Hey guys my front oil seal has blown. It doesn't look like a difficult task to replace but I wanna know if I need a special puller for the pulley or the damper. Or any other tips anyone can share about this job. thanks.

 

Pulley, no. Damper, yes.

And an installer to put the damper back on.

 

i use a slide hammer to pull the seal, makes it real easy and quick to get out.

 

Slide hammer works, as does a "seal puller" which you can pick up cheap for like $5 or so.


Also, MAKE SURE, you heed the tip about using the RIGHT puller for removing the harmonic balancer, and the RIGHT installer to put it back on. This is one area where cheap tools, are just that...CHEAP, and likely to damage something.

Don't hammer the thing back on...plenty of people will tell you they've done it a hundred times without problems, but if you've seen a crank get bent from hammering the balancer on, you'll never do it again.


Just my highly inflated 2 cents


HTH

 

Hey thanks for the tips. Honestly I thought about hammering that thing in gently but I don't want to damage the crank. A little problem could turn into something huge. Looks like I will have to add another tool to my collection. I saw a damper puller at the parts store today but no installer. So even if I get this tool I won't be able to finish the job. I believe there is a tool that combines 'em both. I'll call the Snap-On truck tomorrow to check with them. Would rather get that than buy two seperate tools.

 

Stop waiting to pay the Snap-Off dude. Got to your local hardware store (a REAL one, not Home Depot) or fastener supplier and get a 6" section of 7/16" 20 Grade 5 or better threaded rod and two (or more) mating nuts. You may have to get a length of rod (3-6') like I did, but for less than ten bucks you have a lifetime supply of balancer installers.

Thread the rod until it bottoms in the crank snout, start the hub, install a washer and nut, and zip it in place. If the rod isn't backing out easily, thread on the second nut, jamb the two together, and zip it back out.

Or you could wait a week for the tool truck dude to order it, pay eleventy-seven times as much, but get a really nice overpriced case to store the parts in and take up more space in your tool cart.

 

Yup....... I agree with Vader.

I'm just not one to share "homemade" adapters / tools / solutions that I've used....it's my luck that someone will try it, break something, be related to a lawyer, sue me etc.


But that's just me. Mr.Murphy and I have know each other waaayyy too long.


Oh yeah... don't forget, that sometimes, ESPECIALLY aftermarket balancers, tend to sometimes need a little "clearancing" to fit on the crank snout without being Superman. The last Fluidamper I used, I ended up sanding the inside of the balancer to keep from breaking anything...could be just me though.


Later

Chris
85 IROC
"Remember men, your weapon was made by the lowest bidder..." A favorite NCO of mine, minutes before my first active jump.

 

Thanx guys. I never thought about doing it that way but if it works I'm gonna save me an *** load of money. It sux having to pay for a tool that you're not gonna use that often. I'll work on it this weekend and post the results.

 

Just finished changing the oil seal. Everything went well. The hardest part had to be finding the 7/16 rod. Very few places seem to have it. Went to Napa and they had a 3 foot section. I cut off about 5 inches and slowly turned the nut to push the damper in place. About halfway through it got really tight but I managed to get it in place. Just ran the car for about 10 minutes and everything seems fine. Thanx for the suggestions!

 

...and now you have an extra half dozen hub installers, and still paid less than the Snp-On dud would have charged for one. No pretty plastic case, though.

 

lol nah no case, but if you got any tips on making my own so I can put my new installers in it, lemme know.