B*stard Car!! REally testing my resolve at the moment!!

[Error404]

After fitting my new water pump, i've now got a leaking front crank seal

Don't really understand how it happened - i didn't remove the crank pulley/sprocket to do the job, and its just appeared in the last few days... irritating as i don't really have the tools / expertise to sort it. So i need to replace the crank seal, may as well do the cambelt and idler at the same time.... but i need to loathingly pay someone else to do it
Any ideas on how long this would take / cost? i'm guessing about 4-5 hours realistically - or am i being generous?

[Azman]

Pain up the backside to do. You have already had the cam belt off though so that side will not be a problem for you... IIRC the crank seal is just a push in malarky.... May be worth giving it a go yourself....

I had one go on a 7a that I owned well it had already gone (ala delta BTW) and i just shot the engine as it was drinking/ losing a litre or oil every thousand miles.....

[mcandmar]

I changed the seal on mine, easy to do with a bit of wood and hammer, just tap it gently going around in a circle so it goes in evenly. Hard part is summoning the nerve to stick a screw driver through the old one to yank it out!

There is a note in the workshop manual about the fitting, normally it sits flush but you can press it in another few mm if you have a worn groove on the crank shaft.

[Error404]

its more the locking of the crank that i can't really do myself, if i can do that i should be able to whip the bumper off, remove the belts etc and take the pulley & sprocket off, fairly confident with the rest of it after tackling the water pump. is there any way of locking the crank via the fly-wheel.. or any other way of doing it without some special tools?

[Knight Rider S4]

Finding someone close by to send you tool if they have one .......easiest way to take out seal is use small self tapping screws on either side of seal and screw in enough to catch and just pull out

[macspring]

Borrow the Tool ?

If you done the timing belt, you'll be able to do it, if you can once get a loan of the correct crank/pulley tool from a kindly soul who is close to you. As I say once you have the tool and a big breaker bar and socket to loosen and tighten the bolt that holds on the pulley you should be fine.

Consider buying a new bolt from the dealers for peace of mind and also using the correct thread lock on it? The bolt needs a fair amount of force to open it and to tighten it to the correct torque. I'm sure a n other will post up the torque figures, and possibley a photo of the tool for reference?

Good luck and kind regards.

[jameswkr]

Are you certain its the crank seal leaking and not from the bolt threads on the new pump ? On some Audis the bolt threads enter the water passage ways in the block and require special sealant to prevent coolant creeping out through the threads.

[Error404]

Its definately oil not coolant. I thought initially i might have split a PAS line or something moveing the PAS pump to do the water pump, but when i investigated, the front of the block is covered in oil. Its lost about 1/2 litre of oil in last 500 miles. The mess from the leak is all over the front of the block, seems to be coming from behind the lower cambelt cover - no 'mess' above the area of the pulley.. pretty sure its the crank seal unless there is something else that might cause a leak down there i may have overlooked?
I'm wondering if i may have disturbed the seal or something when tensioning the cambelt etc... who knows!! The crank pulley has a slight wobble also, not sure if that was there before i did the water pump, but i never removed the pulley or crank sprocket - i just took the belt off the idler and the cam pulley to do it.... curious!!

GSF only seem to list the crank seals for the older coupes though
11742 OIL SEAL CRANK/OIL PUMP ACOUP 5 Cyl 10/80 >
11742 OIL SEAL CRANK/OIL PUMP ACOUPQ 12/84 >
11742 OIL SEAL CRANK/OIL PUMP ACOUP 6 Cyl 9/91 >

Can anyone help me out with a part number for the crank bolt?

Knight Rider - do you mean you might know someone with the suitable locking tool for hire / lend?

Cheers for help / advice guys. Much appreciated

[mcandmar]

I think its 054115147B, and looks to be the same for all 5cyl motors.

[Error404]

cheers mark

[Azman]

Just wait till you get under there. Check out the state of your gearbox, subframes the whole bleeding lot will be covered matey. get some gunk and give it a good clean down while the bumper is off or whenever you work on the car you will get a bit oily
Az

[Error404]

yeah i bought some gunk yesterday with that in mind, the whole lower block and anything else i can easisly get to will get a good clean, only trouble with that is theres always another niggle you uncover that needs sorting

[Error404]

just a thought - can i leave the car in gear when removing the crank pulley and gear, using the drivetrain and clutch to lock the crank in place?

[4WheelDrifter]

just a thought - can i leave the car in gear when removing the crank pulley and gear, using the drivetrain and clutch to lock the crank in place?

No. Just borrow a tool.

[Error404]

the story since last time

Right. got a tool off Audi - Thanks john881000 !!
Took the front end of the 20v and stripped the timing gear, PAS pump, Alternator off etc.

I wondered what was rattling


Also found out why my crank pulley was wobbling slightly



This has been a lucky escape me thinks
So there I am, two cars in bits, one on my drive the other on the pavement outside.

Had to strip the CQ project car (almost up and running too ) and salvage the crank sprocket and pulley to get my run-about working to get to work etc.
Discovered the reason the alternator casing broke.. the rear bolt was 'missing'.... or as i soon found out, the bolt had been sheared in the hole and never sorted out by the previous owner / garage.
So I then had to take the alternator bracket off the CQ project too.
Good part was borrowing my mums landcruiser and lording it up to GSF for some parts.
Replaced the leaky crank oil seal - what an **** of a job!!!
All new belts and tensioner also changed.

Managed to get all the mechanicals back on the 20v before it got dark, checked it over and tentatively started the engine - no big bangs or anything - phew!!!

Running *well* ....although i've only idled it...

there is a quite a loud squeak / chirp coming from somewhere in the belt-drive system, can't quite pin-point it, sounds like a chipmunk or a similar rodent thing - i wondered if this was perhaps the new belts or something?
All are correctly tensioned - cambelt i can just about turn it 90deg with my finger and thumb in the middle of the span.. two drive belts have about 10mm of flex in the middle of the span.

Crank pulley is running straight and true - thank god for that

Any ideas on my squeak?!!

Anyone got an alternator bracket and / or a good crank sprocket?