2.25 liter Rear Main Seal Install

Looking for a bit of instruction on installing the rear seal on my Series 2A engine. I have heard that you can use 2 gap tools to start the T seals into the block. Would you use the finer/thinner blades or the thicker ones. I also saw where one person fashioned their own wedges like the factory used. How have you all successfully installed yours?

Secondly, am I correct in thinking that after you slide the rear main bearing cap down, you then push the circular seal with the spring inside forward then install the two seal halves over that?

I don't want to screw up the seals and have to order replacements cause I did something stupid.

Thanks,
Mike

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Originally Posted by IronMike

I also saw where one person fashioned their own wedges like the factory used.

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That's the way I did it.

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Originally Posted by IronMike

How have you all successfully installed yours?

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Well, I can tell you wat DIDN'T work for me, though others have had success--The strips of aluminum cut from a beer can method. The aluminum wasn't strong enough to resist distorting under the outward pressure of the cork t-seal. I really mangled them. Maybe I should have used a Foster's can...

Doing the seal with the beer can method is very fidgety and you should plan on ripping one of the seals unless you have some luck on your side. There is a wedge tool for this but as you can see I didn't have it on hand at the time.

Hope this helps:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Mw8MF8Gu0DU/S0...Gasket%201.JPG

I just finished putting in new seals last week. I used two long feeler gauges that let me choose the optimum thickness. The seals slid right in. The feeler gauges are much tougher that the beer can method.

BTW, still trying to mate the trans to the engine. What a pain in the you know what. Even the alignment tool has not made it any easier!!! Hope you have better luck with that task!

Bob

When you get jammed up trying to slide the transmission back in, I find it is best to stop what you are doing, add some support so the transmission doesn't fall of bend anything and then walk away. When I come back to it, it always seems to just slide right on in. Don't ask me how. ;)

So I guess you would use a feeler gauge thicker than a beer can but not the thickest. As for the other seal that has the spring, that is pinched by the two half circle seals that are bolted in?

I think I read a 0.030" was the size recommended

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Originally Posted by IronMike

So I guess you would use a feeler gauge thicker than a beer can but not the thickest. As for the other seal that has the spring, that is pinched by the two half circle seals that are bolted in?

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Not necessarily thicker, just more rigid. The only goal is to protect the t-seals from being damaged by the sharp edge of the engine block. There's really not much of a side-to-side gap to fit thicker material in at all.

Sorry--Can't help with the other seal. The 2.5 uses a different setup. Perhaps someone else can address this.

I tried feeler gauges too but couldn't get them to work too well. I also tried a couple of different cans and it just seemed like the bud cans were the thinnest material on hand. Not that this means anything about the contents of the can. Ha! :p

There is a right tool for this job and I think someone on the Guns and Rovers board has it handy. Maybe our hosts have to? It basically bolts on the edges where the cap slides in and gives the seal a softer edge to cross. Think of them as little door stops set at about 45 degrees or so.

The round seal, if that is what you are talking about, should just tap into position after the cap is in place. I don't remember doing that one so either it was real easy or my 2.5 engine doesn't have it either. :sly:

I simply slide the round seal around the crank, undid the spring and rehooked after placing it inside the rubber seal. I then carefully installed the top half of the seal holder and slid then lower up into place. I did not fully tighten the bolts until every thing seemed to be in place. With the bolts loose it was easy to make it all fit.

BTW I still have not mated the transmission to the engine. Seems that I was not quite paying attention to how far the alignment tool went into the clutch and flywheel.

Got so ticked off that i pulled everything to the flywheel and found the the newly purchased flywheel bushing would not fit over the transmission spline. I had to use a dremel to grind down the inside diameter so it would fit. Next time i dry fit everything.

Hope it goes together tomorrow!