If you're ever in a pinch for finding something that will install a seal (in this case it was the front crank seal for my /97 Legacy 2.2 SOHC) you might find THIS (http://www.geocities.com/gvcache/si.html) helpful.

I needed to install the front crank seal on my '97 Subaru Legacy 2.2 SOHC. There isn't much room between the radiator and the end of the crank shaft and I did'nt have the professional installation tool(s) to do the job. Furthermore, I don't own a set of sockets that would even come close having a size suitable for using as a makeshift installer. My local home service center had what I needed to make something that would work and it worked so well that I wanted to share the idea with those who might find themselves in a similar situation. BEFORE DOING ANY WORK BETWEEN THE RADIATOR AND THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE, I PLACED A PIECE OF PLYWOOD (CUT TO SIZE) BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND THE RADIATOR TO PROTECT THE DELICATE RADIATOR COOLING FINS.

This seal installer was made to install the front crank seal on the '97 Subaru 2.2 SOHC engine.
The parts for the installer include the end of a length of flared PVC pipe, cut to length so that when the seal is seated the interior of the installer still has enough clearance to accomodate the length of the protruding shaft and doesn't make contact with the shaft at any point.
I used 1 1/2" ID pipe, which has a flare end about 1 3/4" ID, for this job.
After cutting the piece to length, the cap was glued into place to complete the job.

I found that I had to slightly chamfer the flared end of the PVC pipe to ensure that it follows the seal into the cavity and fully seats it into position. A sanding drum on the drill press or a belt sander handles this job nicely.

I found that it was also important to square the cut edge of the PVC pipe so that the end cap, when glued on, fit as squarely as possible.

The finished seal installer doesn't have to be painted, of course. I just think it looks better in the tool cabinet when it's painted.


ADDITIONAL NOTES: I used PVC for this one but there are other choices (i.e. ABS) that might better fit the intended use.