Some of you may have seen my other posts here and here regarding the front cam oil seal replacement I encountered while changing my timing belt.

I had read about Volvo's "special tool" needed to install the new seal. Of course, the objective is to press the seal in evenly. I figured I could use something else. I took one of my new seals for sizing and borrowed a 36mm socket from Autozone. Problem was that the socket was too long and would not fit. ALSO, whatever you use can not be any smaller than the seal on the inner diameter because then it would not go over the cam shaft of course (the 36mm was not wide enough to clear the cam shaft either).

After keeping an eye open, I found some piping in the exhaust pipe section of Autozone. I suppose any piping would do. What I purchased was 2" in diameter. That seemed to center on the new seal. I brought that home, and cut it (using a hacksaw by hand) to a size I approximated. IMPORTANT - I used tape around the edge where it would come into contact with the seal so as to prevent the pipe from cutting right into that new seal. I used cloth tape on the connecting end, but duct tape will work just as well.

My plan was to use the pipe to push the seal in evenly.
Well, arm strength would not really get it done.
I devised a way to use a pry bar, and a small 1/2" thick board to disperse the pressure evenly around the pipe.... that worked to get it started, but when it came down to it, wherever the pressure point of the prybar hit is where the pipe was pushed - and hence the seal. No matter what I did, I could not get a pressure point resulting in even pressure. I tried and tried to get the pry bar contact pressure point to fall in the middle of the board up against the middle of the pipe, but to no avail.

I was thinking, man, if only I had some kind of press.
Then it occurred to me; Use some of the scrap pipe, cut it down to a small size (almost as you would use a wheel spacer), then use the cam sprocket and the 3 mounting bolts to press in against the pipe, against the seal, into the seat.

Voila'

A couple of important notes should you go this route;

• 1. Before removing the sprocket, mark the cam shaft to sprocket
  relationship for repositioning installation. I over did it by marking and numbering the bolts, but the important part is marking the cam to sprocket relationship (see figure 1. For me, the red paint pre-existed from the last time someone was in there (however, in the end I found too much space even between that marking - in the future I will be using a fine tipped brush to get an exact contact point marking). I used a Sharpie to mark the bolts, but in retrospect, that was not sufficient enough should I do this again - particularly where the sprocket is concerned (more on this in #3).)


• 2. Make SURE you have sufficiently cushioned the edge of the pipe that will be making contact with the new seal, using duct tape or some other like methond.


• 3. Know that by using the sprocket as a press, wherever the bolts are lined up for the pressing process will likely score or mark the sprocket. I failed to realize this and because I went overboard on markings, I was OK, but what I learned is that when it came time to do the final installation, the "pressing" process created new circles where the bolt heads came in contact with the sprocket, while also serving to "erase" or "smudge" away many of my Sharpie markings.


• 4. The sequence I went by was
  
  a) Thouroughly clean the surface of the seat, and the camshaft. Use some kind of solvent and a lint free rag. I had my shop vac there, and I had other things going on, so I used that as well, but you want to keep as much lint and impurities from going inside that cam opening as possible.
  
  b) Put a very small amount of oil around the cam shaft itself and or around the INSIDE ring of the new seal - DO NOT GET ANY OIL ON THE OUTSIDE RING OF THE NEW SEAL OR IN THE SEAT TO WHICH THAT WILL COME INTO CONTACT or you will jeopardize the sealing sufficiency.
  
  c)Gently install the new seal onto the cam shaft as best as you can. You should be able to get it all the way up to the seat and maybe in a little bit using hand strength.
  
  d FOR ME - Here is where I used a pry bar and the longer of the two pipes to get the seal started into the seat... I don't know if you can skip this step or not.
  
  e) I actually put the small "spacer" pipe onto the inner sprocket itself. There was enough of a lip there to hold it in place. I then put the sprocket with spacer attached onto the cam shaft and screwed in the three bolts until they just connected. IMPORTANT - Make sure that the pipe is contacting the seal in a centered fashion all the way around. If you can not see underneath, trust that center on the sides and top will equal center on the bottom as well, but also feel with your finger if you can.
  
  f) IMPORTANT - Tighten the three bolts EVENLY. First by finger, then with a socket. As for me, I went 1/4 turn each in a clockwise manner. You will likely make several rounds, so a little patience here is well advised - NOTE - Keep checking the pipe to seal contact points and make sure the "press" is centered.


• 4. For me, I kept an eye on the seal itself, and continued in that clockwise fashion until the seal was in to my satisfaction. Honestly, I did think I was finished at one point, and after pulling the sprocket off to remove the spacer, found that I was feeling too much of a "lip" from the seat to seal, and had to go back and continue the process. The seal when seated should at least be flush to the seat.