Front Main Seals

nickvash0104 · 01-06-2006, 02:55 AM

Okay, question number two... I guess I should have posted the first and second together since they're both being worked on during my replacement.

My issue is that I suspect both front main seals are blown. The other day, I added a full 5 qts of oil, drove 10 mi. to work, and found that I had no oil left whatsoever. Upon removing the timing cover, oil is everywhere, especially so around the seals. However, I can't seem to get the seals off. Any tips for removal? Is there really any other way to do this other than the SSTs? I believe TSRM says for the oil pump gear seal to use a knife and cut off the tip then use a screwdriver... and then for the crank seal, to use the SST... I'm trying to avoid that. To get the harmonic balancer off, I put a torque wrench on the bolt and levered it against the frame and cranked the engine for a moment to loosen it, then took it the rest of the way off manually. A tool from Autozone that I rented then got the balancer itself off. Ideas?

mrnickleye · 01-06-2006, 03:58 AM

Hope you really didn't use a 'torque' wrench, cause if you did, its way out of calibration now.

Parts house should have a seal puller tool. Tool truck will for sure. Sears?

nickvash0104 · 01-06-2006, 11:23 PM

I think that I braced it at a place where the torque wrench wouldn't be damaged... anyways, I haven't checked Sears yet... good idea to do so. I'm going to try the balancer puller since it seems to be the same concept as the SST, I'll keep y'all posted.

TONY! · 01-07-2006, 07:01 PM

Eh, it did not seem too complicated to get out the old seals...just use a small flat screwdriver. Came right out for me.

As far as the getting the crank pulley off: you already got it off, no?
So what is your Q with that?
I just used an impact gun on my crank pulley bolt.
I had to keep that gun on there for some time but it worked.

In my experience the crank pulley just slid off with out a great deal of force.
Actually, I took two 7M crank pulleys off and I did not need a puller for either of them. One, as I said, slid off with my hands. The other I had to tap it with a hammer a bit--NOT bash it because that will break the pulley.

So from two experiences:
the seals came off with just a flat screw driver
and I did not need a puller for the crank pulley

mrnickleye · 01-08-2006, 04:10 AM

^^^ what tony said. When I worked at Toyota in the 80's, I musta replaced 100 front crank seals on Celica and truck 20R and 22R engines, and the Corolla 2TC, 3TC, and others.

I might of used a dampner puller 2-3x. If they wouldn't come off by hand, I just used 2 BIG prybars, one on each side, and pulled a little. They would pop right off. I actually had to make sure I was ready to catch it, so it would not fall to the floor.

A big screwdriver to pry out the seal. A ballpeen hammer to tap in the new seal.

After a couple reworks cause it leaked again....this works...

Upon install is to put a big bead of silicone gasket sealer in the cavity where the bolt is going back on. This will help prevent oil from seeping out along the crankshaft between it and the dampner, and under the bolthead.

Bullz_EyE · 01-08-2006, 06:48 AM

Thanx 4 da tip, I'm about to do that.

01-06-2006, 02:55 AM	#1
nickvash0104 3" Exhaust Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 78	Front Main Seals Okay, question number two... I guess I should have posted the first and second together since they're both being worked on during my replacement. My issue is that I suspect both front main seals are blown. The other day, I added a full 5 qts of oil, drove 10 mi. to work, and found that I had no oil left whatsoever. Upon removing the timing cover, oil is everywhere, especially so around the seals. However, I can't seem to get the seals off. Any tips for removal? Is there really any other way to do this other than the SSTs? I believe TSRM says for the oil pump gear seal to use a knife and cut off the tip then use a screwdriver... and then for the crank seal, to use the SST... I'm trying to avoid that. To get the harmonic balancer off, I put a torque wrench on the bolt and levered it against the frame and cranked the engine for a moment to loosen it, then took it the rest of the way off manually. A tool from Autozone that I rented then got the balancer itself off. Ideas? __________________ Black '87 N/A Auto

01-06-2006, 03:58 AM	#2
mrnickleye 1000whp postwhore Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mojave Desert, Calif. Posts: 1,705	Hope you really didn't use a 'torque' wrench, cause if you did, its way out of calibration now. Parts house should have a seal puller tool. Tool truck will for sure. Sears? __________________ Had a Red 1989 N/A. Automatic. Sports Pkg. w/wing. TEMS, and some nice MODS. Sold to a friend 10/08/08.

01-06-2006, 11:23 PM	#3
nickvash0104 3" Exhaust Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 78	I think that I braced it at a place where the torque wrench wouldn't be damaged... anyways, I haven't checked Sears yet... good idea to do so. I'm going to try the balancer puller since it seems to be the same concept as the SST, I'll keep y'all posted. __________________ Black '87 N/A Auto

01-07-2006, 07:01 PM	#4
TONY! 12psi boost Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Troy, NY 12180 Posts: 353	Eh, it did not seem too complicated to get out the old seals...just use a small flat screwdriver. Came right out for me. As far as the getting the crank pulley off: you already got it off, no? So what is your Q with that? I just used an impact gun on my crank pulley bolt. I had to keep that gun on there for some time but it worked. In my experience the crank pulley just slid off with out a great deal of force. Actually, I took two 7M crank pulleys off and I did not need a puller for either of them. One, as I said, slid off with my hands. The other I had to tap it with a hammer a bit--NOT bash it because that will break the pulley. So from two experiences: the seals came off with just a flat screw driver and I did not need a puller for the crank pulley __________________ -------------> ITEMS THAT ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM AN '88 PART OUT <------------- _____\|_____ /. . . \ . . . \ . .\ ( ]/ . . . . \ . . . \ . .\[ ) _________________ /OO]====(W)====[OO\ [___________________] [ [O] ///______\\\ [O]_] ____________________[\|\|]______________[\|\|]____________________

01-08-2006, 04:10 AM	#5
mrnickleye 1000whp postwhore Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mojave Desert, Calif. Posts: 1,705	^^^ what tony said. When I worked at Toyota in the 80's, I musta replaced 100 front crank seals on Celica and truck 20R and 22R engines, and the Corolla 2TC, 3TC, and others. I might of used a dampner puller 2-3x. If they wouldn't come off by hand, I just used 2 BIG prybars, one on each side, and pulled a little. They would pop right off. I actually had to make sure I was ready to catch it, so it would not fall to the floor. A big screwdriver to pry out the seal. A ballpeen hammer to tap in the new seal. After a couple reworks cause it leaked again....this works... Upon install is to put a big bead of silicone gasket sealer in the cavity where the bolt is going back on. This will help prevent oil from seeping out along the crankshaft between it and the dampner, and under the bolthead. __________________ Had a Red 1989 N/A. Automatic. Sports Pkg. w/wing. TEMS, and some nice MODS. Sold to a friend 10/08/08.

01-08-2006, 06:48 AM	#6
Bullz_EyE 3" Exhaust Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 238	Thanx 4 da tip, I'm about to do that.

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