Bill Ball

Mark:

I cannot see a problem with seating it a bit further in at all, but I'm pretty sure this is where mine bottomed. There is plenty of crank surface for the seal, so I can't see why position is critical beyond the minimum so the inner lip stays on the crank shaft wall.

GlenL

Rear main is seated all of the way in. Now the oil pump seal goes in flush with the surface. I guess the special tools would fit that way.

mark kibort

Thanks!!

ive always wondered what those tupperware front and rear main seal tools were used for. on the front, especially when installing the seals with the two engine halves apart, why would you need the install too. just place the seal in the journal, and assemble the other engine half. look to see if its parallel and tap where needed. (thats the front) the rear seal seems to go to the back of that journal and the engine is assembled and its flush, top and bottom. so, why does the manual refer to those tools?? maybe they dont want you "tapping " the seal in as it could damage it.

I think the front seal goes flush with the surface too right?

Mk

GlenL

They're all driven to seat except the oil pump. Yes, had to replace that one once.

I think the tools fit the diameter of the seal, catch the outside if needed, and clear the shaft that is sticking out.

I tought about assembling block girdle with the seals in place. Then thought beter of it. Gotta get that thing together right and didn't want to deal with those seals at the time. On the stand it's pretty easy work, anyways.

Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net

Thanks again Garth. In my case, I removed the intake and throttle body to get the oil filler out and seal the gasket. I left the legs of the spider in place, so it wasn't too bad.

With regard to the rear main seal. I am fairly confident it isn't leaking at this point, due to the lack of oil inside the clutch housing. When I installed it both the last two times, I pushed it in evenly as far as it would go, and I know it didn't leak the last time.

Bill Ball

I used the old seal as a driver to protect the new seal while I tapped it in. The rear main is rubber over rigid metal frame and OK to pound gently on as long as you protect the surface.

Funny story about assembling the block with the seals in place --- One of my Honda CBX motorocycles developed a countershaft seal leak. This seal is rubber over metal, like the 928 rear main seal, but it is installed DURING case assembly and has a rigid metal lip that fits in a groove in the case journal. I didn't know this and tried to remove the seal while the engine was still on the bike. It was a bit of an SOB. I eventually noticed the lip after beating on the seal mercilessly. I just kept beating on it until I distorted it enough that I pulled it out, although it required a lot of persuasion. I ground the lip off the new seal and beveled the leading edge so it would start and gradually drove it in to the same level as the old seal. It was such a tight fit that the lip served no other purpose but to locate the seal at the proper place. I got the seal in the right spot and have not seen a leak in the ten years since. Uncoventional, but saved an engine removal and teardown. Good thing Porsche didn't put a locating lip on the rear main seal.