Merc 350 lower crank seals

[solitaire]

Some may say "Not this old chesnut again", Iv'e been to sleep once or twice since I took my 1966 Merc 350 apart and have forgotten the correct fittment - There are two seals one has two little bleed holes the other has none. I am thinking the top seal - (nearest the bearing) has no holes - then there is the hole in the casing to allow the bottom bearing excess to leak down. then the bottom seal to allow the drains to escape! - is that correct?? - Couldn't the holes in the lower seal let water into the engine via the crank drain hole in the casting??
So much written on Johns od Merc site - its gets confusing for an ol boy.......... Does anyone have a clear answer (or better still a manual I can borrow)

[Alacrity]

The seal with the hole goes at the bottom as I understand it for the reason you state. I can see if I have a manual at home that covers it, my manuals here don't but I believe I may have one at home.

Make sure you get the seals the correct way round as well - I don't what is correct as some models seem to have the seals the opposite way round? In my manual dated approx 1978 it says for the 402 "press seal into end cap with of seal towards roller bearing" & for the big 4 (80/85hp) & six cyl it says "lip of seal is installed towards the outside of the cylinder block" Bearing in mind they are all versions of the same thing - the 80/85 is two thirds of a six & the 402 one third, it very confusing. It matters though as Floater will testify .

I will check tonight providing no one comes up with a definitive answer today.

[solitaire]

Many thanks - i will wait to see if you, or anyone else comes up with an answer - but can just remember the seal direction - especially after floater's expierience
flat face of seal to top - spring and lips to bottom to stop exhaust pressure and water ingress - it's just he damn holes - which by the way Mercury charge about 10 squid for......so, - better to buy two seals (26-41953) without holes and "drill your own", - even the original merc ones - with and without holes, have the same number stamped on them - but are sold under a different number.
A manual will be useful for torque figures - but the principle ones I need are big end's, flywheel , exhaust water jacket, cyl head water tacket.

Cheers Geoff

[Rapier]

Neither of the three manuals (pre '65 you have, post '65 to 72 and an '84 40hp) is specific enough to detail which is which. Both the early ones deal with generic hp FGS 2 pots. Here's the torque spec sheet tho'.

[Alacrity]

I'm a 100% certain the one with the hole goes in the bottom - although they did away with that hole on later models (seems to defeat the object of having a metal clad seal there in the 1st place to me anyway ) but they may have modified the oil scavenge system at the same time.