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I purchased a Headlight Actuator Rod Seal rebuild kit and the seal has a smooth inside diameter. Is there supposed to be a lip on the inside diameter of the seal to fit into the groove on the rod? It seams with no inside lip, it will just slide over the groove. I'm talking about the top of the "Witch's Hat" rubber seal.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
Originally Posted by kswanson69
I purchased a Headlight Actuator Rod Seal rebuild kit and the seal has a smooth inside diameter. Is there supposed to be a lip on the inside diameter of the seal to fit into the groove on the rod? It seams with no inside lip, it will just slide over the groove. I'm talking about the top of the "Witch's Hat" rubber seal.
Yes on the top inside at the small end of the witches hat there is a lip.
The new ones I purchased didn't fit as tight as it should be and when I was chasing a vacuum leak I found both sides had slid up out of position.
Used some sealant (permatex orange), slid it into place and wrapped a piece of stainless lockwire around it into the groove. That ensured the seal and also prevented it from sliding around
Shortly thereafter I removed them and changed to electric for no real good reason
Thanks for the info. Peterbuilt, I suspected as much and now I know to find a correct seal. And Mooser, it ain't pretty but probably works great! I'll see if I can find a correct seal and then install it with some vacuum grease to help keep it sealed.
I'm going to save my duct tape and permatex and see if I can find a correct seal. In the photo above (with the orange Permatex) you can see a lip on the top outside diameter of the seal. It seems to me it should have one like that on the inside. That's what I'm trying to resolve, it such a seal is available.
Headlight Actuator Seal Question
