Rear Main Seal and Clutch info - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

dcliff1 · 09-24-2003, 05:55

Hello,

Isn't it great when one thing in a car dies, more things decide to follow. I'm leaking oil from my rear main seal and my clutch has a dodgy bearing (it chatters).. soooo I'll need to change the clutch. The prob is I have no idea how to (my mates who helping are) but for my info, can we change the rear main seal when we do the clutch? Hows it all work? Why does engine oil leak near the clutch??

Thanks!

lizard · 09-24-2003, 16:58

If it is the rear main seal leaking it leaks behind the flywheel and doesn't normally leak on to the clutch, so all you have to do is remove the flywheel to gain access(you may have to remove the flywheel to machine it anyway)
Make sure it is your rear main leaking and not your gearbox input seal, sometimes it it hard to tell the difference until you have the gearbox and flywheel removed. One quick way (but not 100% accurate) with the gearbox still in is to check the gearbox oil level, if it is low and you can not see any leaks anywhere else the chances are it is the input seal.

mongrelEB · 09-25-2003, 04:22

Assuming it is the rear main, removal of the flywheel will allow you to access it.

Now because Ford are very clever and obviously have engineers who never actually worked on a car in their lives, you will have to remove the gearbox to change the clutch thrust bearing and rear main, as the bellhousing does not separate. Therefore I suggest undoing the tailshaft from the diff - should just be 4 bolts on the uni. joint - and then supporting the box with a trolley jack while you undo the bolts around the bellhousing into the block.
Then lower the box backwards and you should be able to see how to get at the rest.

If you can't work out the rear main, you might have to lower the sump a little at the back to give yourself room.

Rollin · 09-28-2003, 05:10

Quote:

Now because Ford are very clever and obviously have engineers who never actually worked on a car in their lives, you will have to remove the gearbox to change the clutch thrust bearing and rear main, as the bellhousing does not separate.

erm..do you know something i dont know? last time i checked T5 manuals had a removable bell housing...

on commodores the rear main seal in in an alloy plate that you have to align with the bottom of the block and the crank using special tools. once you remove the plate its stuffed and you need a new one, (and all the coolant and oil in the block pisses out on top of you) at a cost of about $600 if i recall correctly (with a rear main seal that you have to fit to the plate yourself) so stop ya whinging

TEH FALCON CAN NEVAH LOOSE!!

mongrelEB · 09-29-2003, 16:49

The bellhousing is removable, yes, but it doesn't separate, i.e. you take off the bottom half and leave the top half holding up the gearbox.

This is one of the reasons I love my Kingswood. :) But not the 202 that's in it hehe

ebxr8240 · 09-30-2003, 01:05

Ok then how f*ck does the seal fit around the input shaft with g/box still in there. Even if you can get access to it as in G.Ms ???

Rollin · 09-30-2003, 02:04

by fit around do you mean be able to be replaced? its impossible to replace the input shaft seal or the rear main seal with the gearbox in place, as teh input shaft prevents it.

mongrel i still dont follow - from memory the bellhousing is held onto the gearbox by 4 or 6 multi-hex bolts, and the 'split' is vertical as you look at the gearbox from the side, ie not like a VR/VS style setup with the big pressed steel plate at the bottom...

ebxr8240 · 09-30-2003, 02:41

Yes the plate certainly helps fitting clutch's in etc.. But no way with box in there..