There comes a time when a car owner needs to replace parts that have worn out. For this reason, you need to have at least a general idea of how the car is arranged, what main mechanisms it consists of, and what consumables are used in it.
Among these consumables are oil seals. Car owners often do not attach importance to the choice of these seemingly insignificant consumables. They do not consider them paramount and do not focus on them, which is not true.
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These consumables are used as a sealing element in the cylinder block and crankshaft. The front oil seal is put on near the location of the pulley, the rear oil seal is installed behind the location of the clutch and gearbox. Consumables are inexpensive, but replacing them will require considerable financial or time costs, and the one who will change it will make a lot of physical effort.
In a car, the oil seal is used as a sealing element in the transmission, gearbox, in the cooling system, engine, and steering. Intensive use requires changing them periodically.
The material for the manufacture of oil seals is most often fluororubber rubber or silicone, and their use is not random. The materials hold up well to heat and the effects of lubricating fluids. Such properties do not allow seals to be damaged as a result of heating that occurs during friction. The oil seal is made in the form of a ring, the diameter of which coincides with the diameter of the crankshaft.
In the manufacture of sealing consumables in production, several materials are used:
It is worth noting that manufacturers of such consumables are constantly striving to make them better. As a result, they use special additives. They have their own designations: Dai-E1, Viton, Aflas and others.
It is not recommended to continue driving when the seals are worn for several reasons.The first reason is an increase in oil consumption, which flows through worn oil seals. The next reason is that the engine becomes dirty, dust and dirt get there.
But there is a more serious reason why you should refrain from further operation of the vehicle. It lies in the fact that oil leaks due to wear of the seals lead to serious malfunctions of the internal combustion engine, the elimination of which will require a major overhaul.
The most acute problem that an engine oil leak can cause is a situation in which the timing belt breaks. For a car, such a malfunction leads to expensive repairs, since the valves of many models bend after a broken belt.
Another nuisance that leaks can lead to is transmission failure. But such a problem occurs in most cases when the rear oil seal wears out. Sometimes you can observe malfunctions in the operation of electrical equipment, sensors break.
On the market today there are not only original products, but also various analogues. Hence the reasonable question: is it necessary to pay more for a brand? It can be answered in the affirmative. Large manufacturers have more financial resources and opportunities that they invest in their products, their research, writing. Such a product is more reliable, will last longer. Concerns also value their reputation, as reputation becomes the main factor in the number of product sales.
They also ask another question: is it necessary to pay more for the original sealant. No, this is not necessary, since there are many similar seals on the market that are no worse in quality, and often even better than the original products.
The expert opinions of our specialists will help to avoid all the difficulties when choosing oil seals for the crankshaft.
The company was founded in 1920. At that time, its owner Hugo Ranz started his first production - the production of hardware products. When the war broke out, not a single plant remained, and the restoration of this production was carried out by American specialists. In 1993, the two Viktor brands and the Reinz brand were merged. Now the association had 23 different organizations around the planet.
The Corporation has its own research and development center. This allows the production of new types of parts. The company is engaged in the production of cylinder head bolts, oil seals, gaskets and other parts. The brand's products are purchased by dealers and automakers, including VW, Ferrari, Volvo, Ford, Fiat.
Customers of the Viktor Reinz brand have no complaints about the quality of the seals, the main thing is that the purchased part is original.
As in the previous case, the Glaser trademark is the property of Dana (a US organization). The company from Spain has been producing seals for cars for over 40 years of its existence. Its product range consists of various gaskets, sealants, crankshaft oil seals, valve stem seals, and many other parts.
All products are certified and have ISO 9001 and QS 9001 documents. The company is the owner of the Philippe Prize, which is awarded for services to the country.In this case, merit in the field of ecology was noted. The corporation supplies sealing elements to major car manufacturers, including Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Opel and others.
The opinion of buyers coincides with expert opinion about the seals of this brand - the quality of products is above average. But in our country, you can easily run into fakes. For this reason, this brand is not in the first place.
Users of autoforums have interesting discussions around the products of this manufacturer. Experienced repairmen recommend paying attention to the inscription "Made in France" in English when buying, so as not to purchase parts made in Germany. Experts say that French factories process the edge of parts with the help of machines, giving it a sharp look. German manufacturers use the stamping method, which is why the neck is increased in diameter. But there is also an opinion that parts from Asian countries are packed at the German logistics center.
Buyers from Russia complain about the impossibility of buying crankshaft seals from France. For this reason, the brand is given the third line of this rating.
The promoted trademark has become attractive to various unscrupulous manufacturers and lovers of easy money.On the Russian market, low-quality fake seals, gaskets and caps began to appear massively. Various forums and Internet resources devote entire sections to how to distinguish an original from a fake.
The manufacturer makes great efforts to combat counterfeit products, for which he received high expert ratings. Holograms, stickers, barcodes are used on products, brand representatives conduct information campaigns, working with consumers. Thanks to such efforts, the company, which has a history of 120 years, maintains a high status in the Russian market.
