I need to change the front main seal on my 2000 Mustang 3.8L. The official Ford manual shows a special 2 peice tool that has a part that protects the shaft and a jagged part that grabs and pulls the seal out. I can't find a tool like it in stores, the HF one is huge and looks like it can cause damage.
I can make my own tool like this. but I am not sure about drilling the seal and damaging what is behind it, or getting filings in the engine. Any thoughts or help will be appreciated.
If Ford uses a normal seal then all you need to do is drill a small hole in it. Then screw a pointed end screw into the hole and hope that it bites in and threads into the hole making the hole bigger as it does so. Once the screw is in place you just need a tool to grip the screw head, sort of like a claw hammer which I don't think would fit and lever the seal out.
I did my 2.5L V6 Contour seal this way. Just coat the drill bit with some thick grease and most of the metal chips will stick to the bit. What trash, which should be almost nothing, that falls into the oil pan should be caught by the oil filter if it gets past the oil pick up screen.
I changed about a dozen of them with a flat head screwdriver. Just be careful not to scrape the base metal.
Its easier if you pull the probably already leaking or about to start leaking cover.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Its easier if you pull the probably already leaking or about to start leaking cover.
That means pulling the oil pan which means 1/2 pulling the engine. I am hoping to save that job until it is no longer my daily driver.
curtis73 wrote: I changed about a dozen of them with a flat head screwdriver. Just be careful not to scrape the base metal.
That.
I didn't realize that the seal rides on the harmonic balancer and not the crankshaft. This made it easy to get a large screw driver behind it to pry it out. The ballencer was badly scored so I had to buy a sleeve to fix it. At least I know why it was leaking.
Thanks for all your help.
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