Snoxxy

ok, i found my oil-leak, i had in a garage, on a lift, the whole engine cleaned up so we can see where it's coming from, and there we go, it is leaking out of the front cover ( oil pump sits in there ) so in order to get there, it looks like i have to remove a lot ( alternator, oil-pan, fans and stuff )

is this easier than it looks ??? where to get the gasket ?



Thanks in advance



Snoxxy

83turbo

Is it leaking from

-oil pan gasket?

-front cover gasket?

-front main seal?

Snoxxy

frontcover gasket i think it is called

83turbo

You can get a new gasket from your local Mazda dealer (probably easiest).

When reassembling, there are some things to look out for:

http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm

Apparently things are a little different for the FD, but you still need to be mindful of the thrust bearings (maybe grease them in place so they stay put).

Might as well replace your front main seal while you're in there.



I can't help with disassembly tips though (not very familiar with FD's).

Snoxxy

my car is a FC ( 90 FXL )

83turbo

Unfortunately I'm only real familiar with FB's... but I'll try:



Disconnect battery, drain coolant, remove alternator, air pump, water pump (you'll want to replace this gasket also), CAS, AC bracket...and whatever else is in the way.

Find some way to stop the flywheel - maybe just put it in gear with the brakes on. Front pulley bolt is no fun to loosen.

Be careful not to let the key get pulled out when removing the pulley.

There is an O-ring for the oil supply to the front cover - you need to replace this also: http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/oring.htm

It will probably need to be held in place with grease for re-assembly.

Be very careful not to let anything on the shaft slide, and watch out for the thrust bearings. If you need to set them in place again, you'll have to remove the oil pump chain. Putting it back can be difficult, and the oil pump key will probably fall down into your oil pan. When you buy your gaskets, you might want to pick up an extra one just in case you lose yours.



To recap, you need

-front cover gasket

-front main seal

-oil O-ring (possibly a teflon ring also)

-water pump to engine block gasket

-black silicone sealant

-thermal pellet mod if desired (might as well while it's apart)

-spare oil pump key couldn't hurt

-spare oil pump lock washer couldn't hurt either



Hopefully you won't need those last two.

Snoxxy

thanks, but what is the thermal pellet mod ???



Oh, and anybody around my area who has done this before, i might invite you for a beer or soda ( depends how old you are )





Upstate NY

83turbo

When you remove the crank pulley bolt, you will find a spring and a

"thermal pellet" which helps with warmup somehow. They tend to stick

and do mean things to your engine, so it's common to replace the

pellet with an aluminum slug sold by Atkins and others. Alternatively

you can do the same thing with a few washers to push the stock pellet

into the "warm" position.

Snoxxy

ty appreciate it

FCmaniac

I had that problem and did this job before. It wasn't much fun. The part that sucks is the e shaft bolt. Just remember to keep the clutch engaged during the whole job. I dropped the oil pan too because I didn't want that to leak since you need to pull the front cover off of that (part of it). For that, you need to support the engine on the one side when you disconnect the pass side engine mount which goes through the pan. When reinstalling the pan and mount, it helps to have someone with you. I used only silicone RTV on the pan and no gasket and its been fine.



Also, I bought a chain wrench to hold the main pulley in place while I retorqued the e shaft bolt. You should try and get I think at least 100 ft lbs on that bolt.