Hello, i have a 1985 GSL-SE that i'm putting a clutch in. I removed the flywheel for resurfacing and discovered a groove worn into the seal area by the eccentric shaft seal. I know there are seal sleeve repair kits for conventional engines, even found one for the front of the eccentric shaft for a 13B, but none for the rear. Tried the search function(newbie) and didn't uncover any info. Does anyone know, short of replacing the flywheel, a way to repair this? I'll add there was no oil leakage or seepage when pulled apart and i intend to install a new seal, but would like to not have to disassemble again for an oil leak and was hoping a member here would have some feedback as mine i'm sure because of it's age and miles (136,000) is not the only to suffer from this. Thanks.

 

They do that on the later models too. I've never heard of any "sleeve kits"..
And I'm not sure it's a big cause of leakage. I just know a groove in mine was pretty apparent before it was swapped for a lightened FW. I didn't measure it's depth, but it never leaked.

 

Thanks for the response Sgtblue, like yours mine did not leak either, just wanted to insure it stayed that way and not ruin a new clutch. Seal sleeve kits are fairly common in the piston engine world, i have one in a Toyota Tacoma that has been in there for 200,000 plus. The original seal wore quite a groove in it, even that did not leak much. The machine shop that is resurfacing the flywheel quoted a repair price for more than what a replacement flywheel would cost, unfortunately not in the position to afford either at this time. I'll put in a new seal and hope for the best, thanks again.

 

Put a .040" aluminum shim behind it when you press in the new seal.

It then runs on a new unworn area.

Barry

 

There are sleeve kits available for most any size but they go by size most of the time and not application ..

 

I was kind of thinking that was an option but wasn't certain. Thanks for chiming in.

 

Where did you get the lightened flywheel? I have a feeling I'll be putting a clutch on mine as well sometime soon and going to a lighter flywheel just sounds like a great idea.

 

I'm happy with my lightened FW, but before you make the leep, know that, depending on how much lighter they are, they can affect drivability around town. There are various sources and weights for my car, not sure about the FB. You might want to search around in the 1st Gen. Section and see what those guys use/like/recommend. On my car...and I suspect on your's, you'll also need a counter-weight as the stock FW has an integrated one that you loose during the change. On the FD, we use the counterweight from an automatic.
Some info links here: https://www.mazdatrix.com/flywheel.htm

 

CR seals make a full line of speedi sleeves for worn seal lands . I have used many through the years with out any failing . thousands of sizes to choose from any big bearing place will have them ..

 

Thanks for all the replies, was able to source and install a repair sleeve and reassemble the car. Haven't put many miles on it but all seems ok. Sgtblue, the FB uses the same as your FD regarding flywheel counterweight from an automatic. I had a lighter flywheel on a GSL i used to own and it was a lot of fun, but steady state cruising and low speed driveability suffered. You had to launch the car differently and in my car this led to accelerated clutch wear, but i kept this setup in the car til i eventually sold it.

 

[QUOTE=GSLSEforme;11823848]Thanks for all the replies, was able to source and install a repair sleeve and reassemble the car. Haven't put many miles on it but all seems ok.

let us know how it goes . they are a very inexpensive and reliable fix that many people have never heard of . been on the market for 30 or 40 years . Some times the seal can be bought 10 or so thou. over size to make up for the sleeve but it doesn't seem necessary .. sometimes just a double lip seal is all that is necessary .