The front crank seal that won't

["Keith, Michael S" <Michael.Keith@domain.elided>]

I finished a timing belt/water pump/front engine seals job at 2:00 am this
morning.  Everything seemed fine, but after a short test drive, I popped the
hood to find oil all over the lower front part of the motor.  It appears to
be coming from the front crank seal.  The front crank seal that was
originally in the car only had seepage typical of an old seal.  Running the
car to temperature in the garage did not produce a problem.  I had to
actually drive it to get it to leak.

This seal was a nightmare to remove & quite difficult to install as well.  I
double-checked with my supplier, & he sent the correct seal (dimensions 48 X
65 X 10).  Therefore, I must have done something wrong when I installed it.
I don't have the factory tool to install it; so here's how I went about it:

1- Lubricated it inside & out

2- Started it by hand

3- Put the washer, timing belt sprocket, crank pulley, & crank pulley bolt
in place.

4- Tightened the crank pulley bolt in order to drive the seal in.

5- Step 4 only gets it to where the washer rests against the crank flange.
In order to get it in the rest of the way (flush with the front cover), I
tapped it in with a brass punch.  The end of the punch I used was slightly
wider than the seal so as not to collapse the seal.

Once I was done, everything looked fine except that the outer seal lip that
rides against the crank looked a bit distorted.  I wasn't't concerned about
this because it was my understanding that the inner, spring-loaded lip was
the one that actually served to seal the crank.

Can anyone see where I went wrong, or do any of you have a better method for
installing the seal?  I was thinking of removing the cover, installing the
new seal to the cover, & then installing the cover/seal assembly back onto
the motor.

By the way, I have the old style, hydraulic tensioner, but I don't think
that is what's leaking.  It was rebuilt this past August, & has not leaked
since then.

Any input would be greatly appreciated as this is my daily driver.

Michael Keith
Houston, TX
'87 Milano Gold
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