i have a leak behind the crankshaft pulley and i want to replace the seal.
having looked at my options to get at the pulley, it appears coming from the top would be the easiest.

that means removing the metal bar above the radiator.
is removing that metal bar as easy as removing all of the bolts attached to it and disconnecting the three plastic pins holding the front bumper on?

i'd like to do that and remove the radiator fans so i have plenty of room.
but i am looking to learn two things:
1. does that piece of metal simply lift out (will my fenders swing way out to the sides? lol)
2. the adjustment bolt for the belt tensioner is the sideways bolt on top of the pulley?

has anybody done this already?
is removing the seal as simple as sticking a screwdriver in there and prying it out?
i searched for some videos and couldnt find any for chrysler or dodge.
there was one video that showed the pulley already removed.. but there was no closeup of what the seal looked like installed.

i got dressed to get all dirty and had a look at how i was going to get at the crankshaft pulley bolt.. then realized there was no room to get my hand or jaw puller in there.

so i am wondering if the headlights need to be removed or if the entire bumper needs to come off instead of removing the three pins in the middle.

because if i have to remove the entire bumper.. i am going to wait to do the project since the ground is wet and its almost freezing temperature.
theres a lot of snow that is going to be melting over the next three to four days, says the weekly forecast.

removing the entire bumper and placing it aside would require that i get some solid rest before setting my eyes on such an extensive prerequisite

 

we techs use a special short throw puller so we dont need to remove the radiator if U want to buy one they are about 80 to 100 bucks.

 

that job is done.
the most work i have ever done to replace a rubber ring.

had to remove the front metal that connected to each fender as anticipated.
it came right off.
then i battled with the pulley because there was a missing extension for chrysler length.
took me about 45 minutes to get the old extension out with a vise and mallet.
then i made the first extension wrong because it wasnt fitting in the hole so i was just gonna use it as is, then it decided to go in the hole as i was finger tightening the pulley.
that one came right out.. made another extension that took about five shortenings to get it short enough so the jaws would grab.

then i was trying to remove the crankshaft pulley with hand tools.
gave up on that and decided to remove the radiator so i could get a power tool in there.
i detached all of the hoses on one side and tried to lift it out and tilt it sideways.
that didnt work because the headlight was in the way.
so i detached that side of the front bumper and moved the headlight.

then i couldnt get the pulley to go back on.. had a buddy slam it in with a hammer.
i was hitting it with a rubber mallet and didnt get much done.
the real hammer got the pulley on enough so that the bolt threads would grab.
then i used the power tool to screw it back on.

i woke up at 7pm yesterday and ate at 1am.
went all day without eating until about 4-5pm today.
its now 8pm and i have been awake for 25 hours and been standing on my feet for about 10 hours.

i still need to top off oil.. antifreeze.. and transmission fluid.
the oil was already needing about a quart.. had to tilt the engine backwards with a jack to keep the oil from drooling out of the hole from when i removed the old seal.
and i let the antifreeze and transmission fluid leak out whatever was needed when i removed the hoses and stuck them straight up in the air.

i think i about drained the radiator completely when i disconnected it.
and whatever was in the resevoir for the transmission oil cooler.

it could have been a lot worse.
when i first bought the car i had the oil flushed and thats what caused the leak in the first place.
i was lucky enough to have the lube technician tell me about the new leak coming from behind the crankshaft pulley
and when i took the pulley off, i could see that it had evidence of leaking.
the engine was totally clean when i got it.. so any residue is helpful to show me that i did indeed fix the problem at the source.

i was happy to spray some degreaser around the seal surface and wipe it clean before putting the new seal in.
and i was happy to get it done tonight so i dont have to wake up tomorrow and finish it.
i gotta go back and pay for the seal, because autozone listed the wrong part and my buddy ordered the right part and had it delivered.
so i'll be taking the wrong seal back and getting a refund.
cost went from $14.99 to $6
and thats a plus.

i had some rear speakers sitting on the roof of the car when i was taking it apart.
that was a good time.
ran the radio until the battery went dead.

i left that shop with a new extension for chrysler vehicles for whenever it may be needed.

cleaned up and wiped off all of the few tools of theirs that i used.

i'll be happy when there is enough oil pressure to make the engine run solid again.
me thinks there wasnt enough oil pressure to extend the hydraulic lifters.
because whenever i would add oil.. the performance went back up.

i didnt put too many hours on the engine with hearing the heads move.
but the leak got worse and i was running out of oil faster, so i decided it was time to fix the problem rather than add some more oil every 3 months.

i checked my compression about a month ago and all cylinders gave an average of 150psi
the speedometer says about 140,000 miles.

my next project is installing a new head and head gasket on my mothers car.
her engine doesnt have an overhead cam.. and i think that job is going to be much easier than what i went through today.

i still need some room to giggle because my buddy said he would replace that seal for 20 bucks at the shop.
that was a lot more work than $20

when i got the bumper and radiator loose.. i seen some styrofoam that was blocking the wind path of the radiator.. i was happy to remove that.
i am guessing it has to do with the front bumper for an accident.
but it was all broken up into small chunks and was doing more harm than good.
i'm expecting to see my temp gauge a bit lower.

i just dont know if i want to buy some antifreeze or fill whats left with water.
i think there is supposed to be a 50/50 mix .. but i dont know what the ratio was before today since i never changed it.
it smelled fine and didnt seem to be obnoxious smelling.
a solid flush and refill the entire system would probably be best.. but spring is almost here and the freezing weather should subside soon.
so.. i'll probably fill it with water and do a flush before next winter.

my body feels drained.. and its kinda heart warming.
having had the pleasure of such a feeling in a long while.

i am curious, does anybody know what direction the oil flows across the seal i replaced?
i wonder if the oil went from the valves to the bottom of the engine or from the bottom to the top as it passed the seal.
it would help me visualize how much of a problem the leak was as the oil was trying to circulate.
i mean.. i am just wondering if i totally starved the top of the engine or if the top of the engine had some oil and it was leaking on the way back to the bottom.

