Front crank seal - replacement

[Ogresan]

Hey guys. I was just curious about the difficulty of replacing the front main seal. My main concern is downtime as I don't get many days off work.
I've noticed that there is just barely enough room in between the sub-frame and the timing cover for my hand and was wondering if that was much of an issue. Thanks.

[mattswabb]

What year? 93 was different. Jack the car up and support on a stand, remove the right front wheel, remove the splash shield. Put the jack under the oil pan then romove the side motor mount and then you can raise and lower the engine as needed.


You might want to do the timing belt and water pump if needed at this time since you will have most of the stuff off to get to them.

[Ogresan]

It's a '92. There aren't any special tools needed for this job? The last seal I changed (helped) was a rear main seal on a Kenworth....
This shouldn't take more then couple of hours at most I figure but then I'm often wrong about these things.
I should ask if there is anything other then the seal I might need (timing belt and water pump were changed not long ago). I live about an hour from the nearest parts store and my other vehicle is hurtin' right now.
Thank you for the help!

[ndice87]

very easy job. loosen belt, unbolt harmonic dampner/crank pully and then pull the seal. you may need to lower the engine first though.

[blindcornbread]

Glad to see this post. I'm getting ready to hand someone the tools while they do the very same thing!

[ketchup]

do the cam seal at the same time. its the same seal as the crank seal.

[blindcornbread]

Thanks for the info!

[Ogresan]

Thanks alot guys!

[gdawgs]

Sometimes the crankshaft bolt can be a pain to get out. An impact wrench makes it easy. It does require lowering the engine so you can get the wrench on the bolt, as others have recommended. That sounds like a lot of work if you've never done it, but it only takes about a minute and makes the job much easier.

[Dave G]

I just finished doing the crank and camshaft seals on my 90 Festiva (literally *just finished*). I wasn't in the mood to do it so it was a pain in the butt... Took about 4 hours start to finish, including the parts run and making a pin wrench to hold the cam sprocket. Definitely do both of them while you're in there - if you don't, you'll regret it. You have to unbolt the passenger side engine mount and lower the engine with a jack under the oil pan (not as hard as it sounds). With an automatic like mine, you also have to remove the plate covering the bell housing so that you can wedge something against the flywheel to lock the engine so you can remove and re-install the big bolt on the end of the crank.

[odiekokee]

what size sockets/wrenches am i gonna ned to have on hand. all that kinda stuff i have to borrow most of the time and bring with me to the shop where i have space to work, unless they are "typicals" On my bimmer i have to have all kinda wierd stuff.....25mm and 21mm sockets for instance.

How do i make sure i don't get the timing screwed up?

[odiekokee]

Bumping because i REALLY have to get this done and need help first.

[resuwrecked]

Seriously? Now I'm damn sure that search button works. I've used it a few times today even. There is all kinds of crap about doing a t-belt and setting your timing around here, the only thing you need to know more than that is a part # for your seal, oil pump gasket and pan gasket. If youre worried about screwing it up take it to a shop. Book time shouldn't bee too high on the job since its pretty straight forward. Have fun.

[odiekokee]

Seriously? Now I'm damn sure that search button works. I've used it a few times today even. There is all kinds of crap about doing a t-belt and setting your timing around here, the only thing you need to know more than that is a part # for your seal, oil pump gasket and pan gasket. If youre worried about screwing it up take it to a shop. Book time shouldn't bee too high on the job since its pretty straight forward. Have fun.

Thanks. That was exceptionally helpful. There was alot more to it than the question of timing. >.< none of which you gave me anything even remotely useful. :angry2:

[resuwrecked]

No problem Broseph. When I saw that you asked "How do i make sure i don't get the timing screwed up" I became worried that you possibly were getting in over your head and suggested taking it to a shop in drivable condition.
However, as I recently stated, this topic has been discussed numerous times before.
And I apologize for not telling you what size sockets and wrenches you need. Don't forget to check the "Festiva/Aspire Repair Help Readme" near the top of the repair help forum. Cheers.