881672 Mercruiser SPRING, Valve

Problem
There have been some instances of reported Rear End Oil Seal (REOS) leaks. The reported issue data does not provide enough information to identify the area of the leak and the type of leaking fluid.Most reported leaks are on engines equipped with a 232-7449 Housing As and a 298-5085 Cylinder Block Gp.Solution
Illustration 1 g06017061Rear end oil leaks may originate from many different sources such as the following :
REOS (1)
Oil rail plug (2)
Camshaft plug (3)
Bridge piece (4)
Illustration 2 g06017560The leak may also be a water or coolant. Staining from engine preservative may also give the appearance of a leak. See Illustration 2.Perform the following procedure to troubleshoot the leak and provide the data required to identify the root cause of the leaks.
Clean the area of the engine affected by the leaking fluid.
Add an Ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent dye to the engine oil. Follow the dilution instructions provided by the manufacturer of the dye. Too much dye can cause permanent staining of the surfaces.
Operate the engine until the suspected leak appears again. Stop the engine.
Using UV light, and in dark ambient conditions, inspect the area of the leak. Confirm the nature of the leak.Note: UV sensitive dye will have a high intensity fluorescence. Some low intensity natural fluorescence may be visible for other fluids.
Record the leak with photographs.
If the leak is visible but does not show high intensity fluorescence, investigate the source of the leak as the leak is not engine oil.If the leak is identified as engine oil, perform the following procedure to identify the origin of the leak:
Perform a visual inspection of the REOS area. Record with photographs.
Illustration 3 g06017610
Use the UV light to identify the leak location (see Illustration 3):
(A) Between the rotary seal and the crankshaft or between the rotary seal and the seal housing
(B) Through the bolt holes
(C) Between the static seal and the mating component
Raise a Dealer Solutions Network (DSN) ticket including photographs showing the engine oil leak and the origin of the leak.
Carefully clean the area around the seal and check for the following faults:
Paint Overspray
Installation errors
Loose boltsRecord any other observations.Request field-follow support or perform the following procedure:
Table 1
Required Tools
Tooling Description
A Magnetic base
B Adjustable fixture
C Dial gauge indicator
If possible, rotate the crankshaft and measure the crank palm run-out.
Perform the following steps to check for seal-to shaft misalignment (see Illustration 4):
Illustration 4 g06017684
Install Tooling (A) to the crankshaft.
Install Tooling (C) as shown in Illustration 4 with the probe in contact with the seal housing at position (X).
Rotate the crankshaft.
Record the minimum and maximum readings from Tooling (C).
Record the total indicated reading.
Measure and record the bolt torques for the REOS and the engine oil pan.
Remove the REOS and inspect the crank palm. Look for any of the following:
Poor surface finish
Machining lead
Pitting
Scratches
Corrosion
Discoloration
Oil deposits
Excessive wear
Uneven wear (record the minimum and maximum width of the crank palm)
Paint
DamageRecord any of the above issues with photographs.
Illustration 5 g06018292
Inspect REOS primary seal (5) for the following faults:
Uneven wear
Excessive wear
Deposits in the ridges of the seal
Scratches
Damage
Spring retention of the seal
ContaminationRecord any of the above issues with photographs.
Illustration 6 g06018299
Inspect dust seal (6) on the REOS for the following faults:
Excessive dust or dirt
Excessive wear
DamageRecord any of the above issues with photographs.
Illustration 7 g06018307
Inspect static seal (7) for the following faults:
Excessive surface roughness
Scratches
Uneven surface
Contamination
Corrosion
Indentations on seal (7) where the seal mates with the bridge piece.Record any of the above issues with photographs.
Install a new 232-7449 Housing As. Refer to Disassembly and Assembly, Crankshaft Rear Seal - Install for the correct procedure.