JDM_SOHC

Ok so here it goes... My cars a huge POS and doesnt like to just tell me whats wrong so she really makes me bust out the elbow grease when it comes time to fix'er up... The car is a 1994 civic dx the engine is JDM D15B.. This time it all started by my tranny acting all wacked out and me hearing some vibration of metal on metal coming from what it sounded like my transmission.. Well after a couple days of hearing that damn noise I couldnt stand it anymore and decided its time to see whats wrong... I jacked up my car and it really looked like a murder scene "except with oil not blood"... But yeah like oil everywhereeeeeeeee... So about 214 cans of brake cleaner later, I finally get it cleaned up and let my car sit overnight after i took a lil cruise... Well the next morning i came out and inspected her out a lil bit... There was oil literally dripping off of my exhaust manifold from which it had dropped onto from above that off of the engine.. So after hearing "dude dont do ur rear main seal until it breaks its such a bitch blablablablabla" I decided to not listen to my friends and go ahead an give it a shot... And upon further inspection I decided i'd change the oil pan gasket as well since it had accumulated oil all around the perimeter of it "and its prolly a 10 year old engine so a new one wouldnt hurt"..

First...

1. Make sure to secure ur car so it doesnt roll backwards, I was on a slight hill so I have to worry about this kinda **** happening lol..


2. After securing ur car, loosen which wheels lugs ur gonna work on first, then jack it up an remove the lug nuts.


3. Smart idea to drain your tranny fluid, i like to be as clean as possible while i work



4. Look ma, No HaNdS..!!


5. It seemed like next would be a good idea to undo the negative battery terminal since ima be removing the starter soon


6. Thought I took a picture removing the starter guess not lol but here is a starter for all the noobs... And where it came from lol...




7. Next I removed all the little brackets and plugs that are secured to the transmission.


8. Dont forget to unbolt the 2 mounting bolts holding the slave cylinder on..


9. Yeah definitely time for a smoke break


10. With your car secured, place the jack under the tranny, unbolt all the mounts and start unbolting the transmission.. There are 4 17mm bolts and a 19mm mount bolt up top next to the starter hole, and 2 more 19mm's behind from underneath that bolt onto the T mount...

11. Slowly pry tranny from engine, it usually comes off easily and let it down to the ground... With your car jacked up fairly enough, the tranny will slide right under ur front bumper...


12. Next comes removing the pressure plate, clutch, and flywheel... You'll need a 12 point 10mm to remove the pressure plate assembly, and a 12 point 17mm for removing the flywheel itself..



13. For removing the flywheel it was helpful for me to use a ball joint seperator wedged above my exhaust manifold an oil pan with the 2 teeth sticking through the bottom holes on the outer of the flywheel cuz then I could keep it from spinning while removing those bolts, because trust me they are ON THERE..!!


14. Once you have the flywheel removed you can see the rear main seal is held in by a bracket with four 10mm bolts holding it on, but no so fast..!! Those 2 bolts right underneath that look like they belong to the oil pan do not belong to the oil pan but to that bracket, and since I was removing the oil pan anyway to replace the gasket I found out that just removing the oil pan first makes removing that bracket and getting to the rear main seal a WHOLE lot easier.. And you also take ZERO% chance of scratching your block ..


15. The oil pan is held on with I forget exactly how many nuts/bolts I think around 14 or 16 but they're all 10mm and come off very easily.. Also upon reinstallation, those nuts/bolts arent meant to be vin dieseled on there, I dont have the correct torque measurements but as soon as u see that gasket starting to stick out, your already too tight.. Thats the way I always did it anyways, so much for lending a "friend" your torque wrench an not thinking twice that hes gonna move out of state and bring it with him ..


16. Depending on your Header/Exhaust Manifold setup your gonna have to remove whatever peice it is that blocks the oil pan from being able to drop all the way.. I have a 4-2-1 so I just unbolted right where it goes from 4 to 2 and it dropped an was moveable enough for me to do what I had to do...

