CRANKSHAFT SEAL

1 As ever, project sponsor DMG was able to provide the new seal from stock. The Ford-derived V6 engine was used across a wide range of X-Type, S-Type and also the newer XE and XJ models so it’s a common part. 2 Fortunately, the leaky seal on our engine was the ‘front’ end of the crankshaft – in other words, the one which doesn’t require gearbox removal. On the transverse- engined X-Type that puts it on the right-hand side of the car where it’s accessed by removing the plastic arch liner. 3 The engine is a tight fit but there’s just enough room to work inside the inner arch. The offending seal lives behind the crankshaft pulley , so the tensioner (at top) will need to be released in order to get the belt off. 4 The tensioner is released by simply turning it with a spanner on the central bolt. It’s hard work but will move enough to allow the belt to be slipped off. 5 With the belt removed, the next step is to remove the centre bolt of the crankshaft pulley. If you’re lucky it will pull off by hand but after 17 years and 123,000 miles ours really didn’t want to move. 6 This means using a puller and since we were doing the job in a proper workshop, they had the right tool to slide the pulley off straight without distorting it. Replace the bolt loosely before using the puller or you’ll damage the thread in the nose of the crankshaft.

7 Unlike the usual basic DIY pullers, this pro version features grooves on the legs which match the grooves on the pulley itself. 8 With only moderate force, the pulley slid off its shaft and you can see here how it uses a key to locate on the crankshaft. 9 Removing the old seal is a simple matter of hooking it out with a screwdriver and it was immediately obvious why ours wasn’t sealing properly as the material on the rear face had hardened noticeably. 10 The new seal is simply located in the recess by hand and then a suitable boss is used to push it home. 11 It will need some force to push it in but the key is to be gentle and make sure it goes in straight. As workshop boss Ashley pointed out, the temptation is to use bigger hammer but that’s how you mess it up. Just take your time with it until it’s fully seated. 12 Here’s the new seal almost in place. Remember it will sit almost but not perfectly flush with the casting.

13 Since the oil leak from the old crank seal had soaked the drive belt, DMG had supplied a new Dayco belt. With the limited space to work, it’s actually harder to replace the belt than the crankshaft seal and the first step was to remove the tensioner entirely to remove the old belt and thread the new one into place. 14 On the X-Type, the belt is pretty long: it drives the power steering, air conditioning and alternator as well as an idler roller and the tensioner. 15 With the help of a diagram we were able to get the belt round the various pulleys in the right order and then the tensioner and crank pulley could be refitted. 16 This closeup of the tensioner shows just how much muck the leaky seal had allowed to get sprayed around by the pulley. 17 Running the engine afterwards, the seal stayed dry and the belt didn’t throw itself off so we were done... except that dipping the engine oil revealed it to be well past its best, so we treated the engine to 5.8 litres of fresh 5W30 oil and a new filter while the car was on the lift.