stickmantijuana

iTrader: (1)

I'm about to do the following:
1. take off front cover, take out the OEM gasket, reseal the passage between front cover & front housing with Teflon ring only without o-ring, then reseal front cover with Hondabond without OEM gasket (I heard this stuff is the way to go?). I'm doing this because I'm using 12A front housing, and mazdatrix has advised to take out the OEM gasket to give little tighter seal around the oil passage way with Teflon ring only without o-ring, which makes sense to me.
2. fabricate oil pan (I only have about 2-3" between bottom of the engine & bottom of the subframe.
3. get rid of metering pump gear.

As for taking off the front cover, is there anything I should be worried about? I heard something about dropping a bearing, and it's not really clear how to avoid it. I'll be taking off the water pump housing, e-shaft bolt, then all the front cover bolts and pry it off. If there's anything I should watch out for, please let me know. Getting rid of metering pump gear sounds simple enough since I'm premixing. If there could be a problem, feel free to let me know before I start disassembly!

I also wanted to ask where does the oil squirt out from bottom of the engine when it's running. This will help me design a proper sump.

and if there is ANYTHING I should be checking while the engine is down since I've been having oil pressure issue (pressure goes down as RPM goes up), I would most appreciate your advice.

thanks so much for your help!

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Good thing is you have the engine out of the car and on a stand. I would turn the engine so the nose of the engine is straight up in the air when you pull the front cover. That will minimize the chance of a needle bearing dropping.

But, if you're in there, you may want to remove the front stack and make sure everything's lined up right before you reassemble.

I don't know if it would work with your setup, but there is a metal front cover gasket that was used on the Cosmo 13b's, it does away with the need for the front cover o-ring and Teflon washer. Atikins Rotary has it for $40. I can see the motor is a 20b, I can't remember if the front iron is set up the same as the FD front iron, I believe it is.

Dale

stickmantijuana

iTrader: (1)

I actually think I'm looking at the metal gasket. I actually think I already found a potential problem with my oil pan sump (stuck hinge). I don't see anything obviously wrong with the front cover/front housing passage way, no o-ring bulging out, no Teflon ring bulging out either. Spacing is all pretty tight with the metal gasket. Should I still take it apart? after reading at your post, I'm inclined to leave it alone. Is there anything else I can be checking while the engine is down without taking apart the front housing or the assembly? Thanks again.

getgone

iTrader: (2)

If it is not leaking via the front cover, you're better off leaving it alone. You certainly don't want to drop the needle bearing (though with the engine out of the bay its not a big deal), and you certainly don't want to create a leak that doesn't already exist. It would be nice to get that metal gasket in there though if u are really looking for a long, long-term seal. But I don't know if a 20B is a long, long-term motor. Haha.