Engine Crank Pulley Bolt Threads Covered In Oil; Normal?

cjcoburn

Member
Aug 25, 2011
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Denver, CO
Hello,

Last night I removed my crank pulley (harmonic balancer) bolt and was surprised that the threads and the back of the washer were covered in oil. What made this such a surprise to me was that the bold head and the front of the pulley were completely dry with no signs of oil. However, my timing covers appear to have a history of leaking...along with the oil pan and valve covers.

At first I thought this came from a leaking timing cover seal behind the pulley, but I'm not sure that makes sense. I also saw sealant (looked factory) on and around the keyway. Pics of both (bolt and crankshaft front are below).

So does anyone have any ideas how that oil could have gotten in there? Front seal on the crank? Is this normal?

Thanks for your time thinking about this.

-- Chris

Crank_pulley_bolt.JPG


Crankshaft-front.jpg
 
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A dab of silicon on the threads should fix that. I don't know exactly how all the oil passages are designed, but in general oil should go to the crank bearings, then some of that oil then goes into passages inside the crank which then oil the rod journals. The oil is probably from a passage in the crank which the front bolt is tapped into.
 
Make sure you reapply the silicone in the keyway of your crank pulley before re-installing. It is important. It will leak otherwise. That may have been the issue perhaps yours did not seal properly when the crank pulley was installed.
 
Thanks for answers guys. This is seems to be what everyone is saying. After reading responses in 3 forums I figured I'd take a look the factory manual (since I do have a copy) -

1. Note: The crankshaft pulley must be installed within four minutes of applying the sealant.
Apply sealant to the woodruff key slot on the crankshaft pulley.
- Use Silicone Gasket and Sealant F7AZ-19554-EA or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSE-M4G323-A4.

It doesn't get any clearer than that. ;)