<VV> Re: rear seal removal

[Frank DuVal]

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>
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>Hi Everyone,
>Can the crank pulley rear housing seal be replaced with the engine still the
>car?  Some one told me a vender has a special tool to remove the harmonic
>balancer with the engine in the car.  Would there be enough clearance to
>remove the seal when the balancer is off?
>
>Thanks in advance for advice
>
>Sam & Marissa Andolino
>mandolin at rochester.rr.com
>1965 Evening Orchid Monza Convertible
>1963 Red Monza Convertible
>1966 Marina Blue Corsa Turbo Coupe
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>
>  
>
Having grown tired of  taking the time to remove the lower grille, 
losening the motor mount nuts, separating the perimeter seal  and 
removing the rear mount to access the rear pulley and seal, I built a 
removal tool back in the early 80's out of a nut and large washer to 
look like a large steering wheel puller, and then built a special solid 
washer to fit the crankshaft area. It worked great, maybe 10 minutes to 
R&R balancer! Many people borrowed it to save time, especially when 
replacing the harmonic balancer was a side of the road problem.

A relative newcommer to Corvairs, Russell Davis joined our club and had 
not heard about my puller. He also decided there was a quicker way to 
R&R the balancer, and being a machinest by trade he designed and built 
his own puller. This is the one now being offered by our Corvair 
vendors. I highly recomend buying the tool. It is a puller and special 
washer that makes the changing of a balancer or seal a quick job. No 
more fighting the small screws holding the grille in place. There is 
pleanty of room to remove the seal once the pulley or balancer is out of 
the way.

Do not use the method of putting two longer bolts into the two holes in 
the balancer. It is easy to damage the seal. I have replaced rear 
housings  that were cracked by previous users of the two bolt method!

Note: the oil filter does need to be removed even with the tool.

Frank DuVal