The factory tool gives the best result obviously. I may not change seals very often, but having that tool would give enough confidence to take on the job whenever I need to.
Never drill a seal if you don't want metal chips inside your engine. Just use a very sharp pointed pin punch tool and an hammer for make a little hole (without any chip) and then use the screw
These are the kinds of decisions all of us DIY mechanics face - often doing something for the first time (or at least the first time on a particular car). Should I splurge for the special tool or not and is it worth it? I really appreciate your willingness to show the whole process including things that maybe didn't go so well.
9:30 Do NOT apply Loctite to the I INSIDE of the bore! This is the surface between the crankshaft and the seal. The crankshaft rotates but the seal is fixed in position. Use a light coating of oil on the entire crankshaft before installing the seal. Please correct this mistake by pinning my comment to the top.
Great video showing some options. The right tool is always the best way to go. It is hard to justify the cost sometimes though. Very well done production!
Regarding the 70mm seal using the Loctite should be engine specific. In case of the CRCA 3.0 TDI engine the seal should be pressed in and no need to apply any glue accoding to ELSAWIN repair procedure. My difficulty was the lack of space for the drilling, engine is in the car. Accidentaly I pressed one side of the old seal into the engine direction when tried to screw in a screw without drilling. I drilled the opposite side, screw in a couple of turns and I was able to remove the seal by hand. Tapped the new seal into its place using the plastic helper like you did. The big work was to screw back the damper. 8 screws, little space, 20nm + 90degree torque. The screw price is insane, 35USD for the 8 screws. I have a mechanical angle torque meter and I had to use a mirror to be able to read the scale. I was surprised why the 4 hours of waiting is necessary after the seal installation. Let see how it is holding. Next project is the back crank seal, first time to remove a tranny.
It was painful to watch how a tool should NOT be used. You did not do the obvious; After putting the hook under the seal you could not figure out that the leverage could be used by simply sliding the adjustable cantilever device closer to the seal and by simply RAISING the handle higher, it would have been entirely possible to gain the cantilever advantage. Also, on the second try, you did not keep the tool 90 degrees, perpendicular to the seal, thus lessening the areas the “hook’ had to grab onto. Those 2 mistakes caused the action of the tool to be defeated. Next time raise the handle, (closer towards your body,) slide the adjustable cantilever to a place closer to the seal and keep the tool perpendicular, it will work fine then. It’s not the tool, but the operator. PS: No, I don’t work for the Lisle company but I hate obvious mistakes by mechanics who don’t do the research on proper operation of their tools.
You caught that too🤣 physics. It exists for a reason and if you understand it, it is your friend and will work FOR you. If you don't. It will work against you🤣 I use a regular pick just fine for years. Actually going out in a minute to do mine on my s4
Replaced a 20 year old Audi TT main seal today. That lisle tool would have been useless too in my case. We canibalized the old seal until it got out because my tiny drills wouldnt work, they would slip. Putting the new seal in, I used the pack of cigarettes plastic trick, not sure if all of the plastic is removed. The new seal went in further in than the old one which is my cause of worries..
..n' as far as the Lisle 58430 tool is concerned, I Don't understand why you didn't use a solid flat spacer of some sort between the back of the engine block surface and the screw in push rod of the lisle tool, (to take up the space)..=The Macgyver Method..as The Macgyver Method.ALWAYS Works For Me..Equaling .No Need To Damage Anything Watsoever, Otherwise Great Informative Video!!
two screws can be driven in the seal and pulled. But then the brittle rubber might simply not give enough grip. Also, you can try using a socket between the fulcrum and the engine.
I'm not sure - it would depend if there's a press cup the correct size for the seal on that engine. You'd have to do some research on your seal size and the offerings in the kit - or just read the repair manual of your car; it will state the OE tool, always.
Nice, I'm loving how many people have popped up as other 25quattro owners. You'll see on Saturday when I post up the next episode of the build series :). That said, I won't be able to put it through it's paces till we hit 30 degree C+ days in the summer, and ideally there would be a series of oil temp sensors on the car to thoroughly test the system.
