Engine

Front Main Seal R&R

After removing the pulleys, harmonic balancer, crankshaft gear and thrust washers, you'll notice a notch in the block at 7 o'clock. Using either a seal extractor or the proper blade-width screw driver, pry out the old seal.

Installing the new seal is a test of patience, lacking the special tool noted in the manual. It allows you to put equal pressure on the entire perimeter, the key to getting the little bugger started. The nose of the crank prevents something simple like a block of wood.

Anyway, lubricate it with engine oil or even WD-40. Time on task, getting it to "catch" and then working your way around, always trying to maintain perfect parallelism between the face of the block and the seal.

Be careful not to drive the seal in too far. Flush with the outer surface of the block is the stopping point.

Best regards,
David Lloyd
'79 Euro, track car



I used a short length of ABS pipe, with an end cap on it. I can't remember the exact diameter or length just now, but the whole unit slid over the protruding part of the crank, and fit the seal perfectly. Tapping on the endcap made it an easy chore to keep the seal properly aligned as it was being pushed in. And yes, it's much easier to swing that hard plastic mallet if the radiator, etc, is removed.....

wk



Good idea. Another idea is to drill a hole thru the center of the pipe cap, and adjust the length of the pipe so that you can insert the crank bolt thru the center of the cap and pull the seal into place with the bolt. Total control, very easy. The outer surface of the oil seal is ribbed rubber, and the seal is normally installed with the outside surface dry. The lips of any lip-type seal should be greased before installation. This keeps the tip of the seal lip from melting from friction before the oil being sealed can lubricate it.

Wally