Front seal help ( oil leak , crank seal )

[Octotat@aol.com]

I recently replaced the front main seal.....twice!
I had thought the seal was leaking, so I replaced it. No luck, still leaking
as bad as ever. thinking I had botched the install or the very, very tiny
groove in the main pulley was causing it, I did it again, this time using a
new ur main pulley. Still leaking!!!

after replacing the seal the second time, and still having a leak, and
refusing to believe i screwed up another seal, and taking a "time out" to
collect myself.
i sprayed carb cleaner liberally over the front cover until it was very
clean. started the motor (with front wheel removed and no belts) and sure
enough there was still oil leaking. but, with the ur pulley (because of the
holes around the pulley bolt) i could see the leak was not coming from the
seal. cleaned the cover again, started the motor, this time looking up from
under the motor,

Turns out, a water pump bolt was the source. A little rtv and the leak was
gone.

If I hadn't installed ur pulleys, or had the belts off when looking for the
leak, it would have been extremely difficult to pinpoint the source.

i would suggest thoroughly cleaning the cover and inspecting the motor while
running to be certain it is the seal leaking. you may need inspection mirror
and small light.
i followed the procedure outlined in the fsm for pulley r&r.

hope this helps
-chuck