Blown Crank Seal

sccowboy

I was out riding today and heard the engine start making a light chuffing noise. I stopped, opened the seat and there was oil being blown from around the crank behind the clutch. I checked the oil , and hadn't lost much but it definitely seemed like it was losing crankcase pressure through that seal. I immediately put her on the trailer and got it to the house. Any ideas as to what would cause it and recommended repairs that are in order? Am I looking at complete overhaul or what? I am going to pull the engine this afternoon and see what I am up against. EH35C 1997 TXT.

BGW

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pizzamaker

leaking crank seals on the 4 cycles are not that common, i would check to make sure your PVC hose etc are not blocked.

sccowboy

When it cools down a bit, I am going to at least get the S/G out of the way so I can pull the PCV and check that. There is a considerable amount of oil being blown out though and that is a little concerning. It has seemed a little sluggish on initial startup and in the beginning of the power band but otherwise seems to run well. I checked the governor an throttle adjustment this AM and rechecked the valves as well and all was well. scottyb is sending me a new carb which I am most certain I am in need of but that seal makes me cringe!!

pizzamaker

changing the seal is not bad, if to can pull your clutch with it in the cart the seal is not hard to replace with leaving the engine in.
have you checked the compression? that will tell your alot.

sccowboy

LOL.....no I have not checked the compression yet but I know I need to. I have to take a ride to grab the tester and may not be able to get it today but definitely tomorrow. How common is it to blow a seal like that? I am curious if there is an underlying problem that could have caused that. I am leaning toward the PCV valve since I recently have been finding oil in the airbox despite an oil change and 1.5 qt. back in. I read in some other threads that a bad PCV will cause that. I noticed that there is not much mention of the PCV in the service manual. Guess they are relatively low key.

pizzamaker

seal failure is not common, it sounds like to much crankcase pressure from a blockage in the PVC or blow bye [bad rings/low compression]

sccowboy

Yep sounds like it. I will have to get that tester and see what I have. If the pressures is low, I most likely am going to go ahead with a piston/ ring replacement. Don't really want to but oh well. Strangely yesterday, a few times it really ran strong all the way thru the powerband. Makes me wonder about that PCV. if the rings were gone I would think that it would pretty much run bad all the time. Dunno.

sccowboy

Update: I got the compression tester and here is what I found: Passenger side cylinder is putting out approx 190-195 psi. Driver side is putting out 200-220 psi. That seems like it is a bit high. I actuall expected to see low pressures. So where to go now? I pulled the PCV and it was dirty but did not seem to be stuck. I cleaned it off on both sides and the little bar on the back was at approx 15-22 degree angle off the reed. Is that correct? the hose was a bit cracked so I will replace it asap. I can see the crank seal hanging out away from the block and it looks to be intact just popped out. Any ideas?

pizzamaker

it sounds like you have good compression! i'm guessing your gauge is off a bit, 220LBS is not happening on a stock engine
maybe the seal was never install correct? i like to put i little loctite on the outside of the seal when installing.

sccowboy

would a restricted muffler cause excessive crankcase pressure? I know for a fact that the valves are correct. i did notice a lot of grime buildup in the cooling fins of the head. I did not remove the shield on the exhaust side but did the intake side and blower cover and cleaned it with engine bright. should help it run cooler. waiting on parts.