Front main seal leaking
05-07-2007, 12:42 PM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Posts: 185
Front main seal leaking
Can a front main seal be replaced with the engine in the car? If so, other than a harmonic balancer puller, any other specialty tools needed? How much trouble is it? Thanks in advance for any help.
Ryan
Ryan
05-07-2007, 01:08 PM
#2
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: DFW
Posts: 463
RE: Front main seal leaking
I just did this.As you know, you have to pull the crank pulley and harmonic balancer. The seal is located in the front timing chain cover. Take a screwdriver and collapse the seal by pushing it inwards. I had to use a hammer and screwdriver together. Be ultra careful not to nick the crank snout or the timing chain cover with the screwdriver. Once the seal is collapsed, use a pair of needle nose or channel locks to pull the seal out and over the crank snout.
To install the new seal, I used a piece ofABS plastic that had the same O.D. as the new seal lip to "pull" the seal into the cover. Just use the piece of ABS pipe and put aplate across the pipe's exposed end. Make sure the plate hasan appropriately sized bolt hole in the center. Threadabolt of the same thread type as the harmonic balancer bolt (has to be longer)into thecrank snout through the hole in the plate and through the center of the pipe (cut pipe to appropriate length). Tighten the bolt until the seal is drawn into the cover. What happens is that the plate is drawn agains the pipe, the pipe is drawn against the seal and the seal isdrawn into the cover. Total cost for me to make this tool from parts found at a local Ace hardware store cost me about $12.The job took about 1 hour. Make sure you put plenty of lube on the lip of the seal so that the harmonic balancer hub doesn't eat it up on start-up.
To install the new seal, I used a piece ofABS plastic that had the same O.D. as the new seal lip to "pull" the seal into the cover. Just use the piece of ABS pipe and put aplate across the pipe's exposed end. Make sure the plate hasan appropriately sized bolt hole in the center. Threadabolt of the same thread type as the harmonic balancer bolt (has to be longer)into thecrank snout through the hole in the plate and through the center of the pipe (cut pipe to appropriate length). Tighten the bolt until the seal is drawn into the cover. What happens is that the plate is drawn agains the pipe, the pipe is drawn against the seal and the seal isdrawn into the cover. Total cost for me to make this tool from parts found at a local Ace hardware store cost me about $12.The job took about 1 hour. Make sure you put plenty of lube on the lip of the seal so that the harmonic balancer hub doesn't eat it up on start-up.
05-07-2007, 02:32 PM
#3
Join Date: May 2007
Location:
Posts: 35
RE: Front main seal leaking
One suggestion,
You may have a hard time breaking the crank bolt free. If you do, you can try this but be very carefull.......Attach a breaker bar to the socket and a steel tube that fits over the breaker bar. Notice which way the engine cranks and put the bar on the nut and have the bar pinned against the ground in the direction that it would hold down when the engine is cranked. Just tap the key and it will break the bolt free. Again, be very carefull......
You may have a hard time breaking the crank bolt free. If you do, you can try this but be very carefull.......Attach a breaker bar to the socket and a steel tube that fits over the breaker bar. Notice which way the engine cranks and put the bar on the nut and have the bar pinned against the ground in the direction that it would hold down when the engine is cranked. Just tap the key and it will break the bolt free. Again, be very carefull......
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