Hi - can I ask if you just used the crankshaft locking pin before removing the crankshaft pulley?? ie there is no need to strip the heads and lock the cams?? (I have an 06 rs4 in the workshop at the moment with a snapped aux belt which has shredded in behind the crankshaft pulley and the mechanic is saying he needs to strip the heads to lock the cams before taking the crank pulley - this doesn't sound right) would really appreciate your input. thanks Ronan
Hey Ronan - Before I answer, know that this is just my opinion and I've never worked on an RS4, nor did I look up the answer to your question. But. It doesn't sound right to me. Those front bolts are only torqued to 18ftlbs, so there's no mechanical reason to need to stabilize the entire rotating assembly to break them loose. And, there's no way to fall out of time since you're not touching the chains or any components related to timing in the rear. So I can't see why anything at all needs to be locked.
@@FigureItAudi Thanks so much for the quick reply.. and let me say your videos are super informative- crystal clear, well structured and objective and (to me) make sense!!.. so am I right in saying you think there isn’t even a need to use a crank pin?? Ie if trying to loosen the bolts only the pulley and they are too tight the worst thing you’ll do is rotate the engine? (But no risk of skipping the timing given the chain is all in tact )
@@ronanclare8846 Thank you, and yes exactly. For good measure the crank pin could be helpful if the bolts are insanely stuck but there's simply so much weight on the crank assembly that I just can't see needing to lock it being necessary. Your mechanic will spend more time knocking the pulley off the crank and getting the shredded belt out of the way than he will popping loose those bolts.
Yeah, there is at least 1 more option on the market to get this same kit but it's actually even more expensive. I didn't address the possibility of constructing your own tool in the video which would be feasible if you could get the right diameter of [something] to create a sleeve, go find the right bolts and deal with the seal mounting in some way. That option was just not appealing based on time to trial and error jimmy rig a tool together out of Home Depot items. The upshot of having the real tool is that local people are always willing to rent it from you, too.
This is a PTFE seal. You don't play around with PTFE seals. If you don't follow instructions, they will leak instantly. If you follow instructions, they will perform significantly better and longer than any rubber seal.
To do this job on an Audi A6 (C7) 2014-5 Allroad, the whole front-end of the vehicle has to be removed for access. Speaking from experience as punter, not DIY mechanic, $73 for the official Audi/VW seal fixing kit seems like a bargain, in relation to the labour and inconvenience costs of doing the job twice, just because the seal wasn't seated right first time around. Interestingly, obviously anticipating difficulties, the local garage/workshop sourced two seals from Audi at the outset. Incidentally, I suspect that with an OEM Victor Reinz after-market seal, that plastic applicator would have saved the day. Now, my front crankshaft seal leaked at just 112,000 miles / 180,000km, so I'm interested why. Some UA-cam authors say it should be routine to replace PCV or CV valve routinely when replacing the front crank-shaft seal.... in case increased crank-case pressure should be the cause. Might overfilling engine oil have also caused the problem? However, In either of these circumstances, would the seal itself always appear 'loose', ie pushed forward once the pulley's removed? Also, does anyone know if a vehicle of this vintage requires the 70mm or 72mm diam oil-seal? Anyway, a most informative video, so thank you! Chris Poole
Well, Mr. Swagg, for interest of everyone here you should call and get an estimate and share back the response. If the factory manual says the seal can be both removed and installed with the front of the car in service position, I'd guess the job wouldn't be less than 3 hours, plus the seal (so triple the price of that for being dealer-provided); so the $650 neighbourhood. And because it never works like that - double it. Let us know.
The factory tool gives the best result obviously. I may not change seals very often, but having that tool would give enough confidence to take on the job whenever I need to.
Never drill a seal if you don't want metal chips inside your engine. Just use a very sharp pointed pin punch tool and an hammer for make a little hole (without any chip) and then use the screw
This chan deserves more public, and it's what I wish you!
Keep up the good work! 👍
Great content. Underrated channel.
Thanks for being straight forward and honest about it!
These are the kinds of decisions all of us DIY mechanics face - often doing something for the first time (or at least the first time on a particular car). Should I splurge for the special tool or not and is it worth it? I really appreciate your willingness to show the whole process including things that maybe didn't go so well.
9:30 Do NOT apply Loctite to the I INSIDE of the bore! This is the surface between the crankshaft and the seal. The crankshaft rotates but the seal is fixed in position. Use a light coating of oil on the entire crankshaft before installing the seal.
