Oil leak from distributor

Hey guys,

About a month ago I replaced the distributor 'mount' o-ring (where it slots into the head) as it was leaking a small amount of oil. I popped the bonnet yesterday to notice it's now leaking quite a lot. I haven't had the time to pull it out and check but figured I'd ask whether there is another internal seal on the dizzy or something that can be replaced, or whether I should put a bit of RTV silicone around where the seal enters the head or something to seal it up.

Any help would be appreciated, cheers in advance.

There is an internal shaft seal which is a lot harder to replace. Unless you're quite handy i wouldn't recommend attempting it.


When you installed the new one did you clean the area really well before installation? Did you apply a thin film of oil to the new seal? As you may have noticed the edge of the head can be quite sharp and easy enough for the seal to get pinched and sliced.

I saw that in a video on youtube.. that is well beyond my skill level haha!

I gave it a good wipe down and didn't notice any scoring or anything where the dizzy sits in the head. I didn't use oil but did use rubber grease. Hmm, that is a possibility that the o-ring has been sliced! I might just bite the bullet and order another o-ring. Cheers for the response mate.

Definitely coming from between the head and the dizzy ? if its coming from the body of the distributor at all, then its the internal shaft seal.

I have taken the dizzy cap off this morning and had a look; there appears to be oil pooling within the cap and it's seeping out onto the body of the dizzy. I have a feeling that I'm up for a new dizzy!

Yup, that's a shaft seal then.

I ended up ordering an aftermarket dizzy in the end. Will install it as soon as it gets here and hopefully it shall be all good!

How much was the aftermarket unit ?

It was $140 off of ebay.. hopefully price is not an indicator of quality! They all seemed around that $140 mark on there.

Just installed the dizzy today, so far so good. Will report back in a week or so with whether there are any leaks. The old one once I pulled it off was definitely leaking from the body of the distributor, the underside was caked with oil.