Hey guys,
Just wondering, of those that have fixed their leaky front seal and timing cover gasket, did you remove the cooling components at the front or was there enough room to perform the repair with those in place? It would be a lot easier if I didn't have to worry about those!

Thanks in advance!

 

Also, is it necessary to buy the special install tool for the crank seal, or is a flat block of wood sufficient?

 

As far as What you need to remove to do the repair are as follows: 1994-98 12V.
Remove Oil filler neck and place cap into lower oil fill to keep dirt out.
Remove Fan, serpentine belt, then pulley and bearing assembly.
Remove Harmonic balancer and tachometer pickup.
Remove Timing cover bolts and remove timing cover.
Check your dowel and inner case bolts and it might be a good idea to remove one at a time and apply red loctite and reinstall.
On Bench, tap out old front seal.
Install new front seal with install tool on bench (wood will not do) Be sure the little conical guide stays in the seal for install onto the crankshaft. Remove guide after install onto crankshaft.
This one's by the book "apply a light coating of gray rtv sealer to both sides of timing cover gasket" and install the cover, gasket and seal all together.
Tighten all cover bolts to 18 ft/lbs.
Install Balancer and tighten to 92 ft/lbs.
Install Tachometer pickup and adjust to .050" clearance. Tighten nuts.
Reinstall the rest!

 

I appreciate the info DieselB59, but I should have specified that it is for Dad's 04.5 truck. Hopefully I don't have to use your info to do mine, though (230k and still no leaks )!!!

 

buy the cummins seal cauz they give u a steel installer with it, buy a piece of 3" exhaust pipe and u insert the pipe into the steel ring and push with a 2x4 or hammer it in slowly, u dont have to remove the cover to install, just shoot the crank area with brake or carb cleaner first u cant have any oil on the surface.

 

Had a high mileage 05(530k plus) drop a trailer off to me.Owner said he had to put a repair sleeve on the front of the crank on his to repair a chronic leak.

 

Thanks for the info guys, especially for the heads up on the install tool. We'll make sure to get that one. It looks like the timing cover gasket is leaking as well, so we're going to replace that.

From what I am gathering it is possible to do it without removing the radiator, condensor, CAC, and trans cooler?

 

the seal can be replaced from front....to do the cover itsself, use permatex rigid gray, and everything on the cover must come off, u dont have to touch the rad or intercooler, unless u hate having to contort.

 

Awesome, thanks mini!

 

if u r taking cover off any way, do it while cover is off, to get the old seal out can be a pain...

 

For the later truck the repair is pretty much the same, except for using RTV to seal the cover instead of a gasket, having to be careful with the crank sensor and that there's no tach pickup attached at the top of the balancer. You'll only need a repair sleeve if the seal cut a gouge in the crank at the oil seal lip (the inner one).