 

the seal broke loose with an hour of driving.

there is no puddle of oil where i parked the car.
i went to purchase some oil to top it off and there was no puddle when i left.

sometime between getting some money for food and getting some gasoline, the seal popped.

i suppose i should be kicking myself for not using any silicon sealer around the seal.

me thinks the seal is inferior if i need to use glue to keep it sealed.
my buddy said 'maybe you didnt put the seal in right'
and i said.. 'how do you put a ring on a finger? the ring is either on the finger or it isnt!'

i'm currently doing some mental preparing to do it all again.
its just upsetting that i already spent money on antifreeze and transmission fluid (and used it) so now i have to make those purchases again.

but now that i dont have to mess around with the pulley puller.. hopefully the second time will be more smooth.

i think its stupid to use silicon sealer around a seal when the seal is supposed to fit tight.
if silicon sealer is a MUST.. i now have to avoid having any gaps in the sealer to ensure a solid seal.

the old seal was flush with the metal.
i pushed the new seal in so that it was inside a little bit extra and was recessed.
does anybody think that my putting it in 3mm extra was a solid reason that the seal broke loose?
i didnt stomp on the gas at all to cause excessive pressure on the new seal.
i made sure i didnt stomp on the gas so that the seal had a chance to 'seat' itself.
i mean, the seal sat overnight and i didnt drive the car for about 18 hours.
after the seal was put in.. the car sat for about 3 hours while i put it back together.
then i drove it two blocks from the shop to my house and parked it.

makes me wonder if i should put silicon seal on the headgasket when i do my mothers head replacement.

makes me wonder if i should put silicon seal on EVERYTHING that needs sealed.

i thought cleaning the edges of the mating surface with degreaser would be enough.
with all of today's technology using computer aided drafting and precise machine tools.. i cannot believe the seal wasnt a solid fit.

this time when i do it.. i'm gonna put silicon seal on all edges of the seal.. and then i am going to put some sealer on the outside of the seal where i can see a crack.

i used a piece of exhaust pipe to tap in the seal.
and it wasnt going in with subtle taps.. i had to turn up my tapping strength.
that to me made me feel like the seal was going to be tight.
i suppose that meant the inside (or outside) of the seal was tight and the other edge wasnt tight enough.

 

Me Thinks your Crankshaft Thrust bearings are worn out.

From under the car, a Prybar on the pulley, and push it into the motor as far as you can....

Then, from between the pulley and block, pry it out , as far as you can.....

ANYTHING more than .050 movement...(ABOUT 1/16th of an inch) is reason to suspect crankshaft end play being excessive.

 

remove the front cover then put the seal on next u will need that puller again next get a mopar seal instead of an aftermarket one.
BUY the correct puller and the time spent will be 3/4 of the time u spent last time

 

remove the front cover then put the seal on next u will need that puller again next get a mopar seal instead of an aftermarket one.
BUY the correct puller and the time spent will be 3/4 of the time u spent last time

 

wow.. this forum erased everything i wrote 'because you logged in'

i'm not going to type it again.

and i am not going to loosen my rod bearings or bend the pin that connects the piston to the rod by yanking on the crankshaft with a prybar.
havent done it to test the strength and wont do it to learn.

if the crankshaft had wobble, the old seal would have leaked worse than it did.
the new seal is pouring out oil.
i lost like 4 quarts of oil in 1 hour.

when i first started driving the car.. there was no oil light at idle.
then the oil light came on at idle
then it came on at 1,000rpm
and by the time i got it to where i plan on working on it again, the oil light was coming on at 1,500rpm

there is probably a shot glass of oil left in the engine.

 

no way!

i am not going to remove the timing chain cover so that i can seal the back of the seal with silicon sealer.

with the luck i have had with seals.. the timing cover would probably leak.

every seal i have done has had something wrong with it for various reasons.

i snapped a bolt attached to the block on my last car and that ruined my new intake seal.

i'll probably be baffled of stupidity, wondering why the seal wasnt a solid fit the first time.
i think i'll be putting all of my faith into some glue.

if glueing the edges and the outside cracks doesnt hold the seal.. i dont know if i'll cry or go bonkers.

 

If it moves far enough to damage rod bearings, or a wristpin, then I think you have bigger problems than just your doubt.

Look at the signatures of the guys who have answred your thread......thats almost 50 years of experience advising you on what to do.......

Do You Think we could have made it this far by following our own foolish advice???????

If you know whats wrong, why are you asking us?????

If you look around at other threads on the forum, all of the "TECHS" here take this forum as seriously as we take or Jobs......So please dont be insulting to us....