Leaking Crankshaft / Flywheel Oil Seal

[vwlover77]

Well, my case will be an experiment. My father-in-law is a retired mechanical engineer with a lot of experience with seals in industrial applications. He tells me that the surface finish left by fine emery cloth should still have plenty of microscopic roughness to retain oil to lubricate the seal lip. We shall see!!!

Here's a photo of the new Sabo seal on the left and the old NTK seal on the right. Both are the same width, apparently 12 mm. You can see on the Sabo seal where the OE VW emblem and part number have been ground off!



But the Sabo seal has this herringbone pattern that the NTK did not. I think its purpose is to pump any oil that gets past the seal lip back into the crankcase.


I installed my seal a little proud of the crankcase by using a piece of plexiglas with a hole cut in it as a spacer during installation. That keeps the seal lip from riding on the wear groove on the flywheel.

[Amskeptic]

the surface finish left by fine emery cloth should have plenty of microscopic roughness to retain oil to lubricate the seal lip.

Absotivelutey. Why, locoqueso and I just did a front seal . . . yesterday.
Colin

[vwlover77]

Everything is back together and 100 miles have been logged with no apparent leakage. It's off to a good start, anyway. Let's hope I'm not reviving this thread a year from now!

[Amskeptic]

Everything is back together and 100 miles have been logged with no apparent leakage. It's off to a good start, anyway. Let's hope I'm not reviving this thread a year from now!

100 miles dry is a good start. If locoqueso chimes in and tells us how his seal is doing, we might have turned a corner with these BP ExxonValdez moments.
Colin

[vwlover77]

I'm reviving this thread FAR too soon. I was under the Bus a couple of days ago, and I see drops of oil accumulating at the transmission / engine junction. I assume that the oil seal is beginning to leak again, only 2000 miles after it was replaced earlier in the summer.

Is my crankshaft out of round??? Main bearing worn out??? ACK!!!

[Amskeptic]

I'm reviving this thread FAR too soon. I was under the Bus a couple of days ago, and I see drops of oil accumulating at the transmission / engine junction. I assume that the oil seal is beginning to leak again, only 2000 miles after it was replaced earlier in the summer.

Is my crankshaft out of round??? Main bearing worn out??? ACK!!!

Clean it and go watch TV.
Colin

[vwlover77]

Clean it and go watch TV.
Colin

Cleaned it, but then surfed the web instead. I hate TV!

[Amskeptic]

Clean it and go watch TV.
Colin

Cleaned it, but then surfed the web instead. I hate TV!

See, it is your refusal to obey my instructions .....
Colin
(I have drops under the BobD that never land ... it is, it is, It Is Good Enough)

[ruckman101]

Don't make the same mistake I did, pressing the seal in with the EMPI tool without removing the dowels/pins for the flywheel from the end of the crankshaft. The seal won't be fully seated and will fail prematurely. Glad I figured it out the second go round.


neal

[Amskeptic]

Don't make the same mistake I did, pressing the seal in with the EMPI tool without removing the dowels/pins for the flywheel from the end of the crankshaft. The seal won't be fully seated and will fail prematurely. Glad I figured it out the second go round.


neal

I'll keep that in mind for the TBRRupturedDuck. Actually, I like letting sleeping dowels lie if they are snug in their installed positions.

The Type 4 crowd has no such concerns, they have five big bolts holding the flywheel on.
Colin

[Jaffa]

Regarding pressing the seal in, I measured the depth of my seal recess at 12 points around the circumference and the measurements are NOT consistent. So if you press the seal in using the case outer face as a datum the seal may end up crooked. I pressed the seal in so it is hard up against the machined step at the bottom of the recess. After fitting when I run my finger over the seal face outwards I can feel a slight difference in step around the circumference. Could this be why so many newly fitted seals leak?

I must state here though that this is my FIRST seal replacement so time will tell!

Engine is 1974 AW 1800cc Type 4.
Seal was suffix -B from Bus Depot and is 12mm orange.

[hambone]

I tap it in just past the case, lightly all around with a hammer on wood block.
Make sure the seal is packed with grease and swimming in it too. Grease the crank too.

[vdubyah73]

I tap it in just past the case, lightly all around with a hammer on wood block.
Make sure the seal is packed with grease and swimming in it too. Grease the crank too.

what he said.

[Jaffa]

"pack with grease" I've not read that before. Would the grease disolve in the engine oil or just stay as blobs and potentially block the oilways?

But either way I'm a bit late for this as the flywheel and new clutch are all fitted and buttoned up tight. I did use copious quantities of oil in the seal and on the lip, with a smear on the flywheel surface.

Craig

[SlowLane]

I pressed the seal in so it is hard up against the machined step at the bottom of the recess.

I also seated my seal fully into the case so it bottomed out. Six years later and no leakage from that area. I'm not sure, but I suspect if the seal isn't sufficiently seated, the fillet on the back of the flywheel interferes with the seal.

Not to belabour the obvious, but did you replace the o-ring at the same time you replaced the seal?