[Healeys] Rear main seal

[Per Schoerner]

Steve
Originally there wasn't any seal at all. Inside the rear main bearing 
cap (actually behind the bearing) is a flange on the crankshaft that 
acts as a centrifugal disk, that will take care of the main part of oil 
that finds it's way to this part of the engine. The oil is then drained 
down to the oil pan. The opening for the crankshaft in the block and 
bearing cap is just big enough to let the crank come out of the block, 
and the crankshaft has a groove in it there which will "screw" any oil 
that comes this way back into the engine, drains down to the pan in the 
same way as the centifuged oil.
As others have pointed out there is now an oil seal available, it's cut 
so that you can get it over the flywheel flange, and the seat is in two 
parts. It's worth installing, and as you have the flywheel off I think 
you should do it. It comes with instructions and all parts you need. You 
only have to drill 4 holes in the block and bearing cap for M5 screws, 
IIRC.

BJ8Healeys skrev 2014-02-21 23:47:

> Well, one thing always leads to another.  As long as the clutch and flywheel
> are off the car, why not replace the rear main seal?  It has 80,500 miles on
> it, too.   But the rear main seal is a solid circle, like a typical wheel
> oil seal, and so is the housing that retains it at the back of the engine.
> I don't see any way to replace that seal without removing the flange first.
> Has anyone done this before?