So it's time to replace the clutch on my 12a and replace the ring gear which has been eating up the new starter I put in during the spring. Once i removed the flywheel I saw what I though was a leak from behind the rear stationary gear. I replaced the rear main seal last winter with a factory Mazda one and so my question is this:

Can I safely remove the rear main stationary gear without any worry that it won't line back up or bind since the engine still sits fully assembled in the engine bay?

The fsm says when changing out the rear gear that a small amount of sealant should be applied to the surface of the rear iron. That sealant is my best guess as to what has failed or dried up.

Any help would or info would be greatly appreciated

 

you should be okay removing it as long as you don't turn the engine in any way while it's out. also, i'm not sure if you know, but there is a seal on the stationary gear itself, so that's probably done for.

 

its fine to take out, but you can't rotate the engine while it is out. the seals will fall out of the rotor.
a small pry bar or something like that will work, maybe two, the gear is a tight fit in the housing

you need the O ring, 0813-10-555A

 

I've never seen this leak before. Interesting. Done 2 clutches on my SA too.

 

the FD's do it all the time, but on a 1st gen you need to have a really old engine and some bad luck

 

Thank you everyone for the info. I went back to the fsm and sure enough, it says before applying the sealant to the rear iron to install a new o ring. I have ordered the o ring and it should be here this week and I will update at that point.

 

Well, it was quite nerve-racking taking that rear stationary gear off. I wasn't sure how hard it might be to loosen but i made damn sure not to twist or pinch the gear.

Lucky for me it came off easily and i was able to re-install the new o-ring, clean both surfaces, apply a thin layer of hondabond, and re-torque down the nuts. I only had to use a small pry bar for removal and then a few knocks with the dead blow hammer for re-install once I put some oil on the bearing. I hope it stops the leak since i won't really be able to see it again unless i take my transmission off or be underneath the car.

Now I just need to wait for my flywheel to get back from the machine shop and then for my new clutch to arrive. Thanks to everyone for the help and info on this.