Which shaft seal is leaking?

wild man · 05-03-2010, 03:26 AM

I'm almost ready to do a belt change, but it looks like I also have a seal that is leaking. I know this because when I replaced the alternator 2 weeks ago, I could see oil was gathering (and probably dripping) on/from the bottom of the belt cover. Is there an easy way to determine which shaft seal is the likely offender?

bazar01 · bazar01's Garage

If it is dripping from inside the belt cover....

1. Balance shaft oil seals
2. Balance shaft sleeves are grooved
3. Mylar seals behind the sleeves in the balance shafts are torn

wild man · 05-03-2010, 04:20 AM

I assume that it is coming from inside, but I did not have the cover off. I'm kinda glad that it isn't the crank seal, because that seems like it would be a PITA to change, while the engine is in the car. But which BS? From what I have read, the rear seal on the upper one tends to be an issue, but I don't know about the front seal (or seals, if the mylar one is included). Starting with the assumption that the metal is not grooved, how much of a pain is it to replace the front seals on one of the B shafts? And if you go to the auto parts store and ask for a front balance shaft seal, will you get both the rubber and the mylar seals?

Mark944na86 · 05-03-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild man

And if you go to the auto parts store and ask for a front balance shaft seal, will you get both the rubber and the mylar seals?

No. Three separate part #s: Mylars seal, upper BS front seal, lower BS front seal. Have to specify which seal (different diameters and different chirality -- one for a clockwise spinning shaft, the other for anticlockwise).

Mark944na86 · 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild man

Starting with the assumption that the metal is not grooved, how much of a pain is it to replace the front seals on one of the B shafts?

You have to remove the back belts cover, which means removing the belts and the crankshaft pulleys. Not trivial -- but plenty of write-ups. I'd schedule a weekend if you haven't done it before. You'll need to retension the belts when putting it all back together. Pin wrench, thin wrench, flywheel lock and tension tool (Krikit, Arnnworx or P9201) all helpful.

Quite a lot of extra work over doing just the belt change because the back belt cover has to come off to get to the seals. If you do this, you may consider doing your WP at the same time -- basically the same level of disassembly required for the front seals and the WP (which is why they're so often done together.)

Ga 951 · 05-03-2010, 08:58 PM

Wild Man,
I did a front reseal about a year ago. I would recommend you do the same. Not that big a deal. You will need to pull the crank pulley (requires Fly Wheel Lock). You will have to remove the rear belt cover to do the job. This requires you to remove the belts (retention), depending on your car's maint, WP, rollers should be replaced as necessary. Make sure you torque the crank pulley correctly to avoid oil pump problems. Weekend job at the most. I bought a front end seal kit at 944online - had all req seals. Sleeves not included. You will need a Quality tri square to pull the cam pulley (forget the size - sorry). See clarks garage for the write up

wild man · 05-04-2010, 05:33 AM

The car will be down while waiting for the turbine shaft with the K27 compressor wheel on it gets sent out for balancing. While this is happening, there are numerous other things that I want to take care of, including the belts & rollers. If any knows where the cheapest place is to buy them, please let me know, I need to get them soon. But I need to examine more closely to try to narrow down which seal is the leaker. I suppose it could be the crank seal. I've never used a flywheel lock, and don't even know what it looks like. I guess I'll be finding out.

Mark944na86 · 05-04-2010, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild man

But I need to examine more closely to try to narrow down which seal is the leaker. I suppose it could be the crank seal.

Usually people just replace all the front seals for preventative maintenance, even if they all aren't leaking. The thinking is, if one's leaking, the others aren't probably too far behind.

3D914 · 3D914's Garage

Wild man,

FYI - doing the front seals now, with motor out of car - and you don't have to remove the crank pulley or crank gear to get the belts or rear cover off. My crank pulley bolt was over torqued and I could not break it loose, but was able to work around it.

The rear cover will rotate clockwise and slide down past the crank gear/pulley.

Good luck,