Just like you can’t imagine a car without its engine, you can’t imagine an engine without the crankshaft. And similarly, you can’t have your crankshaft without its crankshaft seals.
As much as these seals protect the crankshaft from any external particles, they also protect your car from the oil inside the crankshaft. So, these seals are as crucial for the life and health of your car as the other parts.
While the front crankshaft seal is relatively inexpensive on its own, if it’s damaged and left ignored, it can end up costing you much more to deal with the consequences.
The wisest course of action is to check your front crankshaft seal regularly, and if it needs changing, you can use this handy article and easily replace the seal on your Land Rover by yourself.
What is a Front Crankshaft Seal and What Does it Do?
To understand how the front crankshaft seal works, we must first understand what it seals, i.e., the crankshaft. The crankshaft is one of the most critical components of the engine.
The crankshaft is responsible for converting all the linear energy from the pistons into rotational energy. This energy is then used all over the car and allows your vehicle to move forward.
To do its job, the crankshaft is doused with oil to provide the necessary lubrication for it to spin freely. This is where the crankshaft seals come in.
There are seals at both ends of the crankshaft:
- - The front crankshaft seal
- - The rear crankshaft seal
They are also alternatively known as the front main seal and the rear main seal.
As their name suggests, these seals act as barriers between the crankshaft and the rest of the engine and the car. They stop any external particles or debris from coming inside the crankshaft so that it can operate without obstacles. Moreover, the seals prevent the oil from the crankshaft from leaking out to the other parts of the engine.
More importantly, by stopping oil from leaking out, the crankshaft seals ensure that the crankshaft has enough oil for its lubrication. Furthermore, because of all the abuse, oil, and pressure that the front crankshaft seal has to withstand, it needs to be made of strong and durable material. Accordingly, most seals are made using a combination of metal and rubber.
The front crankshaft seal is on the front of the engine, against the harmonic balancer. The rear crankshaft seal is on the rear end of the engine, against the flywheel.
When Should You Replace the Front Crankshaft Seal on your Land Rover?
Despite the seal’s significance, there aren’t many clear-cut signs that indicate when it needs to be replaced. The signs that do appear are either subtle or take a long time to show. Basically, this means that it can be easy to ignore these signs and find out much later when the damage has already been done.
So, it becomes even more imperative that you keep a close eye on the performance of your car and include the front crankshaft seal in your regular car checks.
Moreover, if you’ve already gone a long time, around 100,000 miles, without checking or changing your seal, it would be a good idea to replace it anyway.
Additionally, if your car has been sitting in your garage for an extended period, then you will need to change the seal. Because over time, the seal can dry out and crack, thus losing its functionality. Besides that, here are some signs that could potentially point towards a problem with the front crankshaft seal.
- - Oil Leaks
Due to the pressure and constant wear and tear, the seal can lose its sealing ability. This causes the oil to leak out. In small amounts, it can collect on the underside of your car. In larger amounts, it can cause a visible drip under your vehicle.
- - Engine Overheating
The leaking oil can affect the cooling hoses, which can lead to coolant leaks, which then causes the engine to overheat.
- - Oil Levels Going Down in the Oil Pan
As the oil leaks out, the oil level in theoil pan will start to go down. This can cause a whole range of other problems.
How to Replace the Front Crankshaft Seal in a Land Rover
Replacing this particular seal might seem like a daunting task, but it really isn’t. In fact, replacing the front crankshaft seal is much easier than replacing the rear one. There are just more steps involved. Luckily for you, we’ve broken it down so that you can easily go over all the steps and have your seal replaced in no time. Here are the tools and parts you’ll need:
- - Car Jack
- - Wrench
- - Large Socket
- - Three Prong Puller
- - Screwdriver
- - New Front Crankshaft Seal
If you’re short of any tool or can’t find the rightpart, you can get themhere. Although you should take note of thesethings before you buy and Land Rover parts. After that, you’ll need to follow these steps.
- - Raise the vehicle using the car jack
- - Disconnect the battery (for safety reasons)
- - Remove the serpentine belt to access the harmonic balancer
- - Unscrew the harmonic balancer bolt
- - Loosen and detach the harmonic balancer (the front crankshaft seal will now be accessible)
- - Remove the old front crankshaft seal
- - Insert the new front crankshaft seal (making sure it is aligned and properly in place)
- - Attach the harmonic balancer and install the bolt
- - Attach the serpentine belt
- - Run Engine to make sure everything works
Final Words
When it comes to carmaintenance, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Same is the case with the front crankshaft seal in your Land Rover. Rather than wait for something to go wrong, it is better to change it when the seal is nearing the end of its life.
Moreover, with our step-by-step guide on how to replace this seal, it shouldn’t be any problem at all. What’s more, doing this yourself can save you anywhere from $250 to $500.
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