What is the best way to get the new camshaft and crankshaft seal in?

[nogard]

I'm putting a new timing belt on a '99 camry 5S-FE auto. In chase you wanted to know it broke (teeth came off around crank gear). The car has 130,xxx miles on it. I think that is one of the longest lasting ones on here.

I would like to put new seals in, and in the kit I also got the oil pump seal. The camshaft seal looks like it leaks a little and the oil and crank aren't leaking. I don't know if it is good to leave well enough along, or as long as I'm in there replace what I can.

I plan to pull the oil pump cover off and replace the shaft seal and what they call and o-ring, it is more of a cover seal. I have the camshaft seal in and it when OK. I've done this on a 3S-FE, the camshaft seal is hard to hammer in because it sits behind the strut tower when the engine is in the car.

I've used two methods to get the seals out in the past. If the seal is big enough I've ran sheet metal screws into it and pulled it out with those. I've also carefully used a screwdriver to work the seal out. This seems to work fine.

The hard part is to get the seal back in. I've installed about 6 seals by using a hammer and 1/4" ratchet extension and slowly pounding around the outside to evenly drive it. Or I've used a large socket a little smaller than the seal and hammer or pry it in. The problem I'm having is I oil or grease it, but the outter parts of the seal seem to catch a little and rolls out a little bit. The seal still looks good but I want to get it in there a little better. Is there a better method?

[71Corolla]

The crank seal I use a plastic tube of some sort (don't know where I got it) and hammer the seal in with that. It's easy because there is a lot of space.

The cam seal, you can put this one in really easily. Tap in the new seal just enough so it does not fall out. Then take the old seal and turn it around so the side that normally faces in is now facing out. Put that up against the new seal, then thread in the cam gear backwards. Tighten the cam bolt until it presses the seal in all the way. Done.

[jon1000]

That cam seal trick sounds great. Does it work for a 1MZFE?

[nogard]

I already had the camshaft seal in when I read this, but I did use this set up to double check that it was in all the way and seated square. Then even though the cranks shaft is easy to get to. I also used this method to get it in. It works awesome, stack the old seal over the new pushed in by hand as far as it will go. Then put the crankshaft timing gear on, then the crank pulley and bolt and turn the bolt in. I did take a caliper and measure the depth of the bore, which is the same as the thickness of the seal. So it does get seated in all then way.

[PaulPR]

You can make a 'tool' out of some big washers, a bolt and a short piece of PVC pipe.

The dia of the PVC pipe should be such that it contacts the outer dia of the seal. The hole in the washer is for the bolt. Put the seal on, followed by the pipe, washers and then the bolt. The bolt goes in the threaded hole that holds the pulley. Tighten the bolt and it pushes in the seal. Hopefully you get the idea.