Saturday, December 7, 2013
How to Install a Balance Shaft Seal
Balance shaft seals are rubber O-rings that seal in oil in and around the primary pulley belt arm in many vehicles. These typically degrade as the vehicle approaches 100,000 miles, roughly at the same time the belts need replacement. Installing one of these is not overly difficult, provided you know where to look and have the right tools.
Instructions
- 1
Open the hood of the vehicle, when it is not running.
2Locate the bolts securing the plastic or metal valve cover. Remove these bolts and set aside the cover, revealing the balance shaft.
3Look for signs of oil leaking onto the drive shaft and timing belt. Check to see if the existing seal is visibly cracked or deformed.
4Remove the nut holding the timing belt. Slide the belt and pulley off the shaft, taking care not to lose the pulley in the engine compartment.
5Look for a small metal plate securing the seal in place. Remove this with the appropriate screwdriver to gain access to the seal itself.
6Slide a small standard screwdriver between the case and seal. Gently pop out the old seal. Expect a little oil to come out behind it; this is normal.
7Coat the new seal with bearing grease. Slide the new seal in place, ensuring that it goes in evenly to prevent future leaks.
8Screw the retaining clip back over the seal. Slide the pulley back on the arm, securing it with the bolt and ratchet.
9Bolt the valve cover back in place to complete seal replacement.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
How to Seal MLS Gaskets
Head gasket designs continue to evolve. Natural material or composite gaskets sealed early engines but degraded quickly when exposed to combustion heat and chemical solvents. Solid metal gaskets provide additional heat protection but do not seal well under the expansion and contraction of rapid heating and cooling of metal parts. Multi-Layer Steel (MLS) gaskets contain multiple layers of steel sandwiched between flexible synthetic material to create a spring-like gasket that both resists corrosive fluids and addresses the need for a flexible gasket.
Instructions
- 1
Straighten and resurface the cylinder head to within the specifications of the MLS gasket, usually between 20 and 30 Ra. Straightening and milling should be done by a machinist with equipment capable of resurfacing the metal to within tolerance as other resurfacing methods, such as by hand, may result in irregularities to which the head gasket cannot conform.
2Install the MLS gasket by placing the gasket on the engine block. For reusing MLS gaskets, it is possible to apply a very thin coating of RTV silicone to replace any small gaps in the .01 inch seal factory installed on all MLS gaskets. Both sides of the gasket should be recoated with the very thin layer or RTV silicone, if necessary.
3Install the cylinder head on the engine block. Tighten and torque the retaining bolts according to manufacturer specifications.