timing cover seal

[Bored400]

hey guys! in my seemingly never ending build of my 4.0 I've encountered yet another little headscratcher. I installed the timing cover seal when I had the engine out of the truck...and I assumed that I had right, until I had to rotate the crank yesterday to find the TDC. It started out that it would squeal a little bit as I turned it...but I could never really get the balancer to tighten up...I would rotate the assembly from the fly wheel and hear the seal sqeaking on the balancer, but when I tried to rotate the motor from the front I could never get the bolt to bottom out and actually turn the crank. So I pull the balancer and my timing cover seal comes out in pieces. I guess I had it in there wrong? My book calls for a tool to put it in with, but all the guys I ask have never heard of it. Anyway...any thoughts?

BTW, sorry for the novel

 

[Jeff in VA]

did you install it dry? If so, smear some engine oil around the next one, as well as on the crank nose.

It's also possible that you installed a 2.5 seal, not a 4.0 one. I made that mistake once, sort of, by installing a 4.0 HB on my 2.5. It didn't feel right, so I pulled the HB back off, and it pulled the new 2.5 seal back out of the cover when it came off. Make sure you have the correct seal for the HB you are using.

Jeff