It's only necessary to lift the crankshaft a little to relieve the pressure on the seal. Then a Lisle "Sneaky Pete" kit can be used to remove the old seal and install a new one. I'd choose the "Best Gasket" seal, either the rope or the new lip seal they introduced recently. They're expensive, but they seem to work well. When the old style rope seals with the asbestos fibers became unavailable, replacing that style of seal became a pretty risky process with frequent failures.
Jerry
