ALH Rear main seal question

[pkhoury]

I know there's an old thread on this, but the pictures don't come up.

Is this the correct orientation of the plastic guide for a rear main on an ALH?





I had some issues getting it on, and found small imperfections in the seal as noted below. This was my spare RMS. I have another one arriving tomorrow, so if it's more prudent to start over and get it right, I can.

 

[oilhammer]

That is the correct orientation, yes.

And dude.... WEAR SOME GLOVES!!!

 

[pkhoury]

That is the correct orientation, yes.

And dude.... WEAR SOME GLOVES!!!

I presume it takes time to get used to loss of tactile perception?

I've looked into some fingerloss gloves, but my fingers still get dirty. Otherwise, I'd be changing nitrile gloves about every 3-5 minutes.

 

[oilhammer]

Been wearing good nitrile gloves for over 20 years now, I cannot imagine not using them at this point. So much nicer having nice clean smooth hands.

There are some pretty crappy gloves out there, though. I probably go through a half dozen pair in a day, just depends on the job.

 

[csstevej]

Yeah I wouldn’t use that seal…. Don’t want to do that job twice…..

 

[JETaah]

Been wearing good nitrile gloves for over 20 years now, I cannot imagine not using them at this point. So much nicer having nice clean smooth hands.

There are some pretty crappy gloves out there, though. I probably go through a half dozen pair in a day, just depends on the job.

That works when your environment permits it.
I work in a space that is not air conditioned in the summer. If I wear gloves, sweat will pour out of them in a minute or two and it’s really uncomfortable.
So I go gloveless when it is warm.
I try to pack waterless hand cleaner into the cuticles and finger nails to keep other substances from soaking in. Better than nothing but it is truly a drag.
Cooler weather is cool with me. Always wear them then.
Then there is cold weather…also a drag.

 

[oilhammer]

Yeah, I work in heat too. Even our "air conditioned" shop struggles to get down to 80 on really hot days. Usually at my work station it is more around 85. Although ownership recently changed, and the new owner seems far less stingy and may actually have a system installed that works properly.

 

[pkhoury]

Yeah, I work in heat too. Even our "air conditioned" shop struggles to get down to 80 on really hot days. Usually at my work station it is more around 85. Although ownership recently changed, and the new owner seems far less stingy and may actually have a system installed that works properly.

I summer from hyperhidrosis, so an 80 degree shop? That's like a dream to me. When I pulled the transmission, I think it was down to the low 90s, after almost 3 straight months of 100+? I guess my clutch fork at least cracked/bent on the right week (sadly).

But wow - an airconditioned shop. One can only dream...

 

[pkhoury]

That works when your environment permits it.
I work in a space that is not air conditioned in the summer. If I wear gloves, sweat will pour out of them in a minute or two and it’s really uncomfortable.
So I go gloveless when it is warm.
I try to pack waterless hand cleaner into the cuticles and finger nails to keep other substances from soaking in. Better than nothing but it is truly a drag.
Cooler weather is cool with me. Always wear them then.
Then there is cold weather…also a drag.

Not only that for me, but if I'm sweating on my hands, by that point, I'm drenched everywhere else. I'll be changing t-shirts at the same rates as gloves. I think my record is 14 or 15 t-shirts for doing about 6-7 hours of work in Houston. And I honestly didn't bring enough t-shirts. So much sweating, that I could literally wring out the sweat. I also wish I brought extra shorts, boxers and socks, but yeah, I didn't think that far ahead. I think I looked up the heat index well after the fact and it was like 115-125...

 

[JETaah]

Not only that for me, but if I'm sweating on my hands, by that point, I'm drenched everywhere else. I'll be changing t-shirts at the same rates as gloves. I think my record is 14 or 15 t-shirts for doing about 6-7 hours of work in Houston. And I honestly didn't bring enough t-shirts. So much sweating, that I could literally wring out the sweat. I also wish I brought extra shorts, boxers and socks, but yeah, I didn't think that far ahead. I think I looked up the heat index well after the fact and it was like 115-125...

Been a hell of a rough year for you folks.

 

[pkhoury]

Been a hell of a rough year for you folks.

You're telling me. It's prompted me to make an appointment with my dermatologist to see what my options are to permanently zap away some sweat glands. I see other people working all the time in this heat, even in the shade, but I consistently overheat, despite soaking all my clothes, and life just sucks. Who knows how next year is going to be. I've put off a lot of car work because of the heat, or just waited until it was 11pm and worked until sunrise.

 

[pkhoury]

Been wearing good nitrile gloves for over 20 years now, I cannot imagine not using them at this point. So much nicer having nice clean smooth hands.

There are some pretty crappy gloves out there, though. I probably go through a half dozen pair in a day, just depends on the job.

I've used gloves before, but the sweating problem aside, my tactile feedback isn't that great, so I just opt to get my hands dirty and use plenty of borax. Even my shampoo does a good job getting rid of most of the nastiness. The majority of my professional mechanic friends use gloves, but nobody's really given me crap for it before, as it's all individual preference. I think Brian both did and didn't use gloves, depending on what we were doing.

 

[Zak99b5]

Any rough work, and I wear mechanic/work gloves.

If I need to feel, off they come.

I tried nitrile gloves, but they just are too clingy, sweaty, and uncomfortable. Plus they tear.

I wish I could wear them though, because my fingernails are always dirty. Like I need to clean them at least once a day, even not working on a car.

 

[Nuje]

I saw all the techs at my VW dealer using these orange pebbled gloves...so I asked the parts guy what they use.
He brought in a box for me - Wurth brand, roughly $1/pr ($50 for a 100pk). Instead of going through a pair every five minutes before one ripped, I recently got through a whole transmission / clutch R&R on one pair. Remarkably durable.

