Okay, in the rebuild video I watched, I noticed something that concerns me. Bruce said in his video not to remove the front hub without the engine being in a vertical position so the thrust washer/bearing doesn't fall out of place.


What if the engine was on it's side and you only removed the front bolt but left the hub in place and never moved it?

And if it doesn't matter, can I remove the front cover without having to remove the oil pan, or do I have to pull them both to seal them back up properly?

 

Anyone?

 

if you didnt remove the pulley then you should be fine.

the motor was out of the car right??

and if you take the front cover off i would advise to remove the oil pan just to insure a correct seal.

but if your the man then maybe.lol

 

This is what I was talking about in your other thread. As I understand it, removing the front bolt and the hub without the engine being vertical is a no no.

I guess you could remove the front cover without the oilpan, but there is a good chance that the pan won't seal properly when it goes back together. I'd suggest that you just remove the pan and reseal it if it comes to removing the front cover.


Then again, I'm no guru. Ive yet to actually complete my own engine rebuild (including sealing the oilpan), so I'm not actually speaking from experience on that one.

 

Yes motor is out of the car.

I was hoping it would be fine. Ive had a few people say already that it should be fine with ONLY the front bolt being removed, but getting a 2nd opinion isn't a bad thing. Thanks for the hep guys.

Anyone else care to chime in?

This is like one of the first times I've searched ruthlessly on this board and didn't come up with a definitive answer.

Hopefully I'm good to go because I'm going to get this bitch back together soon. Creeping up on 2 years since it blew, and I'm starting to have dreams of being 80 years old, looking out in the garage, and my motor is still on the stand and car on jack stands.

 

Damn dude. It's only been since last September for me, and I am chomping at the bit to get my car back together. I hope it works out for you.

 

You definitely need to read this:

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


The front bolt and pulley can be removed IF you do something to prevent the eshaft from sliding toward the rear of the engine. In my case when I replaced the front pulley I wedged a piece of wood against the clutch and the bell housing.

 

Thats scary enough that it isn't worth risking all the work I've put into this only to fire it up the first time and watch my main pulley wobble around knowing what it's doing inside.....I'm taking it off to check them.


QUESTION:

Can I reuse the gaskets for the front cover and oil pan? They are brand new.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't take the chance, especially since the engine is already out of the car.

Trust me, the results are NOT pretty when that thrust bearing drops out of position. My case was a bit extreme because the front bolt came out while I was driving on the highway... lol