>Please excuse my ignorance, but does one have to take the crankshaft out of
the block to properly replace the rear main seal? After reading the repair
manual, it looks as though the crank should be out of the main bearings if
the seal alignment tool is to be used correctly.
Ron,
I did just what you are contemplating two years ago. During a bottom end
bearing and oil pump replacement, I noticed what I felt was a worn rear main
oilseal and elected to replace it. I spent many, many hours making sure the
new oil seal was round (yes it will probably not be round when you get it)
and installing it from the passenger compartment of my TR3 (same engine
block & seal and your 4). During the installation, I used thin strips of
feeler gages to make sure the seal was centered on the crank.
IT DIDN'T WORK. I've lived with the leak for two years, waiting for the
time to the complete major engine rebuild I'd planned. (the new engine parts
are at the machine shop, as we speak)
If your seal does not leak, or it is a minor leak, I strongly recommend not
touching it, unless you are pulling the crank and can use the correct tool
to align and center it. Since the seal is a non-contact seal, wear is not
usually an issue, although seriously worn bearings might allow the scroll to
contact the seal which would incur the wear(I'm not sure).
This seal relies on tight, symmetrical clearance to work. Also, it is very
helpful if the scroll on the crank is clean, to draw (pump) the oil back
into the engine. Regardless of what you do with your seal, clean out the
valleys in the scroll area, when/if you pull the rear main cap to check out
the main bearings. FYI, just checking the easy bearing, the center one, may
not provide an accurate image of overall bearing condition. My front and
rear main bearings were much worse than the center one. If the mains are
worn (check visually and plastigage if they look good) you may want to check
out the conrod bearings too. Oh don't forget to check the thrust washers,
although this is not as critical as it is on the TR6, as they don't just
fall out when worn. BTW - When you pull the rear main bearing cap, you will
need to remove and reinstall new shellac soaked felts along the sides of the
cap. When you pull the front one, you will rip the thin paper gasket which
is used between the engine and front plate. This can be repaired with a
THIN smear of Ultra Blue or other gasket in a tube.
Say Ron, ya ever hear of shipwrights disease? ;-)
The bottom line is.....
If your rear main seal is a non-leaker now, LEAVE IT ALONE. If it leaks a
tolerable amount, LEAVE IT ALONE. If it's gushing, go for it.
JMHO,
Jack
Car show: http://pages.hotbot.com/family/triumph
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