Last Lemming

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thanks for ruining my day guys!!! I just installed a new clutch. I gently tapped mine in with a small wooden block until it sat flush to the engine block. I went slowly around the seal until it was seated. No leaks yet, but I've probably only put 20 miles on the car - now I'm completely paranoid! Is this something that would show leaks immediately?

odonnell

Thanks for the experience guys. So...sitting it flush... Right or wrong? Conflicting info. I decided I'll just get the Porsche tool, it's not so expensive that it's worth the BS of pulling the engine again.

944crazy

I believe sitting it flush is wrong...especially when using the thinner reinz seal that only has rubber halfway down the edge because when it's flush, the rubber is not sealing up the pry slot. You should just drive the seal in until it hits it's seat.

neunfünfeins

I agree with this. After learning about the shorter (thinner) seal, my first thought was "it should go all the way in". That also addresses the other detail I brought up about giving the seal lip a fresh section of crank to ride on. Might even be why they did it, I dunno.

The other thing I will do when it's my turn to replace this seal is put a film of gorilla snot (Permatex) on the outer circumference of it. Yes it's made to press into the block dry, but given the issues people are having with the seal, I see it as a bit of added insurance.

Can't comment on whether DIY PVC seal installers are suitable for this specific application, but I've had good luck with that on other seals. With a little extra effort it should be possible to gem up a DIY installer that uses a sequence of a few flywheel bolts to draw the seal in. Any method that gets it to go in evenly and straight would seem to be acceptable. 'Tapping it in' is not as accurate, IMO.

Dare

That's roughly what I did, except I used three M12x1.25 studs with nuts and a metal plate. There's a picture of it on my project site.

When you put the seal in be sure to check for any tearing of the plastic at the pry slot. Happened to me twice, ruining two seals, until I took a dremel and smoothed the edges.

I ran the seal all the way in, figuring I wanted as much contact area between the outside of the seal and the lip of the block. I don't have much time on the engine, but no leaks so far.

944crazy

Yep, I used Permatex Aviation No.3 on the outside edge of the seal. I think Curil T is what's recommended by Porsche, but it's a giant pain in the **** to source in Australia and is 4 or 5 times the cost of the Permatex equivalent. I also packed the inside lip with assembly lube and wiped it all over the crank.

odonnell

Ok, I have an Elring and a Kaco seal (brown and black respectively). I plan to use the Elring with curil T or equivalent.

John_AZ

The Elring seal has ribs top to bottom.
Be careful on starting the seal-it can be damaged very easily.



The correct position of the installed seal should be just below the bevel on the block. See circuled spot on photo.

Also you MUST remove any burrs caused by the removal of the old seal or you will damage the new seal. See right side of photo showing the damaged indent.



Seal should look like this when finished pressing in:



J_AZ

Mike Lindsey

The KACO or black seal is the current OEM. We think either works fine in installed correctly and using our little spring tweak. When installing a rear main seal, which we have done many many times, a trick we use is to shorten the spring 10mm. This will put a little more tension on the seals contact area to insure a seal. Since we started doing this, we have never had a reported leaking seal. Depending on the debris over the years in the oil, or whether or not someone sanded, polished or ground that area, it would have a smaller diameter so that's another reason for doing it.

If you would like a explanation of how this is done, we can offer it up.

John_AZ

I would like to have more information about the tip to install the RMS---
"a trick we use is to shorten the spring 10mm"

Thanks

John

Last Lemming

Would one expect the seal to fail immediately - meaning after the first time it was driven after the seal was replaced. - if it was installed incorrectly?

ramius665

If you burned the inside of the seal on dry start up then yes, it will leak immediately. It's still possible you could get a couple hundred or thousand miles down the road and it would start to leak but it's difficult (impossible?) to predict. Do make sure you start the engine regularly for the next few months to keep the seal lubricated. Lack of lubrication from sitting causes far more leaks than wear.

944Ross

I used a PVC cap on mine (3 seals, 2 cars), seated as John shows, with both Kaco and Elring. No sealant on the OD, plenty of prelube on the cranks and seal. None leaked a drop. I have almost 40k on the Elring. All were done in the car during clutch work.

Last Lemming

Im not so much worried about the seal at the crank as I am the seal at the block. I only tapped mine down to the block fact and did not recess it, to make matter worse its a Rienz seal. I don't have any leaks yet, but I only have about 20 miles on it. I just wondered if it wasn't in all the way as described would it leak from day one.

ramius665

Hmm... Can't speak to that one. I'd imagine you're at an increased likelihood of leakage because there is possibly less sealing on the outer circumference but it's speculation.