I have a thread on doing the rear main seal, but I wanted to know if anyone has ever made a homemade version of this tool to install a rear main seal with sleeve on a 5.9 crank. Cummins wants 235.00 and found another place for 182.00. Some friends of mine work at a Dodge Dealership and they don't even have this special tool. I asked them what do you guys do if you need to sleeve a crank. Response was, "we just price out a new crank." I was like W T Beep!

Anyway, chime in because if someone knows how to make one, I would be curious to know how. If I buy one, I am going to see about renting it out to the guys on these forums for around 25.00 so they can save their money and do the job right. Thanks!

 

Unless you have all the dimensions of the inner ring back spacing, etc. I wouldn't even try it. Also, unless you have the lathe, etc & can do it yourself the machine work would cost way more than just buying one from Cummins.

 

Buy one
Have a good friend that is a machinist / tool and die maker copy it
Give said good friend some beer to make you one
Return the unused tool for full refund

At least that is what I have done in the past

 

Sounds like something that a rockcrawler would do, I know I am a fellow rockcrawler!!!!!

 

Hey Big! I figured you would reply. lol You're right...by the time I do all that, I could have it installed 10 times over.

Well rocky...the places I am looking to buy the tool and the Cummins distributor has a no refund policy on tools now. I can understand why.
People abuse the return policy. No offence! lol I own a business so I can understand the cost of a return. If the economy ever got worst than it is now, you could possibly see a no return/refund on a lot of stuff.

 

You could probably tow it to a shop that has the tool and let them do it for less than the cost of the tool.

 

Believe it or not, most the shops I checked didn't have that special tool to install the seal with the sleeve. There are two different type seals for the engine. The black rubber one comes with an install tool, the sleeve type doesn't. Only place I found who can is Cummins and they're labor rate is 97.00 and hour. The location where truck is would cost me about 180.00 for the tow. Total cost for tool is 182.00. I have decided I am just going to buy the tool. I will be adding additional Dodge trucks to my hotshot business later on anyway. Thanks for chiming in though.