My last w/p seal went in completely dry and has not been the source of any leak.

 

It actually specifies what part is to be dry.
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TRANSLATION: The outer part of the seal itself(already has coating not to be used with oil), and the timing cover surface.

Your keyword is any part. There is the seal, and then there is a lip, which is a part of the seal that is refered to specifically.

That includes all of them, it didn't make an exception for the distrib!

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Hmmmm this one is vague again, but you know that the outer seal is dry, I mean why would the outer seal need break in lube. I mean come on right.

So the tool has a use, when people misunderstand the instructions, they at least have a tool that allows you to install dry. Cool enough, but I hope it is not shoebox's final position. If so, please reconsider this.

 

Let me summarize.

To install any timing cover seal with a dry lip, is failing to install it with break-in lubricant protection.

 

I don't know why it makes a difference if I agree or don't agree. I merely stated how mine was installed and that it has worked fine for tens of thousands of miles. It appears that lubed or not, it will work. The inside seal is obviously going to be exposed to oil, so I don't see using a little oil on it to be of any problem. On the flip side, I don't feel like the teflon part really needs lube. The critical part for me is having the surface clean, smooth and in good shape and not ripping the seal on install.

 

The difference is that with a higher reputation by default people will believe you and install it dry against the instructions. The break in occurs before oil gets to it. Trust me I handled it with my own fingers as the oil made it supple and flexible. When it was dry it was very easy to deform and almost brittle by the slightest finger nail touch. Seriously. Maybe you installed yours fine with clean environment etc, but the general advice is clear cut. Many people will fail with it dry. In fact we already had one here post about it with how many thread views? It will happen again. Much less likely if the lips are wet.

 

I am confident that as long as people install it without ripping it, they will be ok. It has not been an issue in the past and I don't think it will be in the future as far as lube goes. The guy that posted he did it wrong before, what did he mean? It is not clear.

I really think the point this thread has gone down to is moot. With all the instruction ambiguity (not so "clear cut", IMHO), I feel either way is correct enough for success and that is what people are after. I mean, I installed mine dry. The link I gave says to use a light film of oil. So I'm giving both sides. I should be covered.

 

Hehe.

Ditto on what Shoebox said.

I installed mine with a light coating of oil on both seal surfaces and no issues(cleaned and lightly oiled all install surfaces, even the install tool(marker)). That was two or three years ago....heck may have even been 5 years ago....time flies.

Just make sure that all the surfaces that the seal contacts is clean, don't tear the seal, and all will be good. Do not oil the outer part of the seal. The "orange paint"(outer edge on my seal was orange) is a sealant.

 

If his had oil on it, it is highly unlikely to have ripped.

The federalmogal site illustrated that the red sealant is a silicone rubber material that is to be installed dry. Inner lips/shafts wet per instructions.

 

Oil or no oil is not going to keep it from ripping. It is the tool procedure that keeps it safe. How do I know? I did it. If I can, so can someone else. Oil gets splashed on the back of the seal right after the engine is started. So IMHO, the oil thing is a non-issue.

 

I did it without the tool and using the shaft as he tried to do. The only difference is I used oil and was able to slide it on the shaft without ripping. Why, because I followed the instructions.

Hey mine doesn't leak, should I just conclude too? Probably not, but I can only conclude something when comparing with this guy's testimony. You are very wrong here and clearly don't want to admit it. You caused this guy a bad day.

 

LOL. I figured it would end up this way. Mine does not leak, either. So what? Get over yourself. I said "tool procedure". That is to say, you take precautions to keep the seal from catching on the lip of the w/p drive. I didn't use a tool, either. I used a properly sized socket out of my toolbox.

I didn't cause anyone a bad day, but you. If a person cannot take care to keep the seal from ripping, then it's on them.

This whole thing with the water pump seal install was solved long ago. It's nothing new. It did not need to be re-solved (just like the opti vent thing).

 

The success of the installation has more to do with the patience, care, and skill of the installer, not whether it's installed wet or dry, with a special tool or a socket.

 

To clarify the seal orientation for future users: the inner seal is supposed to be oriented inwards, and the outer seal outwards to the pump. Both seals are not supposed to be outwards.

 

That part was clear. We should be careful when using the word inner and outer because many users didn't understand that the outer part of the seal to timing cover is what is supposed to be dry. The lips are what you are talking about(front to back), and we all agreed on those parts. Both outwards(relative to the seal), the black lip facing the engine block and the yellow facing towards the water pump. If you disagree with this it would be wrong.

 

Apologies for bringing up this thread but I'm a bit confused. In reading this post here it indicates that both contact lips/surfaces of the water pump drive gear seal are to be facing outwards towards the water pump.

This thread here has some back and forth but seems the favored position is that the inner lip faces inward and the outer lip faces outward.

I'm specifically referring to the inner contact surfaces of the seal, the seal that contacts the drive shaft, not where the seal housing contacts the timing cover.

I'm right at the point of installing this seal(have the tool) and I'm stuck as I see conflicting comments about the proper orientation.

Thanks!