crankshaft rear oil seal

[stevefh]

Hi all

Is the crankshaft rear oil seal easy to fit without the Lotus inserting tool? Any general tips on this job? The original 3-piece clutch kit was replaced by me after 52K miles,the independent dealers frictionplate [etc?] has lasted 16K!!!!!!! I will know more when i get the gearbox out and will get lotus parts unless anyone has experience of long lasting parts from elsewhere. Has anyone else tried the "wet paper" extraction method for the spigot bearing?

[Rich H]

Half way through the same here!

I get a seal and spigot bearing from simplybearings.co.uk

The seal is 4x5x0.5 Inch Nitrile Rubber Rotary Shaft Oil Seal with Garter Spring R23 / TC

The spigot bearing is SKF 60032RSH Sealed Deep Groove Ball Bearing 17x35x10mm

You can fit the seal without the tool but it's not easy and takes a while a tiny bit at a time.

Removing the spigot bearing was a real pain in the arse for me though!

[robdaniel]

i would defenetly not try fitting a new seal without the alignment tool. i found this out the hard way by having to take the gearbox back out after not using the tool the first time. get a new seal and gaskit from sjs and he will prob hire you the tool for a small charge

[Vulcan Grey]

I've done it twice without the tool, first time with new clutch, then again just because I was rebuilding the engine. Neither time leaked afterwards.

Just need to be careful, oil the lip and feed it over the crank. Tighten the bolts in a cross pattern to equalize the stretch.

I have also heard that you can pack the bearing out with grease or something to put hydraulic pressure on the inside of the pocket where it is fitted. I used a slide hammer.

[dodge1979]

Chaps, I just fitted my new rear crank seal this evening without any issues. I fitted the seal to the housing at the weekend with a bit of rtv sealant around its outer edge, measuring the 2mm gap at the rear as per the manual! Then left it to set in place so that today I oiled up the lip and crank and fitted it without the risk of it moving from its position in the housing. New button head bolts from my local nut n bolt suppliers for £2 and a job well done! Well, touch wood when the engine id back together and all its ok!

Darren

[mc21.8]

Maybe good idea to rub down the end of crank<contact area with oil seal> with very fine 1200 paper to get rid of baked on oil deposits as well so it has a nice clean start !!

ps easy to get small fold on seal when fitting, result =remove gearbox again

Hey!! be carefull out there folks!!