2.0 Front Main Seal/End Play?

mentalQtip · Post by **mentalQtip** » Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:34 pm

two liter '77. After checking endplay at four different places I have a minimum of .006" in one place. I installed the seal and the endplay went to zero. Did I not seat the seal deep enough? I thought it was supposed to be flush. I torqued it to 80lbs. and still no endplay. What gives?

Thanks

Post by **Amskeptic** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:46 am

mentalQtip wrote:two liter '77. After checking endplay at four different places I have a minimum of .006" in one place. I installed the seal and the endplay went to zero. Did I not seat the seal deep enough? I thought it was supposed to be flush. I torqued it to 80lbs. and still no endplay. What gives?

Thanks

What are you using to measure end play, feeler blades? Dial indicator?
Where are you prying to check the endplay? The flywheel? What does checking at four places mean? You rotated the engine to try again?

When you first were checking without the front main seal in place, did you have the rubber o-ring installed in the flywheel or not?

Use the fan end only. Your palm pushes the whole mess forward, a large screwdriver on the pulley pulls it back. No great punches and yanks. .003-.005" is hardly noticeable.
Set engine at TDC where the crankshaft seems happier to give its axial movement.
It does not require a great deal of force, please.

Colin

mentalQtip · Post by **mentalQtip** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:31 am

Ok. I'm using a dial indicator at the flywheel and I rotated it 90 degrees each time. I did not have the 0-ring installed when I checked end play. You are saying I should use the dial indicator at the pulley or on the flywheel? and not pry the flywheel with my big screwdrivers? and I should only take one measurement with the engine at TDC?
Do I need to remove my new main seal and start over?

Thanks

Joseph

SlowLane · Post by **SlowLane** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:58 pm

Ok, just to get this out of the picture: how did you install the o-ring? Did you slip it over the snout of the crankshaft before mounting the flywheel (wrong), or did you carefully fit it into the internal groove in the flywheel socket-where-the-crank-goes (correct)?

Sorry, I don't mean to insult your intelligence. It's just that this installation error has popped up before, and it's an easy mistake to make.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:46 pm

mentalQtip wrote:Ok. I'm using a dial indicator at the flywheel and I rotated it 90 degrees each time. I did not have the 0-ring installed when I checked end play. You are saying I should use the dial indicator at the pulley or on the flywheel? and not pry the flywheel with my big screwdrivers? and I should only take one measurement with the engine at TDC?
Do I need to remove my new main seal and start over?

Thanks

Joseph

Pry at the fan end. Measure at the flywheel. If you honest-injun have no end play with another go at it fully assembled, yes tear it down. But please, do not change out the shims until you remove the o-ring only, leave the main seal alone, and recheck the endplay without the o-ring but with the main seal still in place, If you get at least .003" with the flywheel torqued to 60 ft/lbs or so, then you are good. Too many times, people are after a clunk when it is going to be more subtle than that with new o-ring and good tight end play of .003"-.004" max.

I really don't think the main seal is interfering, but you can test by globbing it with grease, cleaning the flywheel and see if the grease transfers anywhere other than the seal riding surface of the flywheel.
Front main seals can be sticking slightly out of the case, flush, or inserted a bit. I play with installation depth all the time to give new wear surfaces on the flywheel. Never has it gotten anywhere near messing with the endplay.
Colin

mentalQtip · Post by **mentalQtip** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:25 pm

SlowLane: I'll take you at your word that someone has just slid the 0-ring on the crankshaft directly. I did carefully work it into the groove on the flywheel.

Colin: In the am I'll pull it apart and try checking the end play without the 0-ring, push/pulling from the pulley end, with teh seal still installed. Here is hoping for the best.

Joseph

Post by **Amskeptic** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:28 am

mentalQtip wrote:SlowLane: I'll take you at your word that someone has just slid the 0-ring on the crankshaft directly. I did carefully work it into the groove on the flywheel.

Colin: In the am I'll pull it apart and try checking the end play without the 0-ring, push/pulling from the pulley end, with teh seal still installed. Here is hoping for the best.

Joseph

Keep your eyes peeled for "anomalies".
Colin

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