Boys and Girls,

Here's a little how-to for replacing the crankshaft front seal on an early model V6. I do not know about the specifics of other models, but most of the general principles should be similar. On my '02 V6, a prodigious oil leak had developed around the seal at the front of the crankshaft. When you can no longer jump across the puddle (a running start is okay), it's time to do something.

Overall, the project wasn't too bad. Access is not a lot of fun, but not so bad once you get other stuff out of the way. Do yourself a favor and plan to get in there with a big impact gun. I wasted lots of time unsuccessfully attempting the Lazy Man's Method with minimal disassembly.

Here's an image shamelessly stolen from eBay, showing the engine sitting on a cradle, with the crankshaft pulley out in the open. Note how the pulley has openings between the three spokes, allowing you to confirm leakage around the seal using an inspection mirror or a boroscope. The arrow is pointing to the bolt which secures the pulley, but we'll get back to that later:




Here's another purloined eBay image showing the bare timing cover. The arrow is pointing to the seal which you'll be inspecting through the gaps in the pulley face:




Here's a view of the front of the pulley, showing the generous gaps between the spokes. Also note the three ears around the hub, designed for a puller to grip:




If you see more than a little oily grime behind the pulley, the seal is in need of replacement. For access, remove the throttle body and radiator fan shroud, as detailed in this link:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...repair-248595/

I initially tried to access this seal without removing the radiator fan shroud, but there wasn't enough room for a proper impact gun to remove the bolt securing the pulley. More on that later, too. There's a big cooling system hose in front of the crankshaft pulley. I removed one end and wrestled it to one side for clearance. Remove the serpentine belt, too.

Figuring out how to remove the pulley bolt (see the first picture above) was the trickiest part of the job. The factory method calls for a tool like this to hold the pulley while removing the bolt. Note how the tool is designed to grip the three spokes on the pulley and is used with a breaker bar for leverage:





I gambled on an inexpensive universal knock-off but it was about 1/2" too small. I hemmed and hawed about making my own version from a chunk of pipe, but things got too complicated. I then wondered how an impact gun would work, and much to my surprise it went well, with one caveat. You need a big impact gun. Remember I said I attempted leaving the radiator fan shroud installed? I have a compact right angle impact gun that fit, rated at a healthy 370 ft-lbs of torque. Try as I might, it just didn't have enough oomph to break the bolt free. After some serious head-scratching and precision use of foul language, I removed the shroud for more room. I was then able to use my big conventional impact gun (Ingersoll Rand IR2131), rated at 600 ft-lbs:



All it took was one satisfying bap-bap-bap, and the bolt came loose with no need to even hold the pulley. If there's anything to be learned from my experience, make enough room to use the proper impact gun and you'll have that bolt loose in no time.

To remove the pulley, you'll need a small 3-jaw puller. Here's a staged shot on my workbench, using a Posi Lock 103, but any compact puller should work:




Be careful the tip of the puller doesn't damage the female threads in the end of the crankshaft. You could loosely reinstall the bolt you just removed, but I found a handy socket-head bolt with the same M12-1.50 threads. The tip of the puller centered nicely in the hex socket:



Be careful not to lose the key that keeps the pulley from rotating relative to the crankshaft. Set it aside for safekeeping.

Once you remove the pulley, expect to find a groove where the seal rides. This close-up shows the damage, which is pretty typical for a crankshaft pulley. The back of the pulley was quite dirty, so I had to clean it up first to see the damage:




No need to panic or rush out to purchase a replacement. A repair sleeve is readily available for this common problem. Here's a good video showing the installation process on a vintage Cadillac part, but the procedure is the same for any make or model. I have done this repair on several vehicles with excellent results:


Some minor observations, mostly personal preference:

1) Use Permatex #2 sealer under the sleeve.
2) Use a wooden block to distribute the force when tapping on the installation tool.
3) Optional: For even easier installation, use thermal expansion to your advantage. Put the pulley in the freezer and the sleeve in a warm oven (180 F) for a few hours before assembly.

Here's a view of the sleeve installed:



The repair sleeve is very thin and the seal will adjust to this slight increase in diameter with no issues. I used a National brand #99187 Redi-sleeve.

Next is how to remove the old seal. I simply got in there with a garden variety seal puller like this one that I've had for years. Hook it behind the seal and carefully pry it out. For best results, take small bites across from each other. Use a thin block of wood or scrap metal to prevent damage while prying against the timing cover:






The new seal is a National 482041N, but any quality brand will work. (If preferred, the OEM number on the early V6 is XR85146, superseded to C2S48116.) Note the rubbery coating around the perimeter, which helps seal it to the timing cover. Be sure to install the seal with the flat metal face towards the front:




Installing the seal is easy. I forget to get a picture, but make a simple installation tool from a piece of 3/4" plywood or particle board, roughly 3" x 8". With a hole saw or coping saw (it doesn't have to be overly precise), make a hole near one end to clear the protruding crankshaft snout. I forget the exact size, but think it was about 1.5". The long rectangular shape creates a handle to grip while you tap on the wood with a mallet to drive the seal into position, flush with the face of the timing cover.

Apply a little grease or oil to the inner lip of the seal. Apply some Permatex #2 (or similar) to the inside bore of your freshly repaired pulley. Don't forget the key, safely set aside during removal. Apply a little threadlock compound to the bolt. Use the bolt to seat the pulley onto the crankshaft.

The last hurdle: How to torque the bolt? The manual calls out the torque angle method. You torque the bolt to a certain setting to get everything seated. Then you turn the bolt X number of degrees for the final setting. But how to do this without that fancy factory tool to hold the pulley? I went cheap and easy, and hooked a prybar into one of the slots in the pulley:



It worked like a charm. I positioned the far end against the frame rail to hold the pulley while applying the initial torque. Use a paint marker pen and make an index mark between the bolt and pulley face. With a LONG breaker bar, tighten the bolt the specified number of degrees past your index mark. It take a lot of force, so be sure to eat your Wheaties.

That's it! The hard part is done. Put the rest of things back together, bleed the cooling system, check the oil, and you're back in business. Leak no more...


Related thread:

Our own Roger Neill made a spiffy tool for installing the crankshaft seal on a 4.2 V8:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...taller-274502/

 

That "garden variety seal puller" was new to me. I found it on Aliexpress and will buy it in a few days, as they run a special from tomorrow across the platform.

Karl, you were lucky that your leaking crankshaft seal was the "easy to access one"...: I just replaced the REAR crankshaft seal on my X-Type, where the tranny sits in the engine compartment sideways...

 

If you don’t have a seal puller, use a wood screw. Screwed into the outer edge of the seal, it will pull the seal off as you tighten it without damaging anything other than the old seal.
If you don’t have a pry bar, to loosen the pulley bolt use a socket and breaker bar jammed against something (often the ground will suffice), then flick the starter. It sounds dangerous but works like a charm!

 

Yes, I knew about the wood screw trick, and I applied it on the rear crank shaft seal, that and some other trick, which I forgot, but it was not easy. I assume it might be easier with the tool mentioned above...

 

It’s always worked very easily for me, of course I use a drill/driver on low speed which makes it much easier than doing it by hand.

 

Check out this puppy, fresh off the Amazon truck today:

https://wilmarllc.com/w80753/w80753-...il-seal-puller

If the link acts up, it’s a Performance Tool #W80753, available through many vendors.

This thing is slicker than Minnesota snot. Wish I had this puller years ago. The head swivels and locks in 14 positions. It’s great for working in tight quarters.

90 degree position, like most fixed pullers:



Roughly 45 degrees:




I haven’t used it yet but it should work very well.