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I’ve had a pesky oil leak from my front crank seal that I thought I had whooped. I pulled the timing cover off two weeks ago, cleaned and inspected everything removed and replaced the obviously torn front seal and put it back together. For two weeks i tootled around town and didn’t lose a drop of oil. Wednesday tho, I found that the seal was leaking again. I see that Felpro offers a seal that can be installed from outside the cover, but the current seal is from inside. Is there a way to do this without ripping the whole cover off again??? Anyone tried?
I’ve had a pesky oil leak from my front crank seal that I thought I had whooped. I pulled the timing cover off two weeks ago, cleaned and inspected everything removed and replaced the obviously torn front seal and put it back together. For two weeks i tootled around town and didn’t lose a drop of oil. Wednesday tho, I found that the seal was leaking again. I see that Felpro offers a seal that can be installed from outside the cover, but the current seal is from inside. Is there a way to do this without ripping the whole cover off again??? Anyone tried?
I'm assuming this is for the 302. Early timing covers installed the seal from the inside, late from the outside. Be very selective with the seals you buy cheap single lip seals do not last. Also be sure to check the condition of the dampers seal surface it it has a groove worn in it install a Speedi-Sleeve to fix up the sealing surface. And be sure the locating bushings are present.
Doing these things will insure a leak free install.
I pulled the timing cover off two weeks ago, cleaned and inspected everything removed and replaced the obviously torn front seal and put it back together.
Is this the original Ford timing cover? Are the two alignment dowels still in place and tight? The reason I ask is, I bought an aftermarket timing cover for my 302, and the holes for the dowels are sloppy, so you can't rely on them for proper alignment. I haven't done it personally, but the handy little SBF book I have here (and the shop that built my 302) both said to install the Harmonic balancer before tightening the cover down as a means of centering the seal on the balancer.
PS: If the balancer is grooved from the seal, they are not that expensive to replace. I think I paid $65 +/- bucks for a new one.
Is this the original Ford timing cover? Are the two alignment dowels still in place and tight? The reason I ask is, I bought an aftermarket timing cover for my 302, and the holes for the dowels are sloppy, so you can't rely on them for proper alignment. I haven't done it personally, but the handy little SBF book I have here (and the shop that built my 302) both said to install the Harmonic balancer before tightening the cover down as a means of centering the seal on the balancer.
PS: If the balancer is grooved from the seal, they are not that expensive to replace. I think I paid $65 +/- bucks for a new one.
this engine does not have the alignment dowels, so I did as suggested and put the cover on loosely, then installed the damper with a sleeve, and torqued. Think it was just a lousy seal...
I am going to alert you again to what was mentioned in a previous post. If you take it apart again, when you pull the balancer off, inspect the shiny part on the balancer where the seal rides. The old seal usually makes a groove in this surface, the new seal will leak if there is a groove there. Like was mentioned, they make repair sleeves to fix this area. Even though the sleeve will make the area slightly larger in diameter, the original seal will still work fine.
But, before you take anything apart, look carefully and see if it is oily in the middle of the lower large pulley. You can replace the seal 100 times, but you can still have a leak, the oil will make it's way around the key in the shaft and out beyond the large washer and bolt. You will not see a trace of oil running, down, it will be uniformly oily because the pulley is spinning. And then you will see oil on the front of the oil pan where it is blowing back from the front. It may be a little heavier on one side of the oil pan in the direction the pulley is spinning. All you have to do to fix this is to take the large bolt and washer off, and with the washer on the bolt, put a good fat bead of silicone sealer on the backside of the washer and then re-install it so the sealant is pressed against the pulley and the shaft and is trapped by the washer.
I wish it was as easy as just being oily from around the bolt. I crawled under there with the engine running and could actually see oil drip from around the harmonic balancer shaft (which has already been sleeved)it’s definitely the seal.
The only other thing you can check is the surface in the timing cover that the seal presses into. Make sure it's smooth and not damaged. I also put a thin smear of silicone around the od of the seal before pressing it in place.
Speaking of pressing in place , how are you installing the seal? Most people only have a hammer. That can get iffy. The seal is easily dented and warped, and it will cause it to leak. The best way if you only have a hammer is to get a large pipe or socket that just fits the OD of the seal, and drive on that to push it in place, not striking the seal directly.
The only other thing you can check is the surface in the timing cover that the seal presses into. Make sure it's smooth and not damaged. I also put a thin smear of silicone around the od of the seal before pressing it in place.
Speaking of pressing in place , how are you installing the seal? Most people only have a hammer. That can get iffy. The seal is easily dented and warped, and it will cause it to leak. The best way if you only have a hammer is to get a large pipe or socket that just fits the OD of the seal, and drive on that to push it in place, not striking the seal directly.
i find it weird that mine didn’t have these dowels everyone is referring too. Maybe someone got in here and lost them years ago. I can’t remember if my 351 had them or not. At any rate I’ll get some replacements.... obviously alignment is my primary concern for the cause of the leak..... this engine was coated in oil at the front when I got it -maybe that’s why it was parked 20 some years ago....
and as far as my seal install, I use a block of wood cut into a circle. It’s soft enough to be forgiving on the metal and doesn’t cost me a dime.
All of the small Fords I have messed with had the dowels. I found out the earlier engines had smaller ones, something like 3/8 diameter. When I went to a 86 fuel injected engine, it had hollow 1/2 dowels. So to use the older cover with the fuel pump mount, I had to drill the smaller holes out to 1/2. No problems with it.
The little 2.9 v6 and some of the other Ranger engines I have been messing with do not come with dowels from the factory. And alignment can be a problem with these engines.
All of the small Fords I have messed with had the dowels. I found out the earlier engines had smaller ones, something like 3/8 diameter. When I went to a 86 fuel injected engine, it had hollow 1/2 dowels. So to use the older cover with the fuel pump mount, I had to drill the smaller holes out to 1/2. No problems with it.
The little 2.9 v6 and some of the other Ranger engines I have been messing with do not come with dowels from the factory. And alignment can be a problem with these engines.
good info. I’ve suspected for some time that this engine may have come from an earlier model -maybe transplanted in the 80s or early 90s.... it has the cover with the fuel pump mount and definitely no amenities for a dowel as large as 1/2. This engine also had D series heads installed with ball-type rockers; so again. I think I may be dealing with something older than the ‘80 sticker on my truck would imply. -another reason I’m chasing so many gremlins
...and definitely no amenities for a dowel as large as 1/2.
They go in the bottom bolt holes. See the picture below of a 302 I am just taking apart now. You can see only the right hand dowel is there (the other one came off with the timing cover).
good info. I’ve suspected for some time that this engine may have come from an earlier model -maybe transplanted in the 80s or early 90s.... it has the cover with the fuel pump mount and definitely no amenities for a dowel as large as 1/2. This engine also had D series heads installed with ball-type rockers; so again. I think I may be dealing with something older than the ‘80 sticker on my truck would imply. -another reason I’m chasing so many gremlins
Sounds like you have an early block, they had no dowels and used a tool to center the timing cover on the crank during install.
If the seal has to be driven in from the back on the timing cover it's an early cover with no dowels.
Something I've often wondered about that front seal: Would worn crankshaft bearings have any effect? My hunch is worn bearings might let the crankshaft vibrate/bounce around a little bit. If the seal was rapidly flexing back and forth, it might have trouble keeping the oil contained.
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