When buying seals from this manufacturer, you need to be careful. Saving a photo in a smartphone and a description of the original part to avoid buying fakes.
This brand is owned by Federal Modul and supplies to major manufacturers, including Ford, Perkins, GM, PSA. The catalog of manufactured products contains more than 10 thousand parts. The quality of the products manufactured by the company is almost OE standard. Products from these manufacturers include original cars made in England and Japan.
Brand catalogs include the entire range of sealing elements used in engines, crankshafts and camshafts, turbines, axles, cylinder heads. The quality of products is often compared with the Goetze brand, which is part of the same holding with Payen.
Compared to competitors, the manufacturer has an extensive selection of products, and the cost of production is democratic.The brand is owned by a US company, but parts are produced by Indian and French factories. Sometimes Reinz parts are packaged under this brand, which does not reduce their quality.
About 90% of users in the Russian Federation give recommendations on the purchase of oil seals for the crankshaft produced by Corteco. Most of them agree that it is this manufacturer that produces products that have become the best alternative to original parts. The quality of these seals is confirmed by the use of appropriate materials in the manufacturing process. They handle temperature fluctuations very well.
The hem on the inside is perfectly smooth and elastic. The geometric parameters of the glands are maintained with high accuracy. An additional pleasant option was the quite reasonable cost of these consumables.
Of the negative points, it is worth highlighting the facts that the box contained not seals from Corteco, but products from the Nok brand. It turns out that Corteco is also a packer.
Despite a lot of rave reviews, the forums do not hide the negative reviews about oil seals from Ajusa. An analysis carried out by experts found that the unfortunate experience of operation is associated with the presence of counterfeit goods.Most often, counterfeit products come from stores in the global network. But the original spare parts from the brand from Spain have no complaints. The high level of quality is confirmed by ISO 9001 and ISO/TS16946 certificates. There are a lot of seals to choose from, including a variety of sealants, gaskets, oil seals, both for foreign-made cars and for cars manufactured in the Russian Federation.
The brand definitely did not take someone else's place in the Top 6. The Ajusa manufacturer has a good reputation in the world. The consumables released by him are installed on products of such brands as Nissan, Seat and Daewoo.
This brand from the Apennine Peninsula produces and packs kits for the repair of passenger car components. Products are presented both in the primary market and in the used goods market. In the countries of the Old World, the Emmetec brand is quite popular with repairmen at service stations and other car specialists.
The Emmetec catalog provides repair kits and spare parts not only for shock absorbers, but also for brake and steering systems. And the brand also produces equipment used in the diagnosis of various car components. The company not only manufactures, but also packs products. Part of the materials and finished products are ordered from German, French and Swiss partners.
Car owners note a slight decrease in the quality of repair kits produced by Emmetec.Perhaps this state of affairs is somehow connected with the conclusion of contacts for deliveries with partners from the Asian region, offering the cheapest products.
The second reason was a large proportion of fakes. And they meet very often. Low quality and smell became characteristic features for them, because the company from Italy uses special materials in the manufacture of products, due to which the products have no smell. Moreover, attention should be focused on the design of the packaging itself and the completeness of the package.
Volkswagen Group or VAG is one of the largest and most recognized car manufacturers on the planet. Currently, the structure includes 342 companies that are associated with both the production and maintenance of road transport.
Spare parts-originals from VAG are packed in light brown cardboard boxes. Each icon has a clear drawing. The ends of the boxes are closed with black plastic tapes.
Fakes are distinguished by the lack of clarity of icons and plastic ribbons of a different color. On the package in the box there is a tag equipped not only with the original number of the consumable, but also with a barcode. Brand icons are colored, and a red transverse stripe can be separated from their barcode.
Before deciding to replace the oil seal on your own or with the help of a familiar craftsman, you need to think carefully, because incorrect installation or damage to a part during installation can both reduce its service life by half and cause disruption of the normal functioning of the motor itself.
The most common damage to a spare part is during installation, since instead of specialized equipment, tools at hand are used for this purpose. In such situations, the experience and calculation of the masters will play an important role.
During repairs performed by non-professionals, the edge of the o-ring is often bent when it is installed directly into the seat. The engine leak is not eliminated, and the recently installed part will again have to be changed.
When changing the oil seal in a car service, the risk of incorrectly diagnosing the problem will be minimized, which will avoid additional spending. Often, a leak in the stuffing box is confused with a broken oil filter, wear of its gasket, or failure of the oil pressure sensor. After changing the stuffing box in this situation, the problem is not eliminated, because the cause of the leak was incorrectly established. The specialist will be able to quickly determine the true cause of the breakdown.
If the car owner is unwilling to delve into all the intricacies of selecting oil seals and other consumable spare parts and materials for his car, the best way out will be to turn to professionals. This is the only way to save time, nerves and own funds.