Well, last night was productive, seeing the installation of new valve cover gaskets, new water pump, and a new thermostat. Next up are
rear main seal
front crank seal
cam seals
cam caps
I have a few questions:
rear main seal - I've read that I drill a small pilot hole in the middle of it and pull it out with a hook. However, I'm guessing that is' in there pretty tight. Can I do anything to prep it to improve my chance for success? Last thing I want is to drill a hole, then try to pull it out and just pull through the rubber. Then I have a ruined seal and no idea how to get it out.
front crank seal - do I have to pull the oil pump to get to it? Or can I just pull part #16 in the below diagram?
cam seals - I'm assuming that I have to remove the cam pulleys to replace these. So, since my reference marks for the timing belt are on the pulleys, are the pulleys keyed so that when I put them back on, everything is in the same orientation in relation to the actual cams?
cam caps - do these just pry/pull off? I didn't want to get too aggressive if that's not how they work, but it seems like they should just pop off.
I'm gonna go search some more for answers, but if you have the knowledge and would be willing to share, I'd definitely appreciate it!! Thanks.