Whats involved in a 2013 rmk 800 crank seal change?

[advlars]

Hi there,
Found a used sled in good condition but the owner claims it needs crank seals. Havent laid eyes on it but I should be able to confirm by spraying some starter fluid down by the seals right? How difficult is this project on this specific engine? Ive seen videos of 2 methods (but all on different motors)
Option #1: pull the whole motor, strip it, split cases and rebuild the top end while youre in there.
Option #2: strip the clutch side (and/or mag side) and yank out the seal with a seal puller but without stripping the whole motor. press it back in. Go ride.

Based on time, work space and weather (good for riding, bad for working in the driveway) Im inclined to try #2. My local sled mechanic claims its likely to have other issues and likely to just keep blowing out if I go that route. But of course they want a fortune to fix it "right" and *might* have it done before summer.

Is #2 feasible on this motor? Will it get me through the season and I can do a full rebuild in the spring?
Whats your guestimate for time and $$? Im a good mechanic (done plenty of work on 4strokes and diesels) but new to 2 stroke and sleds in general.

Thanks all

 

[mtncat1]

option 1 is the only option . usually a leaking pto seal is a sign of a bad crank bearing

 

[05rmksteve]

Option 1 and its not always a crank bearing going bad that can take out a seal. Strands from a blown belt can wrap around the pto shaft and get behind the cover plate and take out a seal.

 

[Reg2view]

Cut a deal with the seller if you really like the rest of the sled. If not, keep looking. Don't let him make his problem into yours after you buy the sled. Otherwise, you could check crank runout. If it has lots of miles the primary likely needs to be rebuilt, too. That's a different topic/thread.

 

[advlars]

Thanks for the input guys. Sled was priced appropriately for the damage (or at least close enough to haggle it into range), but it looks like I missed out regardless. If option 1 is the only way it probably isnt the sled for me this season anyway. Ive got a line on another rmk800 through a friend in much better shape. If that one pans out I'll keep you all posted. Cheers!

 

[NapaMatt]

6hr job

 

[tuneman]

Just a note for anyone else that's questioning a crank seal job, you don't always need to pull the top end. (Although, on a Poo it's probably not a bad idea.) Always leak down test first, but you can flip the engine over and crack the cases apart, leaving the top end intact. Been there, done that...