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| Joined: | 03-13-2005 |
| Location: | Salt Point, New York USA |
| Posts: | 208 |
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The transmission rear seal must be pressed or tapped in (gently) SQUARLEY. I use a large socket, but a pipe coupling should also work. I also use aviation seal to lube the OD. If the cracking in the tail housing is rearward of the seal don't worry about it. As a matter of fact, some of the 4 speed transmissions do not even have a snap ring or snap ring groove. If the cracking is causing a sealing or structural issue, just replace the tail housing, not the whole transmission.
The transmission front seal requires a complete disassembly of the tranny. If it does not leak leave it alone.
The rear engine seal, assuming you have a later lip seal design, is a little trickier. There are instructions in the shop manual for this. The rear seal housing must be removed to do it properly. It is critical to make sure that the seal sits in the housing squarely to ensure that the seal is not distorted, as this is a very large diameter seal and will distort easily. Lotus has a special tool for centering and seating this seal. You can do it without the tool but must take care. You should check the crank surface to make sure it is not grooved from the old seal. I like to try to vary the positioning of the new seal so that it does not wipe the crank in the same spot as the old one.
You should use your own judgment of whether to do a clutch job. It certainly is a good time to do it while you have everything apart.
Good Luck,
Jim