Hi All, can I replace the front main seal with the engine in the car. I assume you can, I have done it on Ford and Holden(GM) 6's before. But Jaguars seem to have a whole set of rules to themselves. I don't want to get half way through the job to find there is some strange reason It can't be done.

 

The inside of the seal seals on a sleeve on the crankshaft, once the harmonic ballancer is removed and the wood ruff key the sleeve slides off leaving enough room to work the seal in, in my experience

 

Maaaaaate, this is going to be fun.

Originally the sump and the timing cover had a lip on the front that encased the seal. This was either British humour at its very best, or to stop the seal "blowing out". I prefer the former.

This required the sump to be lowered significantly and the seal prised out of the timing cover lip, and reversed for install. Copious amounts of sealant squeezed into the sump to block gap, and fingers crossed it did not leak, HAHA.

Down here one of the Indy's of the day had a tool for cutting the lip off, and then a seal was installed at will in the conventional way. He no longer exists, and I have no idea who has that tool now, I dont. It basically slid over the snout of the crankshaft, and had cutting blades in the face that simple cut away the alloy when rotated by hand, using a 1" socket and a ratchet, and patience.

I used it 20+ years ago, sweet as.

A recent engine, no got, so I simply used a suitable disc in the angle grinder, and LOTS of care.

Yours may have the lip already gone. Feel down the timing cover and you will soon feel a bulge (lip), of you will feel the seal.

You will need a new seal runner, AND o/ring, or else you are wasting your time. When fitting the new seal dont smack it in too far, as there is a lip on the inside also, and if you smash that lip, wifey will be pleased, NOT.

The "real" Jag engine timing cover seal simply pops out the front.

See why I suggesting taking up serious drinking when we first communicated, whoopee.

 

This job needs the sump to come off. The seal is gripped in a groove in the timing cover and also the sump, and acts on a spacer, (called a distance piece by Jaguar), fitted to the crankshaft, not the crankshaft itself, and is secured from rotating with a Woodruff key. This method means the oil seal can be removed without a huge lot of stripping, but it's still a big job, just not as big as the rear main seal.

Once the sump is removed or lowered, the spacer can be pulled out, having first removed the pulleys and crankshaft damper. The oil seal can then be pulled down out of its groove in the timing cover. One can then put the new seal in, reinstall the spacer, and put the sump back on. I have a feeling the front sub-frame gets in the way of lowering the sump, yet another PITA.

 

Thanks for the answers, it's not job I need to attack straight away. Just feeling the water for my next 7 day break between shifts. Hardly leaks parked in the flat or when driving.
If I park on my drive nose up tranny fluid runs out of the converter somewhere,so I tried reversing up and came back in the morning to an oil slick 12" long.
Having only a double garage with room for one car(and bikes),two are left on the street. I can park on the street but prefer to get it off the road when I can.
I have attached a couple of pics that give an indication of the hill I'm trying to park it on,one from the road,and one from the top.

 

Sounds like the rear main seal has gone. That is a BIG job and requires engine removal followed by transmission removal so you can get at the seal housing. It is possible to replace the rope seal with a more modern neoprene lip-type seal, but the crankshaft has to come out for machining. You can see why so many americans put V8 lumps in to replace this 1940s engine.

 

Engine won't be coming out anytime soon, better drip tray maybe for now.

 

I managed to replace front seal. It has had lip cut off previously(with some crude cutting tool)razor sharp edges. And fan has gone(twin AU falcon thermo fans fitted). 10 screws out and nothing between rad and engine. Got old seal out and new one in with a tool I made a few years back for a Holden red motor.
Parked on drive for 48 hours,nose down.(raining so didn't smell the fuel),no oil leaks,but lost 20 odd liters of fuel out the rear carby as gravity does strange ****. Float must stick or something on that angle(40 degrees+). Steepest legally allowed drive way in Queensland.
Have ordered fuel shut off valve for it today. I WILL PARK ON THIS DRIVE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

Took me 2 years with the Jeep to park it successfully without it sliding down the hill or leaking internal fluids. This Jaguar will comply eventually.

 

Sweet.

That is one mean sucker of a driveway.

40+ deg is mountain goat material.

The sliding down and out worries more than anything else, especially with the Qld rains.

 

Yep, many a morning I found my jeep with front the wheels in the gutter when we first moved here. They only slide when front is facing down. Front seems to drag the rest of the car with it,park it nose up it will never slide. Front wd cars,they stay put? (could be the weight,girls car hatch backs)
On a hot day you can stand there and watch it creep down the hill. Other days you can think all is ok then go inside and grab a beer before you hear the scrape sound that means your car is on the move.
They only slide slowly so the pedestrians are safe(lol).
It took my wife 2 years before she would reverse out of the garage. All you see is the roof tops across the street.

Its the mother of all driveways,try it on a motorcycle........wet can be entertaining.