Ineptitude01 Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Okay, guys, I'm gonna swallow my pride and ask, since I've been searching and reading, and I've busted four of these. I have to be doing something wrong. Is there some kind of magic juju that I need to observe to get the rear main oil seal installed on an L28ET? The engine is an '82, and the car was auto, stock. I'm pretty sure I removed the spacer plate (1/4" thick disc that went on the end of the crank?). I've been lubricating/oiling the seals, and I can always get them to the same point: The interior rubber lip is over the end of the crank, and the hard part of the seal is very nearly flush with the metal, and then it just can't be forced on any more, and I'm scared to even tap it with a rubber mallet. Do I need to just man up and use a seal driver? PVC pipe cap + old seal + hammer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Same happened to me and I just used an X-acto knife to cut the little nub off however I wouldn't do that because my rear drips a drop or two of oil each day. Don't know if it was because of that or what. I was just use to the British motor because they give you a little extra on each one which you trim flush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 This is a bit ghetto, but it worked for me: cut a hole in a piece of 3/4" or thicker board that is just larger than the end of the crank. Use a mallet to pound that against the seal. Helps distribute the load more evenly without distorting the seal. I doubt you could tap the seal all the way flush with a hammer in direct contact with it. Of course, a real seal driver would probably be best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 This is a bit ghetto, but it worked for me: cut a hole in a piece of 3/4" or thicker board that is just larger than the end of the crank. Use a mallet to pound that against the seal. Helps distribute the load more evenly without distorting the seal. I doubt you could tap the seal all the way flush with a hammer in direct contact with it. Of course, a real seal driver would probably be best... That sounds a lot better. I was being an idiot when I first did mine and tried to just use a small plastic mallet but of course it would bend it to the left and right and then the top would be all fargled and mushroomed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineptitude01 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Yeah, that was me. I kept bonking it with a rubber mallet, and it would eventually just rip. I guess the thing that was getting to me was the 'How to Rebuild Your Datsun/Nissan Z Engine' book just showing a guy slipping it over the crank. That's what killed the first one. I'll try that trick with the wood block this weekend, I suppose. You cut the hole in the middle to clear the very center of the crank, I'm assuming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S130Z Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Is the end of your crankshaft the same diameter from the flywheel side all the way to the journal? I thought when I pulled my flex plate off there were 2 spacers on my auto tranny setup, but I could be wrong. I had to knock the spacer off with a hammer. But my rear main seal went on nice and easy with some assembly lube. Where did you get the seal from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 You cut the hole in the middle to clear the very center of the crank, I'm assuming?Exactly. Trim the piece so it's reasonably sized of course. Plus, make sure you keep the wood flush with the seal, otherwise you'll damage the seal same as if you hit it directly with the mallet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Yeah, that was me. I kept bonking it with a rubber mallet, and it would eventually just rip. I guess the thing that was getting to me was the 'How to Rebuild Your Datsun/Nissan Z Engine' book just showing a guy slipping it over the crank. That's what killed the first one. I'll try that trick with the wood block this weekend, I suppose. You cut the hole in the middle to clear the very center of the crank, I'm assuming? Ohhhhhhhhhhh! I was talking about the wrong one! I was talking about the 2 little rubber sticks that seal between the rear main cap and the block. For me, there was like 1/4" of it sticking up which prevents the oil pan seal from sitting flush, so I cut the excess off. The one that seals around the crank, use some anti seize and a little block of wood. I just happened to use the same block that I used to knock out rusty pistons from the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineptitude01 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Is the end of your crankshaft the same diameter from the flywheel side all the way to the journal? I thought when I pulled my flex plate off there were 2 spacers on my auto tranny setup, but I could be wrong. I had to knock the spacer off with a hammer. But my rear main seal went on nice and easy with some assembly lube. Where did you get the seal from? I've tried just about every kind except Nissan. My current candidate is a Beck Arnley. The end of the crank isn't the same size all the way to the journal, no. Is that another spacer? It looks like it's made of the same material as the crank, and I didn't notice any kind of seam... It would have to have been pressed on flush, and I figured it wasn't anything like that. Does anyone have a picture of how it should look? I'm gonna feel real dumb if something like this is what's screwing me over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S130Z Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 It should be the same size from the flywheel to the journal. Take a mallet and tap all around the spacer and it should pop off. I remember mine being fairly tight and yes it looked like it was made onto the crank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineptitude01 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 ...You gotta be kidding me. I feel pretty dumb now. I'll try that tonight, and let you guys know how it goes. Does that spacer need to go back on when I'm putting the flywheel on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S130Z Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 The spacer is only needed for the auto tranny from what I remeber. I know the flywheel sits on the end of the crankshaft. When I took my flywheel off the other night, I remember it being stuck to the crankshaft fairly tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineptitude01 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Man, I didn't even consider that this thing could be a spacer. There was some little disk, couldn't have been more than a 1/4" thick, and I thought that was it. I feel so much better now. I kept reading posts where everyone was going on and on about how easy it was. Come to think of it, the spacer makes sense, since the flexplate is so thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineptitude01 Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 You guys were absolutely right. Popped right off, and I had the rear main installed within 5 minutes. I feel pretty dumb now. >___< Thanks for the help. As of last night, the engine and trans are IN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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