How to timing cover oil seal replacement

[waynep]

Hello All;

Any good tricks or tips in replacing the timing cover crankshaft oil seal. Having a really hard time.
Regards,
Wayne
1997 3/4 4WD 6.5 Turbo, Subway

[rameye]

tap it out with a punch...or use a press..

Tap new one in with a nice block of wood as not to mar it..

whats the deal??

if its totally jammed in there (rare) you can cut thru the seal with a hacksaw blade (dont cut the cover) and collapse/peel it inward.


hope that helps

[Robyn]

If the cover is off the engine, its an easy trick with a large straight blade screwdriver. Just tuck the blade down in behind the seal from the inside and then swat it with a hammer a few times and its out.

As mentioned, to reistall, use a flat bock of wood and a large hammer and tap the new one in.

Now if you are trying to do it with the cover on the engine (in the truck) this is a horse of a different color.

With the damper off the crank, use a sort slide hammer with a hook on the end and yank the old seal out.

Clean the bore good with a rag and some solvent, brakekleen or ???

Use an appropriately sized pipe that will slide over the crank and fit on the seal face and tap the new one back in.

I have a tool that I made out of some 1/4 inch plate (with a hole in it) and a chunk of pipe welded to it. The key is, don't get nasty and ding up the crank while your thrashing about in there.

Is the cover on or off the engine ???

Keep us posted

Missy

[waynep]

Hello All:

Not to difficult to get the seal out with the cover on. The problem is getting the new seal on with the cover on the engine. Ruined one seal already.

Made a fixture that slides over and centers on the crankshaft buy have not tried it yet.

Is any lube recommended after cleaning the seal seat?

Question: What is easier, removing the radiator and front grill to get at it better or removing the timing cover?

Thanks, Wayne

[racer55]

Instead of removing the rad,I would simply lift it with the hoses attatched to get the needed clearance and support it with blocks of wood untill you get the seal changed.

[Robyn]

With the fan shroud and the fan out of the way, you should have quite adequate room to get in there and tap that seal in.

Even a piece of 1/4-1/2 inch plate with a hole burned in it (and cleaned up) will work fine to assist getting the new seal in.

Just sit the new seal into the bores "Lead in" then sit your Plate over the front of it, then using a 2 pound hammer tap the each side of the plate a little at a time to drive the seal in, making sure not to get it going crooked.

Tap the seal in until the driver plate touches the cover and your set,

A little lube on the crank, warm the ballancer hub up (center hub area) with a propane torch until its good and warm and it should tap onto the crank with easy.

Use either a dead blow plastic hammer or some other soft faced club.

If need be, use a block of wood over the ballancer and hit with a 5 pound steel hammer. (Dont hit the outer rim)

If you have a piece of the proper size thread rod, use a large washer and a nut to "draw" the ballancer onto the crank and seat it.

The ballancer doe not take a lot to get it on there.

You should not need to remove the radiator or any of that stuff, just get the fan and shroud out of the way.

**** Use a small piece of Plywood to cover the inside of the radiator while using the clubs down in there ****

Missy

[waynep]

Hello All;

Thanks for all the ideas. I made a custom tool that worked quite well. I used a pipe flange with a short piece of 1.5 inch ID pipe threaed into it and a pipe end cap on the other end. This centered the new seal and it was rerlatively easy to tap in properly, almost as if the pipe flanges was designed for that reason.

Now I am using some LocTite 660 Liquid Metal to fill in the area where the old key ate up the crankshaft keyway slot. Will let it harden for a few days as it is very cold here in New England. Then unless I hear otherwise I will use the same liquid metal to help seal the new balancer and attachment bolt.

I understand that I need to use around 200 ft/lbs of torque on the new bolt. Any issues with tightening the bolt? So far so good after ruining two seals trying to tap them in wothout the tool. If anyone wants a drawing of the tool, please let me know.
Regards,
Wayne

[racer55]

Nothing is needed to seal the balancer to the crank or to lock the bolt if properly torqued.
Some people use a light skim of rtv silicone on the end of the crank before the balancer is installed but it usually isn't needed.