3.0 Litre front seal??

[shelbydave]

How hard is it to change the front seal in the 3.0L engine? My daughter is driving a '91 Spirit, and either the front seal is leaking, or the Oil Pan. Before I commit my cars to spending an extended stay outside my garage, I'd like to hear the worst case...

[inplansight]

It is a job as you will need to pull the timing belt to get at the seal and the crank gear is known to get stuck on the end of the crankshaft and may need to be "split" to remove the gear. If you are going to keep the car just replace the cam seal and water pump while you are in there no need to go back in next week.

As for time it is a full days work if everything comes off with easy , If not this may take some time and you may need to order the crank gear.

Paul B

[dodgeshadowchik]

It's probably leaking from everywhere. 3.0L's love to leak oil. From what I remember it wasn't to terribly difficult; just time consuming. I'd recommend doing the valve covers (incuding the "hockey pucks" - those little guys love to seep.. use anarobic sealer on those. That actually worked on my old 3.0 to get them to stop leaking!) and the cam seal as mentioned.

[shelbydave]

The top end is clean as a whistle. It could be as simple as the oil pan, but I was looking for an idea on the timeframe / complexity if it was a seal. I surely don't want to, or have the facilities to pull an engine right now if that is required... If so, then my solution will be to buy a drip pan to put under it.

[turbovanman²]

99% the front oil seal, while not technically complicated, its a PITA to do, lots of overlap on brackets etc, especially if you have a/c. But access is fairly easy, after you remove the mount, you can let engine hang. If the seal is leaking, you'll most likely need the timing belt and you should replace the waterpump at the same time. The front cam seal is easy, the rear, not so much, lol.

As said, figure on a whole day to do it, luckily, no special tools are needed but you need a 12mm socket as well as the normal TM size's,

[Ondonti]

I would make sure your breather and pcv valve are all happy as well. Pressure building up in the crankcase will exacerbate oil leaks.

If you have a 90 degree 4-5" grinder, cut the a/c bracket near where the stupid a/c tensioner pulley is. You do NOT need those extra bolts on the side holding up the compressor. Cut off whatever is needed to remove the engine side covers without removing the rest of the a/c bracket. Then use the leftover piece of aluminum as a spacer for the tensioner pulley bolts

That is my suggested fix to save you time, and if you have to go back in there, it will be a much easier job. I should get a picture in the next few months of what I did so it makes more sense. There are a good 8 bolts holding the bracket to the motor with large diameter bolts, but only 4 skinny small diameter bolts holding the compressor to the bracket. Stupid engineering.

[RoadWarrior222]

I would make sure your breather and pcv valve are all happy as well. Pressure building up in the crankcase will exacerbate oil leaks.

+99,999 Also check the front valve cover PCV baffles are clear. Backflush with brake cleaner before an oil change. Another problem point is the PCV hose into the TB elbow, or piping just before it, sucking or swelling flat, this may not happen until after the motor has been running 20 minutes or so and it softens up, all of a sudden it sucks flat in vacuum and there's oil seeping and burning. PCV system almost NEVER gets enough attention on 3.0s, in fact you can go out and pick up a "smokes like hell" 3.0 "must be the valve guides", for couch change and 9 times out of 10 spend an hour or two on it, and have it pass emissions the next day.

My recommendation also is Pennzoil or Castrol High Mileage blend oil, 10W30 grade, it seems expensive, until you run it, then you realise, hey, it's not leaking or smoking any now, and wow, I haven't had to top it up, first change though will go black quick and will take 2 weeks to slow leaks, so you might have to top that one up and change it out after a couple of thousand. I can't emphasise enough how much 3.0s love this stuff. If you've been bandaiding it with Lucas goop, or 20W50, your gas mileage will improve 10-15% also. Don't put anything else in with the H-M oil, even if your grandaddy swore by it and it's made by his old marine buddy who he owes his life to.

For the main seal, never had to do mine but been into the timing gear, nobody seems to have mentioned you'll need a harmonic balancer puller if you haven't got one. They are hex pattern so any two or 3 leg parts store puller kit will work.

[Ondonti]

I have never used a puller on the damper but it would probably help on one that has not been removed in a long time. I polish the inside to remove corrosion when I put it back on so it comes off easier the next time.