Author Topic: pulling front main oil seal (Read 6467 times)

jstaton · « **on:** September 08, 2006, 07:29:41 pm »

Okay I am pulling the timing belt off of my 91 1.6 NA Jetta and I decide to "try" to pull my front mail oil seal to replace it with a new one. I can't seem to get it off and at this piont it is getting pretty chewed up. Is there a specilal tool to get it off? I was trying to pull it off with a paint can opener, but is really on there. I don't remeber having this much trouble with my other cars.
I should have left well enough alone.....
Also how do you get the lower timing belt cover off? do you have to pull every accesory off? At this piont I have the AC, the altenator, the power steering off wut the water pump left, and am thinking I have to pull the pully off to get it rest of the way off.
I am starting to discover that german cars can be very stuborn....

burn_your_money · « **Reply #1 on:** September 09, 2006, 09:05:14 am »

To remove the lower timing cover you need to remove the crank pulley, WP pulley and a few bolts. I'm not sure if AC will make a differance or not

RabbitJockey · « **Reply #2 on:** September 10, 2006, 11:51:29 am »

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veeman · « **Reply #3 on:** September 11, 2006, 10:52:31 am »

jstaton... In order to get that seal off, you'll have to remove the lower timing belt cover and get at the "carrier" that holds it in place.

First things first, as burn said, remove the crank belt pulley (not the sprocket) Four hex bolts (6mm) and a little tap and it should come off. Make sure you seat your hex tool in there well, plus take note that there's a hole that indexes the pulley on the crank sprocket.

With that pulley out of the way, you can take off the lower cover by getting at the three (?) bolts that hold it onto the block. One is up just underneath the pump sprocket / IM shaft pulley, another is back by the passengerside motor mount (on an A1 at least) and one is in the front lower corner of the block (8mm bolt). The cover should lift off at that point.

Now... you'll see that the front crank seal is installed in an aluminum "carrier" that bolts to the front of the engine and is captured by a few bolts that hold on the oil pan.

I've never replaced one of those seals on the engine, but in the past, I've removed the carrier so I could pop out the seal and then push a new one in. You'll most likely have to remove the old carrier gasket and replace that as well. There should be a fairly detailed drawing in the Bentley...

Not specifically hard, just time consuming since you have to take everything apart to get to it.

fatmobile · « **Reply #4 on:** September 12, 2006, 01:08:37 am »

Drill a 1/8" hole in the seal and put a screw in it, then pull it out with a claw hammer.
Setting the new seal is the tough part. It is set a little below the surface... about 1mm.
I have a timing gear with the keyway stripped off and I use it with the original bolt and some washers to press the new seal in to the right depth.

jstaton · « **Reply #5 on:** September 12, 2006, 06:36:18 pm »

Thanks for the advice guys. I finally got it off with a tool I bought from sears. It was like an awl (a pointy screwdriver or something that looks like an ice pick with a screw driver handle) but had a bent on the end. I inseted this into a hole I drilled into the seal, then used the side of the carrier to twist it out. I did not understand how the carrier was attached untill the next day....