rear main
coronado gold
06-16-2005, 10:27 AM
How hard is it to change the rope seal in this http://firstgenfirebird.org/show/closeup.mv?carid=580
MrPbody
06-16-2005, 11:59 AM
Well, it's no picnic! The pan must come out. That's "doable" in the early 'birds. You must remove the distributor, and loosen the motor mounts from the subframe. Putting a jack with a 1x3 under the pan rail on one side or the other. Jack the engine up until it hits the firewall. Jack it up a bit more...
The pan will slip out (not without a bit of cussing and maybe a bit of bleeding). Remove the rear cap. NOTE: It would be easier at this juncture to loosen ALL the mains, so the crank has a bit of play. While pushing on the remnants of the old seal, rotate the crank slowly. Once you get about 1/4" of the seal exposed, grab it with some needle-nose pliers, and again, while turning the crank, pull the old seal out.
Get a new Viton seal from BOP Engineering. Using a bit of Permatex Aviation (sealer) on the back of it, slide it in using the crank rotation as the main vehicle. Follow the instructions in the seal package, to put the bottom half in the cap. Bolt it all back together, making sure to use a good torque wrench to tighten the caps.
Be aware, this is a "spotty" repair, as success is not automatic. You might find it more reliable, and a bit easier except for time, to pull the engine and do it on a stand. It works best when you can remove the crank.
Avoid using another rope seal. With the Viton seal available, it's the only logical choice.
The pan will slip out (not without a bit of cussing and maybe a bit of bleeding). Remove the rear cap. NOTE: It would be easier at this juncture to loosen ALL the mains, so the crank has a bit of play. While pushing on the remnants of the old seal, rotate the crank slowly. Once you get about 1/4" of the seal exposed, grab it with some needle-nose pliers, and again, while turning the crank, pull the old seal out.
Get a new Viton seal from BOP Engineering. Using a bit of Permatex Aviation (sealer) on the back of it, slide it in using the crank rotation as the main vehicle. Follow the instructions in the seal package, to put the bottom half in the cap. Bolt it all back together, making sure to use a good torque wrench to tighten the caps.
Be aware, this is a "spotty" repair, as success is not automatic. You might find it more reliable, and a bit easier except for time, to pull the engine and do it on a stand. It works best when you can remove the crank.
Avoid using another rope seal. With the Viton seal available, it's the only logical choice.
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