Thread: D1 timing belt issues

Originally Posted by NoodleNut

Long time reader, first time for a while poster... For those after the short story scroll to the end, for those chasing a bit of build up and a sense of where I was at when I wrote this, read on...

After having spent a couple of evenings boning up and making sure I had every eventuality covered I launched into the timing belt change on my Disco 300tdi. Timing cover off no problem, not a lot of belt dust, mainly around the crank sprocket. Lovely, all going smoothly UNTIL, I saw that the sprocket was the one with the spot welded shoulders and there was more than a dribble of oil around the same.

SO, around about now I realised my cheap a%#se tactic of only buying the basics for the job had come back to haunt me. I've read enough to know that the Bearmach sprocket needed to be fitted and that I should have bought the kit with tensioner, idler and crank sprocket in the first place.

No worries I'll order it Monday catch the bus to work as pennance and all will be apples come Tuesday. To speed things up I thought I'd get things ready by cleaning up the cover and timing case, extract the crank oil seal, knock out the seal from the timing cover BUT heres the rub...

Do you think I could find ANYWHERE what the thread in the crank sprocket puller holes is? Not a chance. I knew it must be close to a 5 or 6mm and of course my puller kit had nothing that small, but every tutorial I read simply glossed over the 'how to' bit of removing the bast#$@d and by Sunday afternoon little chance of getting my hands on an assortment of bolts to try anyway.

On to the timing cover, the tutorials I read said that it would simply be a case of using a screw driver and hammer to pry out the old seal. Well bugger me if my seal wasn't a you beaut jobby with a rubber outer race and a steel inner that rotated, almost bearing like. I was thrown again, do I press it out, belt it with a hammer? Every search I tried turned up the same method of removal, pry it out, and after having a bash at getting it out I really think I'm in danger of doing some damage to the cover.

Lucky I have beer in my life, and an understanding Minister for Home Affairs, 'No worries Bride, I'll get it done in a day...'

To the questions....
What's the best way to get the seal, like the one I've got, out and what size are the holes in the crank sprocket?

Cheers Landy Disciples.

That front outer seal is the later type, and you just need to push it (Read tap with drift) out either direction, it isn't a stepped hole like the early cover with the rubber seal. You will have to retrofit the early seal into the case to clear the Bearmmach type crank gear, as it is thicker and on some vehicles, it will lock up on the inner of the later metal type seal when the timing cover is bolted back on. The front crank seal is still the same, an ERR4575. As regards removing the crank gear, I rarely have to use a puller. Just lever gently away from timing case with a large flat blade screwdriver or lever. It also helps to soak everything in CRC etc and if there is any rust etc on the crank just emery it off. When fitting a new crank seal, use the old crank gear as a guide to tap the seal evenly into its place, it'll ensure it sits squarely in the timing case.

JC