TR2/3/3A Rear main seal TR3

[fad64b]

I am planning to change to a five speed gearbox and do the swap without removing the engine. My question is can the rear oil seal be easly changed once the transmission and flywheel are removed?? My engine runs well so I don't want to tear it down..

 

[Tinkerman]

Yes I guess you could but then you need to turn the engine over to install the rear main seal. Just a whole bunch easier to do with the engine out. You have to stuff special felt seals soaked in wellseal down the side of the rear main seal. I'm not sure that you can get the bottom half of the seal out with the crank in the engine. You have to pull the oil pan to get at the rear main seal. If your engine runs well why tinker with the rear main seal?

Lot of different thoughts in that paragraph but the upshot of it all that the rear main seal is a son of a gun to install, you have to have an allignment tool and get it all alligned without the crank in it. So I guess I'm back to my original thought, that you can't do it with the engine in the car.

Good luck, now that I have totally confused you, heh. If you would like to discuss this further PM me.

Regards, Tinkerman

 

[Don Elliott]

If it ain't broke, why do you want to "fix" it ? You might make it worse !

 

[Banjo]

TR3s don't have an actual seal for the rear main. It's a two piece finely machined aluminum "seal" that has very close tolerances.and the crank has a spiral groove machined in it that throws the oil back into the sump while the engine is running. even when everything is perfect it WILL leak when at rest.
the modern seal conversion kit offered by many suppliers cannot be done on the car either.the crankshaft has to be machined, so that means the crank has to be removed.
If you remove one or both the halves of the original type seal, then it is really needs to be re-aligned using the proper alignment tool (again with the crank out)
So if your issue is the small drip that happens while the car is sitting, it's normal. any attempt to correct it is going to require the crank to be removed.

 

[fad64b]

I was thinking while I had it apart I would try to eliminate the oil leak.. HOW DID THE BRITS RULE THE SEA, and can't build a car that does not leak!!!

 

[NickMorgan]

Our ships don't leak, and it doesn't matter if the cars do -they won't sink!

 

[martx-5]

British cars all leak their stuff out...that's not the same as leaking in! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif

 

[Banjo]

Rule of thumb on an LBC. If it ain't leaking, ya better check the fluids!
Layland tried to diversify thier product line in the 80s by building personal computers, but they coulden't figure out how to make them leak oil.

 

[Banjo]

oh yea, forgot to mention. when you remove the tranny, you'll notice the bellhousing has a hole with a bent cotter pin through it in the bottom. that's to let the oil that leaks past the rear main to get out. the cotter pin keeps the hole from getting plugged up. It would be a good idea to make sure your new tranny has a similar provision.

 

[Geo Hahn]

My understanding was that the cotter pin was meant to close off the hole when the car was idle, then jiggle as you ride along letting any accumulated oil leak on the road. No idea if that works as mine has no cotter pin.

 

[Banjo]

possible Geo, but the pin dosen't seal the hole up very well. I've never seen any explination in writing from the factory, but I was going on what I was told by an old-timer. I could be wrong (it's happened before) hahaha

 

[DrEntropy]

This old timer will re-enforce the other guy, Ben. The cotter pin is there strictly as a thingie to keep the weep'ole from cloggin'. It buzzez/dances around when at highway speeds. Does nothing but sit there otherwise. Not meant as a valve of any kind.

Hope this bit of trivia enlightens you youngsters. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

 

[Bugeye58]

It also prevents critters such as mud daubers from building their little nests in the hole, plugging it.
Jeff