Question about front main seal.

The mating surface is NOT the knurled part. Otherwise it would start leaking right away. You can see the sealing surface in the picture the OP posted. I put mine together without a sleeve twenty years ago and it doesn't leak. I didn't know about a sleeve back then.

 

He used the factory balancer and so far no leaks!

 

What seal? Rubber/nitrile type or rope?

 

You will more than likely get away with the seal riding right at the edge of the serrations. Done it many times. The sleeve provides extra insurance, not sure why your guy is afraid of it.

Aftermarket covers move the seal forward, and miss the serrations all together. Just make sure the smooth area in front of the serrations on the balancer hub is in good shape.

JW

 

John I believe the seal is the rubber type. I bought a seal kit from TA.
Jim the mechanic and a friend who works on Buicks both don't like the sleeves. They both said they are cheap and are a pain to get on and if not done correctly can cause a leak itself.

 

Ya, I understand that.. there are some sleeves out there in the aftermarket that have no lip on them, and they are more challenging to install.
But the sleeve pictured on this page from BOP is simple.. has a nice flange on it that goes toward the balancer, and an installation tool.. really easy to install..

https://www.bopengineering.com/buick_v8.shtml

JW