"Jamie Calder" <JCalder3@cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> My '96 has been leaking oil. It seems to be coming from the front crank
> seal because it's being slung around by the fan creating a splatter pattern
> on the overflow bottle, battery and underneath the hood above the radiator.
> Many more places but this is where it's most prominent.
I'm certainly no expert in this area and haven't had the crank seal
go on either of my Magnum engines, but in order for oil from the crank
seal to reach the fan, it'd have to get by the harmonic balancer, then
the crank pulley, and then up to the fan somehow. It seems more
likely to me that a leaky crank seal would just drip down the front of
the oil pan. Before ripping into it, I'd definitely check things out
closer to find the exact cause of the leak. I suppose its possible
that it is the crank seal, but if its being flung around by the fan, I
would suspect something higher on the engine, like a valve cover
(though that tends to drain off the back of the engine) or the timing
cover possibly, although that would have a circuitous route to get to
the fan as well. Are you certain that its oil? It might be power
steering fluid, oily antifreeze, or even the fluid from the viscous
clutch on the fan itself. If you aren't absolutely certain it is oil,
it might be worthwhile to dump some UV dye into the crankcase. Even
if it is oil, using some dye and carefully examining the engine every
day may help you to determine exactly where it is coming from.
I only mention the above since it would really suck to tear into
the motor and replace the crank seal, only to find out that it was
something else and then have to go into it again. :-(
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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