BadBirdie

Ive read where people say to install dry, but i've also read that will burn up the seals right away. I would think that rubbing a little oil on the seal would help get them in and help protect them. ?

BoostedDSM

iTrader: (6)

I put mine in dry with no issues, it also tells you to put fresh oil on the seals after you put them in. Mine we're Fel Pro's for reference

Quazz

iTrader: (1)

Put them in dry. The seals are Teflon, and they do NOT require any lubrication. A good way to get them to leak again is putting oil on them.

96z28_lt1

iTrader: (3)

i put mine in dry, although the waterpump drive seal is a b****! I ended up having to replace that and bought the cheap waterpump drive seal install tool off ebay, put the seal on the tool the night before to let the seals stretch slightly so it would go on easier

jaycenk

iTrader: (1)

Add a dab of heat to make it a tad more pliable from hair dryer and always install it with the timing cover on the engine. Use the tool or home made tool that matches the drive seal surface. Best way to tell if you did it wrong is look for charcoal grey color sticking out from the yellow front seal. That means the rear seal folded over and under and it will leak at an annoying rate.

BadBirdie

thanks, looks like they are going in dry

cardo0

How can oil on them hurt them? They are designed to seal the oil in and dirt out. What possible harm could oil do to an oil seal?
I have never read any manufactures instructions saying to install oil seals dry - always to use oil for pre-lubrication before installing oil seals.
I have read someone posting to install seals dry and has a website for the fourth gen cars where he says so. But he also says to adjust your lifters/vlvs by noise rather than feel - something else i find less than accurate and error likely.
What i'm saying is if your installing FelPro seals, unless u read FelPro instructions to install dry then put some oil on them.

cardo

Also, i heated my o-ring up a little with the hot air dryer/gun method and just found a deep socket that slipped over the shaft and helped slid the seal right on - using some oil of course.

BALLSS

to quote Felpro instructions included with the timing cover gasket kit #TSC 45958 (for LT1)

"IMPORTANT: This (PTFE) seal must be installed DRY. Do not lubricate seal lip or the sealing surface."

IIRC, the wp drive & Opti seal is a PTFE seal

cardo0

Ok so i looked up the correct gasket set for the '97 FB and its TCS45956 TC not TSC 45958. And from what Federal Mogal has posted on their w/s is for the flat molded gaskets "PermaDryPlus® PermaDry® Problem-solving gaskets featuring advanced
technologies designed specifically for the aftermarket repair environment Premium molded-rubber gaskets for applications originally equipped with molded-rubber technology" - nothing about the O-ring type seals.
I think u have mis-read the instructions.

Show me more please,
cardo

BALLSS

I have a "LT1" which uses the 45956 kit. Don't know If the 97 uses a diffrent kit with other instructions.

pics of what the 45956 kit says

Camaro350Z28

iTrader: (6)

i literally just did all 3 yesterday all dry and all relatively easy

BALLSS

the 45756 kit does say "lubricate" all non PTFE seals. The crank seal is one you would lubricate. The instructions refer to "distributor shaft seal" as being the one to install "dry". I believe the wp drive seal is also PTFE

in any event I have always installed both wp drive and opti seals dry

BadBirdie

well i put them in dry however i messed up the wp drive seal but the one i took out was messed up as well so i figured i'd just finish putting everything back together anyway cuz the car has been apart for about a month. I'll order the special little tool for the wp drive seal and try again sometime. but for now its fine.

shbox

You don't need to spend money on a tool. A sharpie pen cap or the right size socket will work.

06camarodude

Easiest way to do the water pump drive seal, honestly, is to debur and polish the water pump drive coupler, stretch the seal out just enough using a socket slightly smaller than the coupler, slide the seal over the coupler, put the coupler on the splined drive, and pound it on with a larger diameter socket. That's how I was told to do it by a buddy who has built a ton of LT1 Corvettes, and it's worked flawlessly for the 3 seals I've replaced over the years.

Don't lubricate the seal, it's a teflon seal, and oil may cause it to fail. Heat helps, but the method I describe above works perfectly if done correctly.

BALLSS

I have used a deep socket that was the same size as OD of spline but came accross a GP on the "tool" on another forum a few years ago for $12. the "taper" end makes sliding the seal on the tool easy. Same idea as the Sharpie pen cap as it is tapered end also.

use a socket just smaller than OD of seal that goes over tool and tap the seal in place

cardo0

Well i searched for Fel-Pro PTFE seals and found what may explain the "dry" installation:

Fel-Pro engineers have developed an exclusive PTFE rear main seal that provides a longer lasting, reduced drag, highly temperature resistant solution for GM 3.1L and 3.4L engines.

It is crucial to note that PTFE seals should only be installed dry. This enables a portion of the PTFE material to be transferred to the shaft, which ensures proper sealing performance.

So apparently the PTFE somewhat distributes itself to maintain a seal and oil would only prevent this treatment. But this would be for PTFE seals only - not off the shelf viton or whatever one may have that fits.

Thanks for following up with the pix,
cardo0

93BlackZ28

iTrader: (5)

Install it dry. Im pretty sure it even says to on the bag or the seal.