17. This is the bracket containing the rear main seal, that we removed from the block after the oil pan was dropped..


18. I turned the bracket upside down an hit the seal in circles about 4-5 times with the hammer and a flathead I had an it popped right out..


19. I gently applied a tiny bit of oil to the outer of the new seal for an easier slide in and it went in just fine.. I used the old seal and turned it upside an did the same circle motion with the hammer an very gently set the new seal.. Theres a groove inside the bracket that you can look at from the back to make sure your seal is 100% set in place..


20. I heard you dont have to use any, and I heard you should use some so I decided since I have some laying around im gonna use it, heres what I had.. Some high temp RTV silicone ..


21. Heres the bracket placed back on where it goes with new Rear Main Seal installed..


22. I couldnt help but to look up and see my lovely distributor seal leak along with a heater hose that looks like its gonna blow up but feels like its melted when you touch it lol...


23. Once your done just redo all the steps in reverse order and you'll be all set.. Heres what the final pic of the rear main seal and newly painted oil pan look like ..


I still have to find out whats wrong with my car not wanting to go in gear so that'll be my next mission, or so I thought... Look what came in the mail today after only waiting about 3 weeks haha..

My 40/40 prop valve that I've been anticipatin on to come now forever.. Im ordering a 91 civic ex sedan 15/16's MC to throw in my Booster since its a direct fit and that will most likely be my next DIY...

I know there a couple things I may have skipped over "like removing the axles and stuff but I didnt have time to take pics of everything because i wanted to get this done lol" and a couple things that may have not been by the book but this is just written as a basic example for anyone wanting to know what they may be facing ahead when they hear "dude your rear main seals shot, dont do it until it breaks" lol... But hey at least I tried haha, PeaCcEeee...!!!

95ProjectEJ1

iTrader: (5)

Subscribed so i can see this when i get off work... from the looks of it i would imagine i will be using this shortly.

JDM_SOHC

Good **** dude... Need to know anything just gimme a shout while its all still fresh and my cuts are still bleeding lol...

bmoua

wow, you make it seem so easy....haha when i did my tranny swap on my D, had a air compressor, air gun, and 3 people helping me. It was a hella of a day doing it haha.

JDM_SOHC

yeah someone said that to me at the autoparts store today while i was showing them the pics on my digital haha, i felt honored lol..

Luserkid

I didnt read the whole thing but next time you attempt this get jack stands. Dont rely a long job like this souly on jacks that could give out. Safty first.

B16b-EJ8

subscribed

1995Civic

Awesome DIY bro...can't wait to do mine, along with my passenger side axle! lol : )

ilovemycoupe

very good write up..make sure to not lose the pics...all those pics man, your bandwidth looks like it will exceed your account with all that none the less great write up

JDM_SOHC

c'mon bro u kno my safety skills are on point...

RCautoworks

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_SOHC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

19. I gently applied a tiny bit of oil to the outer of the new seal for an easier slide in and it went in just fine.. I used the old seal and turned it upside an did the same circle motion with the hammer an very gently set the new seal.. Theres a groove inside the bracket that you can look at from the back to make sure your seal is 100% set in place..</TD></TR></TABLE>

You do no its not suppose to go all the way in ? Just a little FYI for anyone else doing this, when the cover has a rear lip, your suppose to leave clearance in the back.

Also next time you use jackstands on grass, put a piece of wood underneath to even out the load, this will keep the jackstand from sinking in the ground

JDM_SOHC

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1995Civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Awesome DIY bro...can't wait to do mine, along with my passenger side axle! lol : )</TD></TR></TABLE>

haha i appreciate bro... u kno i gotta show that cape coral has some smart fellas too lol..

JDM_SOHC

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RCautoworks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You do no its not suppose to go all the way in ? Just a little FYI for anyone else doing this, when the cover has a rear lip, your suppose to leave clearance in the back.

