The Quick/Small/(Stupid?) Question Thread.

[tjp]

Yes, sitting on the X. I haven't tried to push it up but will be doing that today. Thanks all!!

[Nissanman]

Trust me Tim, you have a sagging rear!

[spags1986]

Do I have to pull the 5 speed transmission housings apart to replace the front and rear round seal?

[notoptoy]

^ No, you will have to remove it from the car to get to the front though.
The back is accessible from under the car.

[spags1986]

Thank you! I have the motor and trans out (doing a ground up resto) and figured its a cheap and easy fix while its out. Thanks for the clarification.

[svwilbur]

^ No, you will have to remove it from the car to get to the front though.
The back is accessible from under the car.

Well I think it looks like my rear seal is also leaking on my 5 speed transmission. I think that is the cause. maybe it is something else in the area. It is really hard to see up into that area or get a picture of it all. Whatever it is it flings oil all up above that area before the universal joint/adapter at the end of the transmission and up into the shift boot and runs down and sprays a little onto the floor pan bottoms. But the leak seems to spray to the front of the seal and not behind it as I would think it would do. The speedometer cable is oily but not to that extent that I would think it was the cause. There is a breather valve sort of thing up there but it looks relatively dry.

Can anyone tell from the attached pictures where it is coming from?

It does not seem to be a massive leak as it still has oil in it. and it does not drip from there a lot or any onto the floor. The oil just seems to hang around and probably drips off while driving.

The first picture is of a spare transmission in my storage area. I looked at it for comparison to see what is hard to see on the one on the car. I don't see what could be leaking if it is not the seal. can oil leak out of any of the shifter linkage mechanism?
If you click on the first picture you will be able to see some arrows I drew to ask which location is the location of the rear seal.
The rest of the pictures are from the transmission that is mounted on the roadster.

Maybe I should clean it off around the speedo cable and check it sooner to see if it is leaking most of it?
But it looks wet on the other side of the transmission which makes me think it is not the speedo but the seal.

If it is the seal what is the correct process to replace that seal?
Do you remove the rear U joint and drop the diff and slide it out and catch all the oil then pull it somehow and press a new one back in?
And I suppose that would be a good time to replace the Universal joints as well since I don't think they ever have been changed.
I need process details.

Here are a couple pictures.

[notoptoy]

The drive shaft has a flange that goes over the end of the transmission, so if the seal is leaking, it is going inside that flange, and being flung and spun forward as it leaks. So a circular spray pattern that COULD indeed be forward of the seal is possible. The speedometer cable should not be leaking ANY oil, as there should be seals to prevent that. There are 3 gaskets (two O-rings and a paper gasket) associated with the speedometer drive gear, and they are all designed to keep oil in the tranny, and out of the cable - so any leakage there is a sign that you should replace those gaskets. That is easy-peasy to do with the transmission out of the car.

[notoptoy]

Also, make sure that vent is free and clear of any blockage, it is designed to keep pressure low in the tranny, if it is clogged, then excess pressure and increased leakage/blow by of oil by the gaskets occurs.

[svwilbur]

Also, make sure that vent is free and clear of any blockage, it is designed to keep pressure low in the tranny, if it is clogged, then excess pressure and increased leakage/blow by of oil by the gaskets occurs.

Good idea. Does that vent twist or push up and down or is it just a hole/vent under a umbrella cover?

How would you clear or clean that vent and not damage it?

[notoptoy]

It is a cap on a pipe/umbrella on a vent. It is plastic and could be very brittle. The cap will pop off and a coat hanger/piece of bailing wire should be more than enough to chase it IF, IF, IF you need to. If the top is loose, and moves freely it is probably not clogged. Mine was, but I was taking it out to replace the broken piece anyway.

[Mainer311]

So to answer your question, the seal is under #2, but more in the location of #1. The black skirt on the companion flange is meant to go around the end of the tailshaft housing to keep dirt and crud away from the seal area.

On the same topic, but not of any concern, I just noticed that the 5 speed uses a companion flange bolted to the tailshaft, while the 4 speed uses a flip fit yoke. Interesting.

[tjp]

Trust me Tim, you have a sagging rear!

yes, very true! I new rear end (RX7 w LSD) is sitting in the shop begging to be installed.

[pebbles]

I new rear end (RX7 w LSD) is sitting in the shop begging to be installed.

wheels, u bolts, torque rod, lower shock bolts, drive shaft, brake hose, done. probably take longer to bleed brakes than the swap.
dont forget the lube.

What, if any, friction modifier is being used in the RX7 diffs?

[Mainer311]

I'm currently running 80W-90 in my diff. I want to switch to 75W-140 now that I got some break-in time on the new bearings. I'm fairly certain this is fine, but just wanted to confirm that running 140 is okay?

[msampsel]

Anyone know the bolt size for the clutch slave for warner transmissions.
I assume they are metric threads but not sure.

Guesses both right and wrong are free!