Just popped in the seal, but I think I may have gone too far! The one I took out was flush with the outside of the case, whereas mine is now 'seated' inside the groove around the crankshaft.... Did I just commit my 'rookie mistake o' the day' ?

All of the ones I have seen and replaced were flush with the boss in the case. Whether pushing it in farther will cause a problem, I don't actually know.

I have, on other cars, moved the seal inwards a tad as the lip on the seal, after many moons, wore a "groove" in the crankshaft. Setting the seal would allow it to leak, so moving the lip inwards or outwards would place the lip in a new place on the crankshaft.

It may be that the replacement seal was a bit thinner than the one you took out, or it wasn't seated in the first place. I haven't used one like that but in a general sense, whether it'll leak depends on the crankshaft surface it runs on and the spec's of the seal.

If the crank is properly smooth then it won't be a problem as long as the seal has the right spring tension, is made of good materials, and has the correct ID.

SLITS is correct, running outside the original groove may be a good thing if the wear-groove is deep because the seal will well... seal better on a flat smooth surface. But if the wear is that far along, the crank may need a machinist's attention internally as well and that's an expensive proposition even when you do it yourself.

Good luck!

I would agree with SLITS on this. I suspect it's not an issue. How much further in is the seal? Are we talking 1/16"? I have an old case outside that I will look at if need be.

Many manufacturer's allow extra space to move a seal out of "the groove zone" of the crank and even state so in service manuals. I have seen this wording for front wheel hubs as well. I have also seen custom seals made that are thinner, designed to go in further to avoid the existing groove.

I suspect it's no issue at all but can't guarantee that without looking.

Can you post a picture?

The top of the seal is 5.5mm from being 'flush'. I'm not sure if it matters, but the new seal is from Viktor Reinz, and appears to be of the same dimensions.

Pictures in a moment!

I would also imagine that it should be fine unless the inner 'lip' of the seal is crushed up against the inner surface of the crank and can't make a seal on the crank's surface.

Perhaps Jake Raby will chime in with his words of wisdom!

OK, my early case and parts are buried. I'm working on a 2.7 and I must say that after looking at it I would probably yank the seal and replace it. The groove from the old seal is very close to the flange of the crank that controls crank thrust. At least on the 2.7 that I have, 5mm would shove the seal lip into the radius of the thrust flange and cause problems. No telling if your case is the same but most likely is. After looking I wouldn't chance it for a $10.00 seal

Anyway, this observance is based on a 2.7 YMMV

Thanks guys! I'll reposition/replace it, and make sure it's in a slightly different location than last time to avoid the 'groove' in the crankshaft.

The chance of "moving it" is slim to none without destroying it. If it moves easy enough to relocate, it's in too loose. If it's tight, I typically drill a small hole in it and screw in a sheet metal screw. You can then pry on the head to get it out. Make sure you clean the area well of any chips before reassembly.

Good luck!