pdc427

Has anybody used one of these tools (Ford part#T82L-6701-A manufactured by OTC with part#7786) made for seating the rear main seal on a 5.0? After unsuccessfully installing the seal without the tool I bit the bullet and sprang for one ($170.00 w/tax and shipping) only to find that it is made incorrectly for a 5.0. The bolt holes on the tool do not line up with the holes on the crank. The bolt centerline on the tool is 2-3/4" while the crank holes are at 3". Also, the bolts supplied were incorrect (10mm). They should be 7/16". While the bolts are not a problem (flywheel bolts can be used), since this tool is designed to draw the seal in by using the threaded holes in the crank, the misaligned holes are a problem. This tool is supposed to cover a wide range of engines (2.0,2.3,2.5,3.0,3.4,3.8,4.6,5.0,5.8) all of which use the exact same seal and I believe that all of these except the 5.0 and the 5.8 use 10mm bolts and have the 2-3/4" bolt spacing. The tool appears to be incorrect for these two larger engines unless it is altered by elongating the holes. I have spoken with OTC and, of course, "the tool is made to Ford spec" and I am "the first with this problem". Am I, or has anybody else dealt with this same problem? Is this tool really needed for a proper installation? I would like to hear from some of you who have installed seals successfully using other methods. I originally installed the seal by aligning it as close possible and, using a flat bar across the seal edge to spread the load as much as possible, tapped it in using light hammer strokes alternated from side to side and top to bottom until the seal surface was slightly behind the edge of the block but not seated completely back. The seal went in okay using this method except that I could clearly see a gap on one side between the outer lip of the seal and the crank surface. This makes me think that the rubber got pulled out of shape because the seal was not pulled in evenly, something that this special tool should do. I have heard that another method is to tap the seal in place with a rubber mallet and another is to reverse the old seal and tap on it while it is lined up with new one. I guess that I could try all of these methods and see which works best, but since there is no good way to remove the seal without distorting it, I would waste a few expensive seals. So, I would appreciate hearing from some of you out there with proven solutions.
email mclowes@earthlink.net

JohnnyK

I was debating taking the rear main cap off and sticking it in there and torquing it down.. Anyone done this either?

PRO50SC

I have always used a 3/8 extension and a hammer. Never had a problem doing it. Never messes up the seal b/c of the shape of the tip.

86 5.0L

+1

I did it like this too