Front Crank Seal, quick replace

[Soulless]

Hello guys,
recently rebuilded my valver and put a F7R 710 meggy along with the F7P head..Everything is running right, except a leak from the lower timing area, propably the crank seal which was from a sh@@ty cheap gasket kit.
Anyway i need to know what is the quickest way of replacing the seal because I dont want to be taking the engine out again and knowing that the belt tensioner is hard to reach..To be more specific I was thinking of not un-tensioning the belt and just remove the crankshaft sprocket with the belt on and take out the seal with the aid of self tapping screws. Then after replacement put back the sprocket with the belt on its teeth and check timing marks from the upper timing cover. Is it easily accomplished like this and would i need a puller for the sprocket? Any suggestions are welcome
Thanks

[16v_paddy]

I think your leak could be from not using enough sealant on the plate that goes behind the crank sprocket, but you wont really know until you can see what's going on behind the plastic covers. You're deffo going to need a puller to get it off but you'll also have to un-tension the belt properly & tbh getting at the tensioner will be the easier part of the job :lol: There's no way in hell you're getting the sprocket back on 100% straight with the belt being pretty much tensioned & you run the risk of stripping the threads for the bolt in the crank if you try just doing it up

The real bastard will be getting the inner plastic cover off, not impossible but an absolute arsehole of a job unless you have the hands of a small filipino boy. Doing the seal or the sealant for the plate will be easy, it's just the crap you have to remove to get access is what will be a pain in the arse

[Soulless]

Oh yes by saying the tensioner i actually meant the bloody intermediate plastic cover..dunno if i can undo the tensioners bolt without removing the plastic cover , because i remember it having a wider lip over the tensioner..i think it is the seal cause when finger touching the plate edge i can feel it dry where the sealant is.. So i'll look up in the renault manual for the belt procedure, i remember describing how much the engine must be lifted etc

[16v_paddy]

The tensioner 1 isn't behind the plastic, that's the idler pulley so no big issue there

[Soulless]

Oh yes you are right..so in case it is just the seal pretty easy job...

[theweekendhaslanded]

Just before you commit to the seal...... I had a similar issue with a leak low down after a rebuild and I thought the same as you regarding the crank seal. Turned out that a threaded hole in the block that holds on the plastic cambelt cover wasn't used and as a result oil pissed its way out of the engine all over the cambelt. I just used sealant and wound a bolt into the hole. Worth a look fella!

[Soulless]

Just before you commit to the seal...... I had a similar issue with a leak low down after a rebuild and I thought the same as you regarding the crank seal. Turned out that a threaded hole in the block that holds on the plastic cambelt cover wasn't used and as a result oil pissed its way out of the engine all over the cambelt. I just used sealant and wound a bolt into the hole. Worth a look fella!
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7113&stc=1

when i looked some pictures from the rebuild i thought th exact same as you describe so i proceeded to put a bolt up there and found out that in the f7r plate there isnt a hole
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7114&stc=1

[Soulless]

Another question...for the seal to be replaced should the plate come off or it is possible from the exterior?..as i see the plate has no outer lip in the shafts hole so i don't think it is needed to be removed.