Great Optispark advice and question.

[Sean 94z28]

Joe 1320 wrote a while back about replacing all the seals at the timing cover while the Optispark is being replaced.

Please take this advice seriously!

My latest Opti failure (only got 36-37k on this one) was directly due to a leak at the opti drive shaft seal. Oil penetrated the cap and rotor side and blackened the end of the rotor. Additionally, and the primary reason for the car not running, was where oil contaminated the entire length of the rotor and left carbon tracks where it was arcing to the oil streak on the cap.

Now the question: Any advice how to change all these seals w/o the benefit of the half a dozen seal pullers and installers listed in the service manual? Do any absolutely NEED the special tool?

Thanks Joe!

Heres the numbers again from Joe's post

10317886 water pump drive seal $3.98
12552428 opti drive seal $3.88
12553792 o ring for water pump shaft (need 2) .70
12554314 front crank seal $14.50

Sean

[Joe 1320]

I did mine without seal pullers, however....... a standard seal puller for around 10-12 bux at an automotive parts store will work perfect. The real trick is going to be the installation of the water pump seal. It is easy to drive into the cover but the problem is the install of the drive shaft. The drive nipple of the water pump drive shaft protrudes slightly and can tear the new seal. What you need to do is take a two liter drink bottle and cut a 1"x2" portion of plastic out of the bottle. Make a tube out of the plastic and it is inserted into the rubber seal portion of the water pump seal, slipped over the drive nipple, the seal is driven into the cover and the plastic is pulled out leaving a perfect seal to shaft mating with no tears in the seal. If you don't do this, expect it to tear the seal and it WILL leak.