Of course, once spring/summer hit and I had water (sweat) literally streaming out of them within 30min, I went back to dirty hands and GoJo hand cleaner.

 

[oilhammer]

You guys must all have some really overactive sweat glands in your hands, LOL.... I mean, I'm not one to miss any meals, so I sweat like a nun in a whorehouse, but not my hands.

 

[pkhoury]

You guys must all have some really overactive sweat glands in your hands, LOL.... I mean, I'm not one to miss any meals, so I sweat like a nun in a whorehouse, but not my hands.

I only sweat on my hands if I'm wearing gloves. My problem is my forehead, torso, groin, and armpits. Like if it's really hot, I'm sweating to the point of dripping on the ground worse than a BAD rear main with the engine running. Or I guess sweating like an evap on a hot humid day.

 

[pkhoury]

I saw all the techs at my VW dealer using these orange pebbled gloves...so I asked the parts guy what they use.
He brought in a box for me - Wurth brand, roughly $1/pr ($50 for a 100pk). Instead of going through a pair every five minutes before one ripped, I recently got through a whole transmission / clutch R&R on one pair. Remarkably durable.

Of course, once spring/summer hit and I had water (sweat) literally streaming out of them within 30min, I went back to dirty hands and GoJo hand cleaner.

I personally opt for Borax. Works well for me, and I'm used to having soiled hands anyways, between the truck, tractors and cars.
Now for larger tools, like hand tools or working on the tractor, leather gloves work just fine.

 

[csstevej]

In gloves I’ll sweat , like a whore In church, it will be running down my arms if working overhead ,but not so much without them. Only good thing is , if your hands have dirt ground in , wear the gloves and sweat …..it will clean the ground in dirt quite well ….

 

[JETaah]

In gloves I’ll sweat , like a whore In church, it will be running down my arms if working overhead ,but not so much without them. Only good thing is , if your hands have dirt ground in , wear the gloves and sweat …..it will clean the ground in dirt quite well ….

Yup overhead is the worst.
Sometimes I’ll baby powder my hands to make it easier to get the gloves on. They’ll still sweat, though.

 

[csstevej]

I’ve tied rags around my wrists to keep water from running down my arms.
Also use a clean rag and make a bandanna for my head , and that works pretty well.

 

[burpod]

i gave up on gloves a long time ago. i try to use them sometimes if i'm dealing with some messy fueling lines wehre i know i'll get fuel on my hands but have little chance of the gloves ripping within 2 minutes. if i were working in a shop every day, not sure what i would do. for the amount of work i do, i pretty much just skip the gloves. sweaty, and then inevitably just rip right away somehow so what's the point

 

[jmodge]

I try not to work hard enough to sweat

 

[pkhoury]

Yup overhead is the worst.
Sometimes I’ll baby powder my hands to make it easier to get the gloves on. They’ll still sweat, though.

OMG, I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE baby powder and talc powder. Hate the smell and hate the texture. I'll take nasty dark colored greasy hands any day over talc/baby powder.

 

[pkhoury]

i gave up on gloves a long time ago. i try to use them sometimes if i'm dealing with some messy fueling lines wehre i know i'll get fuel on my hands but have little chance of the gloves ripping within 2 minutes. if i were working in a shop every day, not sure what i would do. for the amount of work i do, i pretty much just skip the gloves. sweaty, and then inevitably just rip right away somehow so what's the point

True story - when I bought my first trailer, I had to use the administrative assistant's pen. She had on Pic-N-Save/Big Lots perfume and it was NASTY. Washing my hands three times wouldn't remove the smell that transferred from her pen. When I went to fill up diesel, I poured some on my hands, and even that only got rid of the smell for like 10 minutes, before it came back.

Yeah, I forgot about gloves ripping! XL is sometimes a tad too big, and L gloves ALWAYS rip on me.

 

[STDOUBT]

Guys there are all kinds of alternatives for gloves out there. Thing is the hydrocarbons and etc. will get into your system.
Supposedly cancer risk with that.
I don't have the sweat problem but I'll go through a pair of nitrile every hour or so.
There's this stuff called "gloves in a bottle" that imparts a hard to wash off protective layer - at least try it out (ffs).

 

[P2B]

Guys there are all kinds of alternatives for gloves out there. Thing is the hydrocarbons and etc. will get into your system.
Supposedly cancer risk with that.
I don't have the sweat problem but I'll go through a pair of nitrile every hour or so.
There's this stuff called "gloves in a bottle" that imparts a hard to wash off protective layer - at least try it out (ffs).

Product does not claim any protection from hydrocarbon absorption.

 

[STDOUBT]

Well, if grease comes off your skin easier when using that stuff, it stands to reason you'd at least be absorbing less into your skin than without it.

 

[fatmobile]

So that plastic guide is supposed to go over the end of the crank?
So the seal lip won't flip when it's installed?

Then doesn't he have it on backwards?
Top picture looks like the "cup" is on the outside.

I use a sour cream container for the old Rabbit seals and I think the TDI is the same size.

 

[Nuje]

Whoa - what's with the on-topic post there?!

Seriously, though - every Elring RMS I've got has had the install sleeve situated as shown in original photos. I *think* itthe sleeve is slightly wider at the crank side so that as it gets pushed off, it stretches-but-not-really the lip so that it doesn't roll.

 

[03Golfer]

On the glove topic (maybe thread name should be changed at this point ) I often use barrier cream. Wurth makes some, or Rath's PR88. I find when nitrile gloves get wet with gasoline for extended periods, my hands burn like crazy. Doesn't happen with just straight gas and no gloves. But I usually go with the barrier cream for a little more protection. If you sweat a lot it will kind of melt off, but enough stays absorbed that it is much easier to get the grease out when you do wash your hands.