Crankshaft oil seal

[coke]

Refresh my memory. Are you supposed to drive the crankshaft oil seal in all the way till it stops, or just till its flush with the flange lip?

[bscutt]

Front or rear? The rear one just goes flush - have never had to do a front one but I would inspect the construction of the mating surfaces and probably would put it just below flush. I'm sure someone on here has done a front seal and can answer better than I can.

[coke]

Front seal, the one behind the crankshaft gear.

Its one of the 3 seals, cam/int shaft/crank.

[hagar]

coke : if crank has a groove , push the seal in just beyond the groove .Exact location is not critical IMHO.. Are you using a NEW seal ?

hagar.

PS : normal location is FLUSH.

[coke]

Yes, its a new seal. I know from experience you can push it in quite a ways past flush with the lip and it will bottom out in the back somewhere. I just wasn't sure if I should push it all the way back, or flush with the lip.

[Fatmobile]

I don't think it will bottom out, just fall out the other side.
It actually sits about 1mm below the edge of the seal carrier.
Has to sit pretty deep to miss the keyway.
I started a post about the crank seal, pictures and all.

The rear one just goes flush

Not so.
The edge of the rear crank seal carrier isn't machined square with the crank.
Look close at one before you remove it, they aren't flush with the carrier.

I use an old cut down pressure plate to press the new seal in.

[coke]

Where is said post, Fatmobile?

[Fatmobile]

Try "crank seal" title,.. and in posts if that doesn't work.
with my username as author,
I'm still on dialup

[bscutt]

Thanks for the correction. I actually pushed mine in below flush but not intentionally - it has held up fine for about 49K miles since so I must have done ok. Pretty sure I had read somewhere that it was to be flush, but I'm glad to know that my "mistake" was actually correct.

[Fatmobile]

The seal rides very close to that end of the crank.
So you can kind of see if it's not square.

[TylerDurden]

Just changed the seal on my 91 ECO:

Flange P/N 055 103 173 B

That flange/carrier is 15.9mm deep all the way around, square to the hub & engine.

YMMV

[DanHoug]

just blew the crank seal in my 91 on my way home from work. oil light came on 2 miles from home. went home, got 2 gallons of oil and used it ALL to get home! i was actually kinda indignant that it blew, but the car does have 380k miles...

so given the cold weather right now, i didn't want to tackle the seal in my single stall garage. so i refurbed my 'parts car' also a 91 but an Eco to drive for the rest of the winter.

is that seal best gotten to with the engine pulled- from a realistic standpoint?

[TylerDurden]

Yikes.

Front seal can be done in the car, IIRC.

Rear seal is a motorectomy and the avalance of "while it's out" stuff that you have time for.


Regarding the cold... I got a heater from Menard's for the garage - metal housing - not bad for the money (on sale). Been using it during a motor-swap/head-gasket gig. Got two actually, but one is sufficient down here (for now).


http://menards.com/main/appliances/port ... c-5617.htm

[82vdub]

The seal is quite easily done while in the car. You can see the pics I posted when I did my seal and the little tools I made to do the job here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10747&start=15

[bbob203]

I just pull off the whole carrier and replace the carrier seal and r&r the crankseal with the carrier off and put it back on as a unit makes may easier to do.