Harpoon a seal, screw it, then hammer on it!

I had this up in chit chat, but this tool would have saved me hours over years...

It's for removing oil seals with the shaft and case still in place without marring the surfaces.

I got to make a kick ass tool that cost me nothing. I saw a video on removing main oil seals using a slide hammer. I was dubious, but holy crap it worked!

I just welded a screw to the end of a rod, then welded a bearing to the end to act as a stop. Just hammer the screw into the seal like harpooning a whale, give half a turn, and a couple strokes and bang. Came out perfectly clean with no mars or swear words.

Make sure to punch the screw in toward the outside where the metal rim is there for support. The screw will want to move in toward the shaft, so you want to make sure there is room. You want to pierce the washer portion of the seal.

If I had to make it all over again, I would use a skinnier screw.

First, I slapped a jig together to weld it. All the wood was the exact length. Maybe my luck is turning.

Voila. Seal out.

loudhvx wrote: Here's a video where I got the idea. It worked as easily as the video makes it look. Plus there's some awesome 80's soundtrack, and/or Mentos commercial music, in the background!

The real lazy man's way to remove a seal from the engine is as follows :evil:

1] plug crank case breather
2] start bike and set idle at 1500RPM.
3] go watch a movie

When you return...something...hopefully the seal will be OUT :woohoo:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I never knew the Swiss could smile.

loudhvx, I wish I would have seen your tool years ago. I made one last week and it was so damn easy to pull that miserable oil seal with!

Thanks for the tutorial. The tools is now in my "special tools" box, alongside things like homemade clutch basket holders, a clamp thingy I made to press Yamaha Blaster engine cases back together, etc.

I thought I was discovering a hidden secret with your tool and I emailed the link to a mechanic friend; he replied, sort of laughing at me, saying yeah he has one but his has the words "SNAP-ON" stamped into the chrome....

Always a smart alec.

thanks again. Great handly little tool that only take minutes to make out of spare junk lying around.

:laugh: I wish mine said Snap-On on it.

The only problem I found with mine was to take out a smaller seal, I had to cut the screw off and weld on a smaller screw. At least it didn't cost any money.

Nice solution. I've used screws before but just yanked them with pliers.