So i am prepping my b16a for installation and i changed the crankshaft seal. we all know how annoying these are to remove after 20 years of being on there. When i tried to install the new one the spring popped out from the lip. i put the spring back in place and put the seal in but the lip bulged. the lip did not turn backwards and get caught however. i straightened the bulge but im wondering if the spring popped off again. it seems to sit flush as it is now. what is the worst that can happen if the spring did pop off. is there any way to test this without removing the seal again. please share your experiences and any advice. id hate to take this seal off yet again.

 

anyone??

 

The spring on the seal is what keeps the seal tight on the crankshaft. It's more or less what makes the seal work. If the spring is off, it will leak because the seal itself won't hold tight enough to the crank. It may be a pain in the ***, but if your not sure I would pull it off and make sure because without that spring, it's not going to seal.

 

fill the gap of the seal behind the spring with some patrolium jelly. that will keep the spring from coming out when installing.

 

From the sounds of it, I would not trust this seal to hold. I would buy a new one and the second time around use a different technique for installation as follows:

1.
Cut a piece of plastic from a plastic soda bottle. Cut it to fit as described below.

2.
Roll the plastic piece into a cylinder and insert it into the new seal. Use motor oil to pre-lubricate the inside diameter surface that contacts the shaft. Use Permatex Ultra Grey (or maybe Hondabond?) to pre-lubricate and later seal the outside diameter surface that contacts the bore.

3.
Slide the plastic cylinder (with new seal) over the crankshaft end. Be careful that the seal's lips yada do not fold over. Insert the seal about halfway into the bore using the plastic sleeve.

4. Pull out the sleeve and either discard it or store it with your other timing belt tools.

5.
Push the new seal the rest of the way into place with a washer whose ID and OD match the seal's, then a piece of pipe, sockets, or whatever fits over the crankshaft end and can push against the washer (which pushes against the seal) evenly. Tap gently all around so the seal gradually slides into place.


This is not a perfect technique but it's darn hard to get the seal on straight otherwise.

 

ok i will do this.

 

sounds like a decent technique.

 

is there anyway I can remove the seal without destroying it??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Si-Samuri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is there anyway I can remove the seal without destroying it??</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have never had any luck removing the front crank seal without destroying it. In fact this past July I messed up the installation of a new crank seal (not having done it in a few years) and ended up destroying it getting it out. The second attempt with yet another brand new seal, and more care with the technique above, went fine. Of course I was sore at myself for wasting a few bucks, but better to waste a few bucks than risk a failed seal that takes a lot of time and labor to reach.