2006 Crankcase Qustion

[LINK1951]

Hi all! I have a problem. It goes like this:
Last month I had the crankcase seal,water pump, timing belt, alternator belt and power steering-air conditioner belt replaced. No problems at that time. Well just a few days ago I had a chirping nose and took it back. Was told no problem just have to tighten the belts. Well then I get a call. It needs a new tensioner! Then 3 hours later I am told crank seal is starting to leak again. (1700 miles since new seal was replaced.) Said my crankcase had at least 1/4" play in it.
Now mind you my car purr's. No noise at all. My real question is this! Wouldn't I hear some kind of bearing noise if it was that bad? Is this a common problem on the 2.4 non turbo's?
Any advice at this time would be great.
Thanks all!

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome.
Where did you take it for timing belt replacement?
There is a new model belt tensioner that is recommended when belt is replaced (along with water pump).
Discuss this with where you had it done.
I have not heard of other crankshaft seals leaking - I'm not saying it never happens, but I'm on several PT Forums, so I can say it sure isn't common.

[slartyblarfast]

That kind of endplay has been know to happen. What happened is the thrust bearing surface has been damaged. It allows the crank to move and push out the seal. It's not common but has happened enough that I have seen 3 or 4 do it. If you are lucky you can get away with a crank kit. New crank, and bearings. Sounds like that's all you need. Do you have Powertrain warranty? If so it should be covered.

[LINK1951]

I want to thank you both for getting back to me.
I took my car to a local garage that I have used occasionally over the years that is just 2 miles from my home. They are of course new owners. No mention of the new type of parts for either. Just am stumped that they never saw the tensionor bad or that the crank had 1/4" play in it the first time.
My big question is how can a crankshaft have so much play in any direction and yet they is no engine sound of any kind with bearings. The Cruiser sounds beautiful. Purr's ever so quietly. Just really has me confused. I never heard of anything like this in the 40 years I have had a vehicle.
As for tearing down this engine, if I must remove it, I plan on installing a remanufactured engine. I will do it myself. I just paid $1400 for the two repairs and I figure that's enough. At least to a second party. The engine alone will cost me $2400 including core charge. That includes free shipping and they arrange at their cost to ship the core.
Again thank you to you both. I know now that I joined the right forum. God Bless!

[ChefTank]

I just replaced the crank case harmonizer and seal on my wifes cars. We knew it was bad because the wheel was carving into the crankcase housing. If the crank shaft had anyplay there will be PLENTY of noise... It sounded like she threw a rod!

I'm glad you got it fixed/are happy but i would befriend a mechanic or not go back to the previous shop





Josh

[LINK1951]

Josh,
I don't ever plan on going back to that place again! I am going to have another mech take a look at it though.
I agree that I should really be able to hear rod or bearing noise at idle or when I rev the engine. I can tell you now that I get neither. She purr's nicely!!
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated at this end.

[slartyblarfast]

The reason it doesn't make noise is that the bearing only keeps the crank from moving back and forth. It doesn't loosen up going around causing excess clearance that causes noise. Does that make sense? I have worked on 3 or 4 that did the same thing that never made a sound and the only way anybody knew there was a problem was the MASSIVE oil leak when the seal pushed out.
Don't be so quick to bad mouth the repair shop. It's not a common problem and unless you know Chrysler and know that that is what causes the crank seal to leak then it's not something you look for. This is why I say ALWAYS take your vehicle to a dealership for repairs. A decent dealership would have seen the problem and told you. Yes you may pay a little more for repairs, but you get an OEM trained mechanic that knows your engine inside and out. That goes for any make of vehicle.
Chef, your harmonic balancer came apart which is what caused your problem. The balancer and pulley are seperated by a layer of rubber. If that comes unbonded then you get that problem. It's a very rare problem. I have worked on cars for 8-9 years and have only seen that happen maybe 2 or 3 times and I don't remember ever seeing it happen on a PT motor.
As far as the tensioner going bad... I have seen that happen after repairs. What happens is that the tensioner works in a very small range. You move it out of that range when you replace the belt. You have to release the tension. When it goes back together sometimes the spring can break or the tensioner can sieze. I don't know if you have ever seen a serpentine belt running, especially when the A/C runs. The tensioner will move quite a bit. The 3.7 v6 in the Jeep Liberty is VERY bad about that.