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Front main seal failure.

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jivepepper

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Well I was pulled over today because my tag was expired and it has a dead inspection. I was pulling on to the interstate and was getting on it pretty hard and there happened to be a state trooper a few cars behind me. Despite me also speeding he let me off with a warning. He said there seemed to be a good bit of oil coming out and smoke.

The car ran fine and when I got home there was oil all over the bottom of car on the headers etc. I checked the oil lines to the SC the SC itself and everything was fine. I also checked the oil filter and drain plug which were both fine.

I have had a decent leak on the front main seal for while now and I was just keeping an eye on the oil level. I never knew they could get that bad. They only other thing that could also be is were I ground down the timing marks and some other stuff on the timing chain cover, to allow for the 18% overdrive crank pulley. Maybe it got to thin and cracked but I doubt it.

I'm going to have to find a longer crank bolt to help the crank pulley to go back on but I lost my old one. I wonder if a hardware store would carry one?

Has anyone else ever have had one fail to this point?
 
#2 ·
i had a front main seal fail on my old mustang but its not hard to change. if you do decide to remove the timing cover take it in to a welder and get the pots you welded down touched up on the back side so you have more material. also go to autozone and rent a crank pulley install kit. way easier than using the long bolt method
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
stal94gt said:
i had a front main seal fail on my old mustang but its not hard to change. if you do decide to remove the timing cover take it in to a welder and get the pots you welded down touched up on the back side so you have more material. also go to autozone and rent a crank pulley install kit. way easier than using the long bolt method
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I already have a puller so a long bolt might be eaiser since the closest autozone is 20 miles away, but if I have to I'll go to autozone I guess I can force myself. I'll check the timing cover when I get the pulley off it. If it is not cracked it's staying on. I lost a quart in 40 miles lol. It was so bad in high rpm it was smoking out the back pretty good.
 
#4 ·
its not real easy getting the front main seal out if it is an aftermarket one. i know installed a 1 piece front main seal and i had to press it in. just be carefull around your crank trying to shove a tool in there to get it out. you nick the crank to much oil will walk down the scratch and leak. i know there are rear main seal pullers, but im not sure if they work on the front. while your there you should get a crank pulley install kit.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
stal94gt said:
its not real easy getting the front main seal out if it is an aftermarket one. i know installed a 1 piece front main seal and i had to press it in. just be carefull around your crank trying to shove a tool in there to get it out. you nick the crank to much oil will walk down the scratch and leak. i know there are rear main seal pullers, but im not sure if they work on the front. while your there you should get a crank pulley install kit.
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It's a stock seal that was already on the cover. It's around 10 years old with about 60k on it. I'll just have to be carefull
 
#8 ·
I know what you mean about grinding too much down Jive... lol.

And I didnt have a long enough bolt either to pull the balancer back on. Plus, these 4.75 cranks have the threads so deep in there that you'd have to have a really long screw so I went and got me some "all thread" stud and treaded it all the way in and tightend a nut down to suck it on. Work Perfect. And the balancer installer at autozone did not work on my crank. Was not even close to reaching the threads.
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
BakerFX4 said:
I know what you mean about grinding too much down Jive... lol.

And I didnt have a long enough bolt either to pull the balancer back on. Plus, these 4.75 cranks have the threads so deep in there that you'd have to have a really long screw so I went and got me some "all thread" stud and treaded it all the way in and tightend a nut down to suck it on. Work Perfect. And the balancer installer at autozone did not work on my crank. Was not even close to reaching the threads.
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Isn't the 4.75 crank just a cobra crank? My pulley came with a longer bolt but I loaned it out and never got it back.
 
#11 ·
I dont know what it is.... I think its the coyote crank or some ****. The threads on it vs. my stock crank are not the same. The crank bolt I have to use now is longer than stock one too. He explained it all to me but I dont remember what all he said about the crank. I want to say it was the coyote crank modified to work in out cars for the extra stroke. I may be wrong but I believe thats the case. :dunno

EDIT: the threads are the same but they are just deeper in there.
 
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#13 ·
If you werent in a hurry, I got some extra all thread I could put in an envelope and send ya. They made me by an entire stick of it and I just cut it. Im sure you'll figure it out sooner than that though.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
Fatstang said:
my front seal is leaking now, i am having trouble prying the old one out (oem)
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Just take a small punch and hammer one side it will pop out. I put a little RTV on the new one because the sides of the seal are metal. I rigged my pulley installer to seat the new one and it came out pretty slick.
 
#18 ·
Whatever you do, DO NOT USE A BOLT. I learned that lesson the hard way. After a month or two, a half dozen specialized drill bits, broken bolt extractors, and some fetal position and crying time in there, I now have a threaded insert in my crank after snapping a bolt off. Was not fun.

As for the seal, that's pretty easy. Like you said, a punch to one side and it'll spin out. To seat the new one, it takes some patience and a PVC end cap to seat it. I just picked one up for something like $0.75 at the hardware store and tapped the seal in. Worked great.
 
#19 ·
got it out with a large screwdriver, putting the new one in was tight. i used an old steeda alternator pulley to pound it in. does the seal sink in to the bore, or flush with the lip of the cover? i have it flush, maybe 1/32 if that sticking out. thinking to run a bead of rtv around it to make sure it won't leak

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