Simmerring - small part of great importance!

Thomas Wachsmuth 8 December 2022 Car repair & tuning guide

Reading time 4 Min.

Shaft seals are generally referred to as Simmerrings. These are intended to protect moving parts, such as the crankshaft, from oil that can escape from the engine. Wear due to age, mechanical influences or incorrect installation of the Simmerring during a previous repair can lead to a leaking Simmerring. You can superficially check whether a Simmerring is defective by removing the engine cover and inspecting the area of the camshaft or crankshaft for visible leaked oil. Today's Simmerrings are equipped with a Teflon lip and are therefore less susceptible than Simmerrings with a rubber lip.

Continue driving with a leaking Simmerring?

If there is already an oil loss due to the defective Simmerring, it is advisable to visit a workshop as soon as possible. Every oil leak carries the risk of one engine damage due to a possible lack of lubrication from the engine. The material of adjacent components of the crankshaft or camshaft, such as toothed belts or V-belts, can also be attacked by the escaping oil. These parts would then also have to be replaced. Incidentally, you are responsible for the environmentally friendly removal of oil stains on the road caused by a dripping car. There are high fines here. Oil loss from the vehicle due to dripping oil is a significant defect and prevents the vehicle from passing the main inspection. However, if there is only a slight "oil sweating", you can usually pass the "TÜV".

Possibilities of repair and the repair costs!

First, the car is subjected to a visual inspection in the workshop. To do this, the corresponding panels are dismantled and the affected area is cleaned if there is a visible oil leak. After a test drive, renewed oil leakage in the previously cleaned areas is checked. If a defective Simmerring is found, it must be replaced. For the spare parts, a material cost of around €10 to €30 is to be expected. The material costs are therefore manageable. The companies Febi Bilstein or Elring are well-known manufacturers in this area, and they are often used. However, the installation is associated with a lot of work, which results in higher costs overall. Depending on which Simmerring needs to be replaced, the installation and material costs can vary significantly. The following Simmerrings can be affected:

Front side:
– Camshaft oil seal
– Crankshaft oil seal
Transmission side:
– Camshaft oil seal
– Crankshaft oil seal

Depending on the vehicle model and the affected Simmerring, you have to reckon with a material usage of 15 € to 250 € and a work commitment of approx. 1 to 4 hours. If the bill is based on an hourly rate of €100, the total costs range between €150 and €1.050. However, if the crankshaft oil seal on the transmission side is leaking, the repair can sometimes take up to 10 hours.

The following note is essential: For safety reasons, tuningblog recommends all repair, inspection and maintenance work exclusively to be carried out in a specialist workshop! Although our information is summarized to the best of our knowledge and belief, we cannot assume any liability for the content. All information is therefore "without guarantee".

Of course, that wasn't the end of it!

In this tuningblog category there are guides and instructions for common defects/repairs on the vehicle and for installing accessories/tuning parts. Our articles explain in a simple way common defects and the corresponding repairs and they also explain how the first signs of a defect become noticeable. In most cases, we also have initial clues to the repair instructions in our repair instructions approximate costs listed. The goal of ourAuto Repair Guide“ is to create a head start in knowledge for the next visit to the workshop with initial tips. This may save you from tedious troubleshooting and you may even be able to do small things yourself. The same applies, of course, to the installation of accessories/tuning parts. Here, too, we would like to help with the implementation with instructions and tips. There are many other posts on this as well. Below is an excerpt of the last and HERE there are all previous instructions.