oil leak front seal

[svoturbo]

hi guys i have a 86 svo leaks oil front crank seal, i have use a mahle seal 45127 , i do have the tool for aligment, the crank is good no grooves
, its a stock motor with some head work i did install catch from stingers web site, any help would be great. i don,t want to drive it like that

[GAboySVO]

Are you sure it is the front crank seal that is leaking? When you did the head work, did you put sealant on the threads of the timing belt tensioner post? If not, that may be the source of your oil leak. That hole goes into the oil galley.

[svono50]

To add to Mike's note, you need thread sealant on the cam pulley bolt, as the cam is oil fed through the bore and will leak out the cam bolt, then spray off the back of the cam pulley...at least that is what a little birdie told me...

[gbeaird]

To add to Mike's note, you need thread sealant on the cam pulley bolt, as the cam is oil fed through the bore and will leak out the cam bolt, then spray off the back of the cam pulley...at least that is what a little birdie told me...

I've heard that, too. Usually, though, with the cam bolt, you'll get oil sprayed on the underside of the hood and valve cover. Or so I've been told.

[svono50]

Yes, I learned the cam bolt thread sealant issue the hard way with my former '80 Mustang 2.3L and then repeated the same mistake with my '86 SVO many years later...just to reinforce that it would still happen... Hood spray is the main indicator for a cam bolt leak for sure. Knocking on wood...I haven't had a crank seal leak to know the specific oil spread that would occur with that failure.

[svoturbo]

yes it from front seal if you pull timing belt and lower timing sprocket, there is oil in front cover

[svono50]

I have never replaced that seal with the engine in the car, let alone with the lower front cover on the engine, so I don't have any tips for ya other than clean up the front snout of the crank, remove the shaft key and take your time prying the old seal out of the lower front cover. You don't want to damage the front crank snout nor the lower cover. I would have to think tapping the new one in should be pretty straight forward.

[8t6svo]

I was wondering. Do you need the alignment tool when replacing the crank seal with the engine in the car? Also do I need anything special to replace the cam seal? I have a leak coming from the front. Have not dug into yet to find the source of the leak. Just looking ahead so I will know what I might need.

[svono50]

I wouldn't think any alignment tool is necessary for either the crank or cam seal, since the outer metal housing pretty much centers it in the head/front cover. The cam seal is very easy to replace, I have used a (don't laugh/cringe) wood chisel to get under the seal's flange to get it out enough to get a screwdriver/prybar under the flange and pry it loose. Installing the new one, clean any gunk off the cam's snout, wipe a little oil on the seal, put it over the cam and slowly tap the flange in till seated by going around lightly tapping it in. You can tell when it is fully seated by a change in tone.

One of the most likely places for a leak is the cam pulley bolt. It threads into the cam's center bore, which is full oil pressure. Make sure you use thread sealant on that bolt or you will be cleaning oil of a lot of stuff.

[GAboySVO]

The gasket at the front oil pan hump is the most likely source of the leak. You should also look at the timing belt tensioner spring post. It threads into an oil galley. You will want to add some thread sealer when re-installing.

[8t6svo]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to try and tear into it this weekend.

[8t6svo]

You nailed it Mike, it's the oil pan hump. Anyone have any tip and tricks at changing the oil pan gasket with engine in? It looks like it will be real fun!