawer, next time I am up your way with my Comet perhaps you could clean up my bodge up for me.

Cheers Phil, roll on the next Far Far North Rally
PS How was Achiltibuie?
 

Phil Hogg

Forum User
VOC Member
Hi Peter, yes the tool is tucked away with all the other Vincent tools so no problem. Achiltibuie was a great weekend, five Vins made the trip. Sue missed out on the swimming it was warmer than Tongue.
 

bmetcalf

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Peter, will your tooling only cut a round slot the width of the hole saw teeth? Phil's device cuts a wider area, I think. I am lumbered with a mere Rapide and don't know what the Comet details are.
 

Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Bruce, yes you are correct, Phil's method is far superior, no doubt, but confronted with my problem, and with zero engineering skills or equipment I came up with the hole saw approach, and because the internal casting on my Comet was sort of an ellipse, probably the wrong terminology, but anyway the casting was rich on one side of the threaded hole, but not so the other, my hole saw just cleaned it up enough of the casting for the filter to slip over the projection, it kinda worked. But when you look into the filter chamber right to the back, the sand casting is pretty rough, it is hard to imagine that the seal between the oil filter and the casting is that good, but in some peoples eyes, better than no filter at all, Bill does not agree.
But before my engine was sorted out many years ago by Tony Maughan, I well remember looking at my metal encrusted felt filter, and thinking to myself, thank god that is not circulating round my engine.
 

A Nut

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I too have come across this problem on Comets before. As stated earlier the casting in the base of the filter chamber on Comets is pretty rough and the boss is sometimes too big. Many years ago a friend helped me make up a hand cutter to clean up not only the boss but the base of the chamber. In doing this I slightly increased the length of the chamber but by how much I cannot remember. I did this not only on the engine in my Victor replica but also on my '47 Comet (HRD cases) Since doing this I have had no leaks on either engine. I use a coating of Wellseal on the tapered seat. My 1954 engined Shadow (die cast cases) has never suffered from this problem. Unfortunately I no longer have the tool as I think it was passed around the section. Best of luck. Brian.
 
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