Whats the key to getting the wp shaft seal on without damaging the seal?

I put the first one on with the timing cover already installed and the inner black seal got torn up from the sharp lip on the shaft .

 

Put the seal in the cover. Then put the shaft into the seal and make sure it's right. Then install the cover.
Do all this very carefully and no damage will happen.

 

Chop a "Mark-aLot" magic marker tube in 1/2 and use that as your seal guide/bushing to slide the seal over the water pump shaft and hopefully it wont rip.
Even a new seal might rip from being "old new stock" . That seal is so easy to rip and it wont stretch when it gets old.

Karl

 

Use the cone shaped cap from a bottle of gear lube. Place the cap on the shaft then slide the seal over it into place. Works like a charm.

 

Thanks for the ideas. Everything I had that was cone shaped was too thick, if it fit over the shaft then it would not fit thru the seal, but I used a small funnel end and oiled up the seal and pushed it down the funnel cone as far as it would go, let it sit for a few minutes and pulled the seal off the funnel end and it kept the seal spread apart enough it slipped right on to the shaft.

 

Thanks for that idea. Filed in memory for future.

Karl

 

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=482965

 

Make sure the seal is facing into the engine or you will get oil leakage. It is a bitch but these guys have given you some good suggestions. I just stretched mine a bit and it worked.