Parts of your beloved car are spinning in oil. They rotate in relation to the housing, engine block or side cover. To prevent engine oil or transmission oil from splashing out at this critical point, radial shaft seals – commonly known as oil seals – are usually installed there.
However, these little helpers made of super special plastic material age or crumble at some point because the sealing surface or the small spring break. If the oil seal is damaged, the engine or gearbox will soon lose so much oil that you can walk behind the car with an oil can.
The sealing ring can be removed with a bit of practice and a bit of pocketing. But how to fit the new part? Especially when the Lurch is not only sunk deep into a borehole and the shaft to be sealed is also involved? It’s worth taking a look at the canning shelf, or more precisely: at pesto, olives or mustard in a jar. Their jars are forged with 101 lid diameters, much to the chagrin of the home cook, and therefore offer exactly the variety and shape needed to hammer in the sealing ring.
Used with the necessary care, even deep-seated oil seals can be fitted to crankshafts in this way, where otherwise only the appropriate special sleeve would help. Bon appetit!
