Number 8 Bearing Seal Install?

[Stretch32]

I've got a fairly large amount of oil leaking from behind the crank pulley on my 2.2T and figured I would replace the seal at the end of the crank shaft (the #8 bearing seal apparently). I've got a seal and the engine is dropped and sitting on the garage floor so I now have two questions for the experts.

1) I've seen two different sized seals advertised, a STD and an Undersized. I believe the one I have is a STD but would buying an Undersized hurt anything if installed (I was hoping not to do this twice and thought maybe it would seal better). Any recomendations on which one to use?

2) I do not have the Special Porsche seal install tool for this so is there a way to install it correctly without having to buy one? I've heard of putting the new seal in then push the old one in as well then re-seat the crank pulley to press it in to the correct depth. From there remove the pulley and fish out the old seal that is on top leaving the new seal installed. Has anybody ever heard of doing this or have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the help,

Stretch

[beh911]

You mean the pulley seal, not the no.8 seal, correct?

The only way to change the bearing seal itself is to tear down the engine.

Meaning oil can be coming from two places, so make sure you understand which is leaking (most likely both)

[Stretch32]

Yes, the the pulley seal itself not the O-ring behind number 8 bearing that requires a complete tear down. Sorry about the confusion.

Stretch

[edmayo]

I've only ever used the Porsche tool, but in general if you have to install a seal "freehand" then a piece of two X four will work. You get the seal as started as you can, then lay the wood across the entire seal. Using a large hammer start driving the seal in, hitting in the center of the seal area,,,,,BUT, stop every couple whacks and look at the seal, it will probably be crooked, now you'll need to hit only that side of the wood until the seal gets flat again, keep repeating until the seal is in all the way (that's why its called freehand!). The wood will only get it flush with the surface which should be all you need for the pulley seal,,,,,and it's more likely the O-ring anyway,,,sorry Oh, and put a little silicone paste on the outer surface to help it go in easier. NEVER EVER heard of version 2 above.

[bliebler]

Ed, Will the silicone paste make the seal slippery and cause the seal to walk or slip out with engine vibration?

[Bill Simmeth]

I've not done this yet but have been prepping for it. There are a few good pictorial threads on The Bird. Here's one I thought informative. It also discusses an external fix marketed by Tom Amon to solve leaks caused by a wonky #8 bearing seal which looks "interesting", but effective.

I always believe in using the proper tool for the job, but I've also seen some posts showing DIYers making a tool to drive the crankshaft seal from a long bolt and a large socket. In essence, that's what the PAG tool is in this case.

Good luck with your project.

[edmayo]

Ed, Will the silicone paste make the seal slippery and cause the seal to walk or slip out with engine vibration?

No it shouldn't, and when using the correct tool that pulls the seal in slowly a lubricant isn't nessasary, but when being driven in it will help to get the seal to go in straighter.

[Stretch32]

Gent's,

Thanks for the input. I've got all the sheet metal off the front and it appears the seal isn't actually leaking or at least not that bad. I think (famous last words) when the case is pressurized maybe it seeps out more then because there is oil all over the front and top of the engine under the fan shroud. I also seems to be dripping from that area after a drive. I plan to replace the the seal since I'm there as well as a few others that I've got on the way.

My next question is do you use sealant on the cam tower cover gaskets? I took off the cam tower covers to inspect in there and discovered tensioner collars so I have some peace of mind. With that said I now need to replace the covers and I want to to know if anybody uses sealant of some kind on the gaskets? I thought about Ultra Copper or something similar (it appears somebody before me used Form-a-Gasket) so I was curious what the pro's do.

Thanks,

Stretch