M. Requin

If you install a seal backwards it will pop out the spring.

Hilton

Um.. go do a lot of research on seal installation and function. There is no separate spring - the spring is integral to the oil seal and if its come off, throw it away and buy a new seal.

If you're still at the "not exactly sure" stage, do NOT just put it all back together and start the car.

Hopefully someone who lives near you with more experience will come help out.

kaelix

Thanks everyone for the response, everyone I asked about this around here had never seen the spring. Looking at a new seal if you angle it just right you can see "behind" the inner lip and there's the spring.

SeanR

I was thinking of a different kind of spring, not this one that's inside all our seals Makes sense now.

Mrmerlin

before you put the new radial seal into service ,
lubricate the lip with some STP oil treatment,
then add some of this oil to the shaft of the pump then slide the shaft into the pump housing using a generous amount of STP,
then add some more to the outer gear making sure that the dots are both visible on the inner and outer gears,
NOTE twist the shaft to circulate the oil before fitting to the block.
NOTE these dots must both face the engine block.

I suggest to use Dow Corning 111 on the large O ring seal and a shmear on the pump bore where it fits into the block.
If the spring comes off the radial seal then you will need another radial seal so be careful when installing the shaft into the pump housing.

If your replacing the oil pump pulley with the steel version,
then the 1 MM spacer thats behind the gear is to be removed and the steel gear fitted without the spacer.
The spacer is only fitted if the aluminum gear is used.
The STP will give the pump a good seal so it will build oil pressure when its turned