Bloody front oil seal

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Originally Posted by BigJon

I had good success fitting the genuine seals by prefitting it to a socket the right size so you can ease it onto the socket "backwards" (the way that you can't fold the lip over.
Then hold the socket tight up against the crank and work the seal off the socket and onto the crank the right way around.

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That's how I did it except I had shim material as well so it could move onto the crank easier. I accept I most likely didn't fit it correctly but to last 1000ks without a drop then it started for no appearent reason.

Oh well I will see what It is like when I strip it down.

Cheers Ean

so does anyone know (for certain) what the issue is with these seals and why they have to be fitted dry?
Think about it, they are going to get covered in oil straight away, so why cant we put a little oil or grease on to allow it to slip onto the shaft?

its a single lip seal with a felt ring on the outside. The seal lip is very stiff ??

Whats the principal of this type of seal?

Any yes, I would be inclined to put a double lip seal on.

I would never fit a seal with oil or grease, let alone where there will be pressure trying to push it out.

Edit: I lubricate the contact area and the shaft but have to be careful not to get any lubricant on the seat area.

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Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Well after much thought and a few conversations with our hydraulics fitters and our engine man I have decided to try a normal rubber lip seal.

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Is it directional?

There's a PTFE sealing lip. If that is contaminated with oil or grease (or if it isn't presented truly perpendicular to the crank) then the seal won't form. One manufacturer of that seal mandates that the engine shouldn't be started within 4 hours to ensure the seal forms.

I must admit, this engine is my first experience with anything other than a standard double lip type rubber seal, but those are the instructions (and reasonings) I've been given.

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Originally Posted by sheerluck

" the engine shouldn't be started within 4 hours "

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4 hours...No chance of that at the rate that I work... 4 days maybe.

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Originally Posted by vee8auto

4 hours...No chance of that at the rate that I work... 4 days maybe.

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:lol2:

Nothing wrong with being methodical! To be fair, the hardest part is getting the starter out, to get the locking pin in. That is a pig of a job.

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Originally Posted by sheerluck

the hardest part is getting the starter out, to get the locking pin in. That is a pig of a job.

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I assume therefore that you haven't replaced the fuel pump belt on a 3.0 D4 because the 3.0's starter wasn't worth mentioning as a troublesome task by comparison.

I've not had the pleasure yet Graeme. I've heard it's a level of difficulty up from the 2.7, and I would have rated that a 6/10.

I'm blessed with little diddy hands that can fit in most places. :D

My hand size didn't present a problem although they received some punishment. Rather it was no room to juggle the cover into position due to the coolant pipe running down the back very close to the cover and no access to the pipe's lower bracket. Removing the cover was bad enough but eventually used brute force to extricate it through a less than ideal gap. I've forgotten exactly how long I spent trying to refit the cover but it was several hours. Timing the pump was also frustrating, seeming never to get it correct but eventually did. I just loved working blind for hours on end!