My front oil seal has been leaking for a while. I'm going to pull the front cover soon to replace it. I'm also going to put in an FC3S oil pellet and an RB underdrive pulley. What other parts do I need for this project? Do you have any helpful hints? I tried getting the main pulley off before and just couldn't do it no matter what. The rear tires would spin even in gear with the rear of the car on the ground trying to break loose the pulley.



Thanks in advance for your help here.



chris

 

I just hit my eccentric shaft bolt with the impact gun til it came loose. I think I had to bolt some steel stock to the pulley though with the steel pressed against the ground keeping the eccentric shaft from turning.... you won't be able to break it loose just putting it in gear if it's over torqued, the damper springs in the clutch disc and other dampening factors in the driveline (rubber mounts, slop etc) will take up too much of the energy... you need to brace the eccentric shaft some how, either by bolting something to the front pulley or using something to wedge against the flywheel through the inspection hole on the back of the engine.

 

I'll have to rent an impact gun then because this thing is not coming off! I used a 1/2" breaker bar with a long extension and thats all I have. I didn't realize there was an inspection hole for the flywheel. Thanks for the advice.



Is there anything else I should replace when I do the front seal??

 

When you put it back on you will have to address the oil O-ring because it is a S4. Mazdatrix suggests not using a gasket and the hard plastic ring, but just using the O-ring and some sealant. Thats the way I did mine and it has been good for 3000+ miles. Mazdatrix O-ring

 

I've done it before with a 'breaker bar' (8 foot steel pipe on a 1/2" rachet), it was pretty easy with all my weight at the end of it but... you really have to make sure you have teh eccentric shaft braced, using the drivetrain won't work especially using a breaker bar, since you're not applying large bursts of torque like an impact gun... you just end up compressing the dampers in the clutch etc



BTW, make sure you have the clutch pedal down (this fact also makes using the drivetrain totally impossible since it won't be engaged with it down) this keeps the torrington bearing from falling off the spacer... I suppse you could leave the clutch engaged til the bolt is broken loose but you still have the dampers so you're better off just bracing the eccentric shaft either at the pulley bolts or the flywheel like i mentioned before.



Another method I've heard mentioned but never tried myself, is to pull the EGI fuse, put your breaker bar on the bolt and brace it against something like the frame or ground, butted nicely against it... then turn the ingition key to start... using the starter motor torque to break it loose.... just use short bursts so you don't take it completely out this way, just use it to loosen the bolt. should work if yer battery and starter are up for the task.

 

that works, just be carful doing it. and eventually ull need a new starter