OEM 2001 Buick Park Avenue Crankshaft Seal

2001 Buick Park Avenue Crankshaft Seal Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to replace the rear crankshaft seal and housing on 2001 Buick Park Avenue?

  A: The crankshaft rear oil seal and housing replacement requires technicians to drain engine coolant from the cooling system and to remove both the engine Oil Pan and Flywheel. Begin by removing the crankshaft rear oil seal housing bolts then the housing and finally extract the crankshaft rear oil seal. Drive the installation process without harming the outer diameter surface of the crankshaft. Clean both the crankshaft rear oil seal housing and the cylinder block by removing their gaskets then examine the bore's id surface and the crankshaft for any nicks or burrs which require repair or replacement when necessary. Before installing new components remove the old crankshaft rear oil seal from the housing while also cleaning both the seal housing and cylinder block from their old gaskets. The threads of the crankshaft rear oil seal housing should receive a new gasket to maintain correct alignment of the two components. Housing alignment represents a critical step to avoid oil leakage. Installation of the crankshaft rear oil seal housing requires finger-tightened bolts for adjustment but the gasket must remain lower than the housing. Set a small amount of oil on rear cover aligner surfaces (J 41349) before installing the aligner onto the crankshaft while twisting for proper placement. To perform this check apply the straight edge and feeler gauge across the cylinder block Oil Pan flange and rear oil seal housing flange while adjusting when needed. Use a 15 nm torque setting (11 ft. Lbs.) to tighten the crankshaft rear oil seal housing bolts while an electronic torque angle meter (J 36660-A) helps achieve an additional 50-degree bolt rotation. Use the rear cover aligner (J 41349) to verify the step height before tightening more bolts if necessary. The step height must stay within specification. Installation of the new crankshaft rear oil seal marks the first step before tightening the engine Flywheel and Oil Pan while adding engine coolant to the system.