95 7.3L Front/Rear Seal & Oil Pan leaks - specialty tools?

[mtmazz]

My 1995 F350 7.3L (w/ manual trans) is leaking oil from the bottom of the engine. Front main seal for sure, and also the rear main seal and/or the oil pan in the rear. I am planning to pull the engine out of the truck in December and replace both main seals and the oil pan.

I am a very experienced auto mechanic and have done a lot of engine work, but the most I have ever done on a diesel is the injector o-rings and glow plugs on my 7.3L.
The service manual shows some specialty tools for removing and reinstalling the front and rear main seals.
I was wondering if anyone on the forum has done this before and if these specialty tools for the main seals are required? If so, where would a person go about buying or renting them? How about a clutch disk line-up tool?

Any advice for special tools or procedures for the main seals and/or oil pan replacement would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[mtmazz]

I now have the engine out and sitting on a stand. One of the easiest engines I have ever pulled out of a truck.

So I am now looking for these special tools to replace the front & rear crankshaft seals. I did find one site online fordspecialtools.com that sells them, but it would be upwards of $1,000 bucks to buy all of the tools & parts listed in the manual. This seems rediculous for something I will use once in my lifetime.
Any suggestions on where to rent these specilaty tools or improvising with other common tools to replace these seals & wear rings would be appreciated.

Thanks

[mtmazz]

Got the job done, needed to buy the specialty tool kit. Found it for $250 on eBay with some parts missing (which I needed to fabricate for myself to make everything work).
There is no way to do this job without the specialty tools (or removing the crankshaft from the engine and taking it to a machine shop) - the front and rear main seals have a wear ring that is pressed on/off of the crankshaft with so little clearance that it can't be done otherwise.

[snow shredder]

I also have my engine on the stand... I bought my remain seal from International and it came with a plastic tool to install the real main seal.... it was included with my remain seal. And it was cheap... compared to buying it at Ford with out the tool. I didn't need a fancy tool to remove the sleeve.... just a sharp punch and a mallet. As for the front seal... no fancy tools either. Granted this is not my first Rodeo.... but it is my first Diesel.

[ZachBoyer]

Good to Hear all worked out!!!

[mtmazz]

I never even thought of going to International for parts & tools, etc. This is good to know in case I need to do this again.

I did get mine all together this past weekend, and it left the garage under its own power yesterday.

A couple pieces of advice I might offer:
1. I don't know how far you're tearing your engine down, but if you are leaving the heads on and turn the engine upside down to do the oil pan be prepared for some drivability problems when you first start it up after the repair. Apparently the fuel and/or oil in the passages can get airlocked or otherwise messed up in the injectors if turned upside down. It took about 30 miles of running time to clear up.
2. Use the Ford (or International?) approved silicone rubber to seal the oil pan & front/rear covers if you remove them. I heard from several sources that even the best RTV orange or whatever from Permatex only lasts a year or two because of the heat & vibration of these engines. This is just hearsay mind you, but I decided not to take the chance.

Thanks for the info guys.
Mark

[snow shredder]

Yea... I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to flip the engine over so I Just did it all with the engine standing straight. Some things are just better to know better.