Please correct this mistake by pinning my comment to the top.
I agree, no loctite on the snub of the crank. A Teflon or PTFE seal should be installed dry though absolutely no oil.
Great demonstration. And great discussion on the pro's/con's of the various methods.
Great video showing some options. The right tool is always the best way to go. It is hard to justify the cost sometimes though. Very well done production!
Regarding the 70mm seal using the Loctite should be engine specific. In case of the CRCA 3.0 TDI engine the seal should be pressed in and no need to apply any glue accoding to ELSAWIN repair procedure. My difficulty was the lack of space for the drilling, engine is in the car. Accidentaly I pressed one side of the old seal into the engine direction when tried to screw in a screw without drilling. I drilled the opposite side, screw in a couple of turns and I was able to remove the seal by hand. Tapped the new seal into its place using the plastic helper like you did. The big work was to screw back the damper. 8 screws, little space, 20nm + 90degree torque. The screw price is insane, 35USD for the 8 screws. I have a mechanical angle torque meter and I had to use a mirror to be able to read the scale. I was surprised why the 4 hours of waiting is necessary after the seal installation. Let see how it is holding. Next project is the back crank seal, first time to remove a tranny.
Thanks for the TDI knowledge and good luck with the rest of your project.
@@FigureItAudi Thank you!
It was painful to watch how a tool should NOT be used. You did not do the obvious; After putting the hook under the seal you could not figure out that the leverage could be used by simply sliding the adjustable cantilever device closer to the seal and by simply RAISING the handle higher, it would have been entirely possible to gain the cantilever advantage. Also, on the second try, you did not keep the tool 90 degrees, perpendicular to the seal, thus lessening the areas the “hook’ had to grab onto. Those 2 mistakes caused the action of the tool to be defeated. Next time raise the handle, (closer towards your body,) slide the adjustable cantilever to a place closer to the seal and keep the tool perpendicular, it will work fine then. It’s not the tool, but the operator. PS: No, I don’t work for the Lisle company but I hate obvious mistakes by mechanics who don’t do the research on proper operation of their tools.
You caught that too🤣 physics. It exists for a reason and if you understand it, it is your friend and will work FOR you. If you don't. It will work against you🤣 I use a regular pick just fine for years. Actually going out in a minute to do mine on my s4
Replaced a 20 year old Audi TT main seal today. That lisle tool would have been useless too in my case. We canibalized the old seal until it got out because my tiny drills wouldnt work, they would slip. Putting the new seal in, I used the pack of cigarettes plastic trick, not sure if all of the plastic is removed. The new seal went in further in than the old one which is my cause of worries..
..n' as far as the Lisle 58430 tool is concerned, I Don't understand why you didn't use a solid flat spacer of some sort between the back of the engine block surface and the screw in push rod of the lisle tool, (to take up the space)..=The Macgyver Method..as The Macgyver Method.ALWAYS Works For Me..Equaling .No Need To Damage Anything Watsoever, Otherwise Great Informative Video!!
two screws can be driven in the seal and pulled. But then the brittle rubber might simply not give enough grip.
Also, you can try using a socket between the fulcrum and the engine.
i wrote the comment too early i guess :-)
Very good video. Would this install tool work on rs3 2.5 ?
I'm not sure - it would depend if there's a press cup the correct size for the seal on that engine. You'd have to do some research on your seal size and the offerings in the kit - or just read the repair manual of your car; it will state the OE tool, always.
Hey, I have the same anniversary edition Audi s4. I was curious about your oil cooler. It seems to be upgraded. What are your thoughts on the upgrade?
Nice, I'm loving how many people have popped up as other 25quattro owners. You'll see on Saturday when I post up the next episode of the build series :). That said, I won't be able to put it through it's paces till we hit 30 degree C+ days in the summer, and ideally there would be a series of oil temp sensors on the car to thoroughly test the system.
It’s crap. Don’t do it.
Hi - can I ask if you just used the crankshaft locking pin before removing the crankshaft pulley?? ie there is no need to strip the heads and lock the cams??
