Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Hey Guys,

Working on the auto to 5 spd swap today, as well as putting the RB light steel flywheel onto the engine. Things were going very smoothly, and then the trouble starte. I know many people here have RB flywheels and some of you have done the 5 spd swap so I have some questions.

1) When I took the automatic flexplate off of my engine there was a steel ring that was between the counterweight and the flexplate. It had 6 holes for the corresponding bolts and was used to space out the flexplate I guess. Do I need to put this steel spacer/ring back on, between the RB steel flywheel and the counterweight? I'm not sure if 5 spd cars have this ring/spacer or if it is just there because my car is an automatic.

2) I looked into the end of my eccentric shaft trying to find the pilot bearing and there is no pilot bearing there. It is just a hole with a little counterbore at the end. Is there supposed to be a pilot bearing in there? I'm assuming there is supposed to be one in there. I have a new one ready to go but I'm not sure what is going on here. When you do the auto to 5 spd swap do you just shove a pilot bearing in there and grease her up?

3) I was going to change the rear main oil seal on the engine also because something was leaking from the inspection plate between the automatic tranny and my engine. I'm guessing it was the automatic tranny but I wanted to change the rear main oil seal just in case. Well I bolted a 6ft piece of 1/4" angle steel to my flexplate and had a 6 ft piece of cheater pipe on the end of my 3/4" torque wrench. It just bent the crap out of the angle steel, so I'm wondering if this is really worth the trouble? Do I even need to take off the counterweight when I put on the RB flywheel? I want to keep things as simple as possible but I also want to fix any pesky problems while the engine is out and easy to work on. I'd hate to get the engine back in there and find out that it was the rear main afterall.

Let me know what you think about all this stuff. I want to get this 7 back on the road!!!!!!

Thanks!
Jamie

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

No.No. Only a manual car would have one. You'll need to freeze it and then tap it in with a 14mm or 9/16 socket. Don't forget the seal.It's not unless it's leaking.Do you have access to your RB flywheel? Try test fitting it first.Inspect everything with a good light. You'll be able to see if there is engine oil leaking from the seal.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

THanks for the responses Jeff. So If my rear main is leaking I should be able to actually see the trail of oil coming out of it? If this is the case I didn't see any, so I'm thinking its okay.

Also, I do have access to my RB flywheel. What do I want to look for when I test fit it? Just make sure that it is sitting flush against the counterweight on the engine?

Finally, when installing the pilot bearing I'm assuming the bearing goes in first, followed by the seal? How far in do I press the bearing? Will it go all the way to the back of the cavity in the end of the eccentric shaft? I don't want to push it too far in there on accident. Do I need to grease the pilot bearing before or after it is in there? If so, do you use an all purpose grease, like you would use on a wheel bearing? Thanks for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Jamie

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

What color is the rubber material of the rear eccentric seal? If it's black, you'll want to change it pretty soon. If it's orange, they tend to last longer and gas causes them to swell. In other words, the little bit of gas that always mixes into a rotary's oil will actully prevent a leak back there. They last a long time. If it's blue, you're on your own (I've never seen a blue seal in person).

Yes. The flywheel should butt up against the 1mm raised shoulder of the counterweight just fine, but it may fit tightly or loosely depending on how perfectly each part was machined. I've seen both ways. If it's tight, first double check that the flywheel is as straight/true as possible before you start torqueing the six 10mm x 1.25 bolts down. Then torque them down in order and the flywheel will be pulled against the countweight. If it's loose, it'll just fit on by hand.

I installed a light steel flywheel and pilot bearing with seal in an automatic engine, and I just kept tapping the bearing down untill it seemed to stop. Then I tapped in worked some grease into the needle bearings. Then I tapped the seal in and double checked the amount of grease. You don't want to add too much because it'll just spooge out and get flung everywheere when the engine starts. I checked my amount with a clutch alignment tool. It all stayed in.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Thanks Jeff. Excellent advice as always. I have the orange rear eccentric seal, so I think I'm going to just end up leaving it and bolt on the flywheel.

Just one more question for clarification, what are the needle bearings? Are these the bearings that are inside the pilot bearing or are the needle bearings something entirely different? Do you pack the pilot bearing after you have it installed or before?

If I figure these out I should be ready to go.

Thanks again!

Jamie

bouis

Needle is just one specific kind of pilot bearing. I say do both, pack it before you put it in, then add grease until it fits around the alignment tool as Jeff said.

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

Yeah, I was refering to the needle bearings inside the pilot bearing. I put the grease in after I intall the pilot bearing to reduce the mess, but I'm sure it can be done both ways.