BAD Oil Leak...already changed crank seal...HELP!

[haseltonk]

My 96 Metro 1.0L 3 cyl w/ 110k miles started leaking oil pretty bad a about a thousand miles ago. At first I thought it was a bad oil pan gasket, but then realized that it was a bad front crankshaft seal. So I replaced both last week. After getting it all put back together I took it to the car wash and got all of the oil cleaned up, took it for a 15-20 mile drive to make sure everything was ok and everything looked good...no leak. I checked under the car again before I went to work the next morning and still no leaks.

After driving to and from work I realized upon getting home the thing is leaking as bad (if not worse) than it was before I did all that work to it. The leak is bad enough that when you are going ~ 20mph there is an almost continuous trail of oil down the road and up my driveway.

So what could be wrong? If I damaged the seal installing it (I'm pretty sure I didn't) wouldn't it have leaked when I first took it for a test drive? So is there something else that could be wrong that is increasing pressure in the crankcase and forcing oil past the seal? If so do I need to replace the seal again? I'm clueless right now and can't really afford to take it to a shop, so any help is appreciated...thanks...

[crazyinkc]

Did you damage the crank when you installed the seal? I had a 92 that leaked real bad and it ended up being the oil pump was leaking. I found it buy leaving off the belt cover, cleaning up the oil mess and runnung the engine and looking to see where the oil coming from. I pulled the bolt out where the oil was leaking an slapped a bunch or RTV on the bolt and put it back in. It did not leak after that. You could also have a grove cut in your crank from the old seal. You can buy a repair sleave from a parts store if they have one. I hope this helps. Let us know what you find.

[Zogboy]

I had this happen and it was due to the seal from advance auto, it went in hard, they are suppose to be tight but not hard to push in,
Get the seal from napa and clean the end of the crank with a scott bright pad (nylon) if it is scared then use a sleave. Use a big scoket to push the seal on evenly.
good luck oh ya lube the seal a little first.

[haseltonk]

Well, I replaced the PCV valve and the oil is literally draining out when the oil gets heated up. I guess I'll try a new seal, and a sleeve and hope that does thetrick...