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Some will say it can be done but with motor still in the car and the chance that you will have to redo the job I would just get the alignment tool. It was not worth the risk of a leak. Don't forget rtv in the corners and proper torque sequence.
I did my front and rear mains on a 02 5.3L with no alignment tool around 2018. I put around 50,000 miles on it since and measure negative crankcase pressure at all times with turbo 600rwhp dynojet.
You have to know how the engine was used after the job and what conditions it faced, high crankcase pressure? Racing environment? Very low to high temperature transitions? These things will influence seal lifespan and sealing ability. You can change a seal on an engine and then barely use the engine - not a good sample data for your question. You should always ask how many miles on the seal and compare the environment to your engine's future use.
In my case, the front main is now dripping slightly, the balancer slinging a bit of oil around. I Believe it is because I did not use the alignment tool on the front main side.
My rear main is absolutely dry. I recently swapped torque converter and its gorgeously dry.
I own quality alignment tools but like you I was curious if I could get away without using them on my test engine. It appears that the front main is difficult to seal without an alignment tool but the rear main seems to be holding up fine. I would never do this type of job without an alignment tool again, do it once IMO do it right. The seal tools I consider part of owning the LS engine.
I didn't use the tool on the rear main cover / seal.
Here's my logic: the new rear cover has the seal installed already; there's a risk associated with re-installing the new seal after removing it from the cover.
I just made sure to be extra diligent that the rear main cover was being positioned based on the seal "feeling happy". It's been 2.75 years and ~9.5k miles so far without leaks.
Can it be done without one? Yes
I used a tool as I didn't want to chance going back in a second time.
A well respected shop installed a front seal on my old car 20 years ago and it leaked. They replaced it free of charge. If a professional cam mess it up, an amateur like me can surely goof up the install. The install tools make it very simple.
I purchased a new rear seal aftermarket plate with the seal installed. The new one has reforced some areas to make it stronger the the gm plate. 2001 base with new clutch etc.
lots of good info on google and youtube.
good luck,
mike v
Its not the position of the seal in the covers you are aligning. It is the position of the seal with respect to the crankshaft or whatever rotating metal glides inside the seal. The seal will always be centered in the cover but without the alignment tool it can still easily become off-center of the crankshaft.
I put my seal into my front cover perfectly using a press and dowels for perfection but without the front cover alignment tool the cover is slightly higher than the crank so it ate the seal on the bottom and has too much space on top so it leaks.
If you don't use an alignment tool, the cover seals will be off center and will wear unevenly and shorten the lifespan considerably. On my car, this also damaged the balancer. You will have no leaks for a few years, and then you have to redo the job.
If you don't use an alignment tool, the cover seals will be off center and will wear unevenly and shorten the lifespan considerably. On my car, this also damaged the balancer. You will have no leaks for a few years, and then you have to redo the job.
I have the tools so I use them, but a guy has to wonder if it was centered in the first place what would make it move? Heat cycles?
If you don't pull the cover in theory you should be fine. It has also been my experience that the seal can be stubborn to remove. Stubborn enough that you move the cover? Dunno Further, I'd replace the rear cover gasket at the same time, and thus the tool is needed.
The same applies to both seals, front and rear. Both are in a cover that needs to be centered on the crankshaft.
I'm not saying you're wrong, it's an easy thing to mess up. The rear main seal has a MUCH larger I.D. which makes it more realistic to use the seal to center the rear main cover vs. the front crank seal.
but a guy has to wonder if it was centered in the first place what would make it move?
The friend I borrowed the Dorman tool from (a toy when compared to the SacCity or similar tools) said several of the bolts in his rear cover were loose when he removed it.
I also just replaced the oil pan gasket on my 5.3 envoy, and found numerous bolts that weren't even touching the pan flange. Hence it seems like heat cycling and the compression of the sealing material can allow these bolts to back out. Not to imply that's the only way the covers / pans can move / leak, but I put blue loctite on all aforementioned bolts when I replaced them last for added insurance.
Another observation - my rear main was definitely leaking after installation with the Dorman tool (basically not any better than using the plastic support the seals ship with). Getting the seal visually centered while lying on my back in cramped quarters (not to mention while slightly p!ss3d off) was probably a lot easier said than done. The fact that I'm on my 2nd set of progressives in the past 4 years may have also contributed.
Whatever the case, when I got the flywheel out this last go-round I pulled the seal out first and then attempted to fit the SacCity tool into the opening before messing with the cover. It would go, but required extreme force and wouldn't turn once installed. So I was obviously not as well centered using the "visual" method as I would have liked.
03-20-2024, 04:41 PM
