So here's the update on the oil pump replacement. I went new with the entire cover, water pump, all gaskets and o rings involved and timing chain. Got the cover off of Rock Auto. Looked to be well made. Buttoned it up today and fired it up. Started right away and oil pressure jumped immediately to 52 psi. Not even a 2-3 second delay. Runs great. Letting it warm up after a few minutes I look under neath to see oil dripping badly. Turned it off, crawled underneath and it's coming from the front crank seal. Now for the history, this truck did not leak a drop prior to this project. Not even a little. Has a slight transfer case weep but that's it, nothing from the engine. So this front seal leak is not a small leak, its bad, like dont drive it bad. Took it back apart down to the crank (getting pretty fast at this) and can't see anything obvious. So these are my thoughts on this. let me know what the experts think.

A. Bad seal right out of the box
B. Seal is good but is not sealing to the harmonic balancer due to previous wear on the balancer.
C. Seal is not seated all the way. The new one appears to be flush with the cover edge where to old one looks further in by about 3-4mm. I will take pictures.
D. I have excessive crankcase pressure. What part of this project could cause this? I also notice a slight weep at the oil filter and filter housing (new o-ring and filter) raising my suspicion of pressure as a possibility. Could the petroleum jelly cause this until it breaks down? This truck has the PVC mod and had no issues prior to this project.

Solutions -
E. Replace with a new seal
F. Replace with the old seal that had zero leaks. Assuming you can get one out and not damage it.
G. Add RTV and see what happens. Someone has done this successfully but this is not a small leak. Likely not a solution.
H. Put back together and run it. Remove the oil cap and see if this stops it by relieving pressure. For some reason I think it might be pressure related. It went from zero to big leak. Also the area around the front seal would be under crankcase pressure not direct oil pressure correct?

Oh, also have a small weep form a water pump bolt. Not the bigger issue.

Thanks in advance!

Added images here. I did a crude measurement and it looks like the new seal rides outboard about 4mm form the old seal. What's the best option here? Tap it in the depth of the old one if it can be done? First picture shows the depth difference from the oil pump out to the gasket. Two pencil marks on a spray nozzle, very accurate I know.

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That balancer has some pretty good grooves in it. Looks like there are two deep ones. Try cleaning it up with crocus clothe, 400 grit. Then try to determine the best area in between those two deep grooves and set the seal depth to that, if possible...or get a new/better balancer. Not sure if anyone makes a speedy sleeve for this application.

 

Thanks Deputy. I found some information on the speedi sleeve. I ordered one at $40 for a start. Thinking also the old seal was back-set to miss the grooves which is why it wasn't leaking. Could be the previous owner had a leak and the fix was as you mentioned. At 175k I doubt it was the original seal. Speedi Sleeve part number apparently is 99192

 

How does the speedi sleeve work? I've replaced my crank seal and it still leaks. I think the balancer was a little rough. Does the sleeve press on the balancer?

 

Yes. The sleeve fits over damaged area and they supply a seal that fits larger diameter.

 

I can't speak from experience as mine shows up tomorrow. From what I read you do not need to change the seal size - https://www.skf.com/us/products/indu...-speedi-sleeve.

I had a chance to inspect my seal situation and I think the new seal is crap. I applied a thin film of grease on the HB shaft and mounted it on the crank to depth then removed it to see if the grease was wiped away. On about 25% of the shaft it looks like the seal didn't touch the grease at all. So guessing the seal is out of round. Also there is very little resistance with the new seal compared to the old one. The grease test with the old seal wipes all the way around. Hopefully this does not mean the new front cover is machined off center from the crank. That would suck. I'm going with a bad seal, sounds simpler.

 

So the speedi sleeve arrived. I wish they made it wider in the size that fits the diameter of the HB shaft. The width of the sleeve is 9.525mm. Measurement from the front seal dust edge to the oil control edge is about 7.4mm. So not much room for error. Thinking it can be seated all the way down and leave the flange on. Should allow about 2mm behind the oil control edge. Anyone done this and have advice?