New here..Been researching a ranger I had to rebuild and this forum as been a ton of help so far, so hoping you guys can answer one more question for me.

The machine is a 2005 Ranger 700XP. After rebuilding it from top to bottom, I also ended up having to replace the water pump mechanical seal (OEM) and the oil pump seal (aftermarket). Finally got it back together and noticed a slow leak of oil out of the weep hole. I know slow leaks generally lead to faster leaks so I would prefer to fix it right away..

Anyways, when I put the oil seal in, I remember tapping it in a little deeper than flush with the case accidentally, and I'm curious if thats the reason its leaking, or if that doesn't matter and its possibly a faulty seal. I've seen articles/posts that say the seal should be driven in almost as far as it can go while still keeping the weep hole open, and I see others that say it shouldn't be driven in any deeper than flush with the case. Think it matters as long as the weep hole it still open?

Also, can I get away with taking that mag case off and replacing the oil seal without replacing the water pump seal ($50) again?

Thank you!

 

Could be a faulty aftermarket seal. I always just had the lip flush with the case like in the picture. Same place as where the oem seals were when I removed them. Drive it a little and see if it stops dripping. If you have to replace it I'd get the oem seal.IF you're careful you can save the water pump seal and cover gasket if it's still in good shape.

 

Thank you for the reply OPT. I'm definitely going to drive it for a little while and see what happens. Its a pretty slow leak, so its not like I'm going to run it out of oil or anything like that.

I saw someone else mention on another site that if the seal isnt driven in PAST flush and as close to the water pump seal as possible, the oil pump will tear the seal up - ever seen anything like that?

I'm guessing that the leaking I have going on is probably a product of a faulty seal rather than from me tapping it in a little past flush - but I just want to be safe and make sure I do it correctly when I put it back together..getting kinda tired of working on this thing! If I do end up having to replace it, I will definitely go with OEM parts.

 

Well I ordered new seals and have them on the way, so I pulled that cover off tonight so I'm ready when the seals get here, and this is what I find....





I guess that pretty much answers why its leaking.

What can I do when I put it back together to ensure that this doesnt happen again (since I can't see if it happens or not due to it being behind that water pump seal). A little lube on the water/oil pump shaft? Oil or something like WD-40?

 

The manuals stress NO grease on the seals but this is where I've always disagreed. This may or may not have stopped the garter spring from flipping out and causing seal damage, but I used a thin film of seal grease which is a very fine grease that most suspension techs use on seals when rebuilding forks and shocks.You can probably find this at some auto places and definitely online.We used large containers,but small tubes are out there also.

 

Sounds good. I don't think the damage was due to the spring flipping out, but the oil pump shaft gripping to the inner lip of the seal and curling it backwards. I didn't put any lube on the shaft because like you said, the manual specifically states not to. I will try to find some seal grease before I put it back together, but if not, would just a little coating of motor oil be ok on the shaft?

 

Oil as a last resort..Seal grease is slicker than snot and works great. Just a small dab on the finger tip is all you need to lightly coat the inner portion of the seal.If seals don't leak on high pressure nitrogen filled shock rebuilds using this grease,any crank case pressure from the engine isn't enough to cause problems.