Hi chaps,
Have been to visit Mark and Pete in Nottm today - Thanks for setting me up with the kit for this guys, i can't tell you how i underestimated this job. I never would have thought about the spacer or metal locking plate! I cant thank you enough, without this kit the job would be very nearly impossible!
As soon as i got home i started the crank seal job. I had already removed most of the parts needed to do this job, so i was already 99% ready. I have attached a pic of the oily mess i was faced with before i started!
So after removing the timing belt and crank sprocket, i started 'operation cleanup'. I used some stuff called GUNK and brushed this all over the lower part of block, once washed off the block was looking like new!
I then removed the oil seal by punching a small hole in the seal and using a self-tapper pull it out. I noticed that the metal spacer was scored around one end, i guess this is what may have caused the leak in the first place? I trust I can just turn this around once cleaned up with some emery cloth.
Now i wasn't entirely sure that the crank seal was the cause of the leak. It did have traces of oil on the surface of the seal, but nothing major. Saying that the alloy metal plate below was covered with gunky oil, even the small hole was slightly obstructed! Oil was all over the sump, from one side of the block to the other. I also took a look at the cam seals through the cam sprockets and i couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, looked lubricated but not wet or leaking.
At this point I downed tools as I was unsure on how to refit the seal. Do I need to lubricate both sides of the seal? My dad tells me that the block side of the seal may need a lick of sealant, which his Volvo manual recommends for his car. I have the pressing in tool on loan from Mark, so do I need to smash it in place or push it in lightly?
Please let me know your thoughts.
Regards
Marc
PS: Like my handy crank lock support? Who said this was a two man job?