(I have an 06 rs4 in the workshop at the moment with a snapped aux belt which has shredded in behind the crankshaft pulley and the mechanic is saying he needs to strip the heads to lock the cams before taking the crank pulley - this doesn't sound right)
would really appreciate your input.
thanks Ronan
Hey Ronan - Before I answer, know that this is just my opinion and I've never worked on an RS4, nor did I look up the answer to your question. But. It doesn't sound right to me. Those front bolts are only torqued to 18ftlbs, so there's no mechanical reason to need to stabilize the entire rotating assembly to break them loose. And, there's no way to fall out of time since you're not touching the chains or any components related to timing in the rear. So I can't see why anything at all needs to be locked.
@@FigureItAudi
Thanks so much for the quick reply.. and let me say your videos are super informative- crystal clear, well structured and objective and (to me) make sense!!..
so am I right in saying you think there isn’t even a need to use a crank pin?? Ie if trying to loosen the bolts only the pulley and they are too tight the worst thing you’ll do is rotate the engine? (But no risk of skipping the timing given the chain is all in tact )
@@ronanclare8846 Thank you, and yes exactly. For good measure the crank pin could be helpful if the bolts are insanely stuck but there's simply so much weight on the crank assembly that I just can't see needing to lock it being necessary. Your mechanic will spend more time knocking the pulley off the crank and getting the shredded belt out of the way than he will popping loose those bolts.
You pay a premium on Snap-On branded tools. Can you find the same tool without the Snap-On brand?
Yeah, there is at least 1 more option on the market to get this same kit but it's actually even more expensive. I didn't address the possibility of constructing your own tool in the video which would be feasible if you could get the right diameter of [something] to create a sleeve, go find the right bolts and deal with the seal mounting in some way. That option was just not appealing based on time to trial and error jimmy rig a tool together out of Home Depot items. The upshot of having the real tool is that local people are always willing to rent it from you, too.
@@FigureItAudi Speaking of locals renting the tool. Where are you located and would you rent it? Thx
@@4sale21 Yeah, I do rent it out. DM me on on Instagram @figureitaudi
@@FigureItAudi Have you received the message with my email? Please contact me as I would need that tool asap. Thx
perhaps the nut on the end is at fault ?
Don’t do the screws for AE839. 3.0 TFSI. Just drilled through my plate and have to order a new one.
Way too much unnecessary cumbersome over-complicated BS just to install a simple seal.. probably wasted too much money on these unnecessary tools too
This is a PTFE seal. You don't play around with PTFE seals. If you don't follow instructions, they will leak instantly. If you follow instructions, they will perform significantly better and longer than any rubber seal.
@@moshet842 Can confirm. Fucked around, found out :/
To do this job on an Audi A6 (C7) 2014-5 Allroad, the whole front-end of the vehicle has to be removed for access. Speaking from experience as punter, not DIY mechanic, $73 for the official Audi/VW seal fixing kit seems like a bargain, in relation to the labour and inconvenience costs of doing the job twice, just because the seal wasn't seated right first time around. Interestingly, obviously anticipating difficulties, the local garage/workshop sourced two seals from Audi at the outset. Incidentally, I suspect that with an OEM Victor Reinz after-market seal, that plastic applicator would have saved the day. Now, my front crankshaft seal leaked at just 112,000 miles / 180,000km, so I'm interested why. Some UA-cam authors say it should be routine to replace PCV or CV valve routinely when replacing the front crank-shaft seal.... in case increased crank-case pressure should be the cause. Might overfilling engine oil have also caused the problem? However, In either of these circumstances, would the seal itself always appear 'loose', ie pushed forward once the pulley's removed? Also, does anyone know if a vehicle of this vintage requires the 70mm or 72mm diam oil-seal?
Anyway, a most informative video, so thank you!
Chris Poole
I just used a small wood screw to pull the seal very carefully and then used a big 2 1/4” socket to drive the seal.
if i take my car to the audi dealer how much are they going to charge me for this job
Well, Mr. Swagg, for interest of everyone here you should call and get an estimate and share back the response. If the factory manual says the seal can be both removed and installed with the front of the car in service position, I'd guess the job wouldn't be less than 3 hours, plus the seal (so triple the price of that for being dealer-provided); so the $650 neighbourhood. And because it never works like that - double it. Let us know.