Also next time you use jackstands on grass, put a piece of wood underneath to even out the load, this will keep the jackstand from sinking in the ground</TD></TR></TABLE>

I did leave a slight clearance before I put it back in, but it was a nice fit though... I went by pics that i seen in a Helms so i knew i was pretty close... And yeah down here we have quicksand that will swallow anything, even a peice of wood supporting a jackstand, and im not gona risk losing a good peice of wood lol.. just talkn $hit haha, i kno dude there were plenty of other things I could have done that woulda been more safe but like i said, i was just doing this write up for the people who were looking for what they'd be expecting to run up against if suffering from a bad rear main seal... Ya know, just tryna help a lil thats all...

JDM_SOHC

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16b-EJ8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">subscribed</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks

Slurp56

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RCautoworks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You do no its not suppose to go all the way in ? Just a little FYI for anyone else doing this, when the cover has a rear lip, your suppose to leave clearance in the back.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Dude, really? C'mon. Essentially the clearance is to insure that you've installed it planar. We are talking 1-3 hundredths of an inch on a rubber seal. Now I understand if the seal has not been driven all the way in, that would be a problem, and I understand if you drive it too far in, essentially bunching up the seal, which would also be a problem. However, I am a gambling man, and I will put money that the seal being flush with the rear lip (not having the 1 hundredth of an inch clearance) will have no adverse affects on the seal. I've done a few of these myself and use a large punch to drive the front surface of the seal flush with the outer surface on the housing. Never have I used feeler gauges to verify 1-3 hundredth of an inch and never has a customer come back with the same problem.

Quit picking on this guy. He's trying to share some info on a job that most people on honda tech are either intimidated by or have never seen done.

To the OP: Glad it worked out, some of those picts look familiar

JDM_SOHC

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Slurp56 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Dude, really? C'mon. Essentially the clearance is to insure that you've installed it planar. We are talking 1-3 hundredths of an inch on a rubber seal. Now I understand if the seal has not been driven all the way in, that would be a problem, and I understand if you drive it too far in, essentially bunching up the seal, which would also be a problem. However, I am a gambling man, and I will put money that the seal being flush with the rear lip (not having the 1 hundredth of an inch clearance) will have no adverse affects on the seal. I've done a few of these myself and use a large punch to drive the front surface of the seal flush with the outer surface on the housing. Never have I used feeler gauges to verify 1-3 hundredth of an inch and never has a customer come back with the same problem.

Quit picking on this guy. He's trying to share some info on a job that most people on honda tech are either intimidated by or have never seen done.

To the OP: Glad it worked out, some of those picts look familiar </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks dude... I was kinda feelin the pressure off that one too but i left it alone for the most part haha... And yeah a couple of those pics were used before for information and stuff, but once i was finished i figured it would be cool to just throw a little something on here to help out anyone who ran into the same stuff as i did, and you helped tons too to u...

Preferio

Why does everyone keep calling each other bro? It's starting to freak me out.
I was really hoping that the write up would start including stupid things like getting a bag of doritos or something after step 9.

JDM_SOHC

well bro just sounds better than dude, or man, i hate it when those are overused lol... an after step 9 i do have to admit there was about a 10 minute intermission that involved a couple doritos i think... i do remember the funyuns though, they rocked...

RCautoworks

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Slurp56 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Dude, really? C'mon. Essentially the clearance is to insure that you've installed it planar. We are talking 1-3 hundredths of an inch on a rubber seal. Now I understand if the seal has not been driven all the way in, that would be a problem, and I understand if you drive it too far in, essentially bunching up the seal, which would also be a problem. However, I am a gambling man, and I will put money that the seal being flush with the rear lip (not having the 1 hundredth of an inch clearance) will have no adverse affects on the seal. I've done a few of these myself and use a large punch to drive the front surface of the seal flush with the outer surface on the housing. Never have I used feeler gauges to verify 1-3 hundredth of an inch and never has a customer come back with the same problem.

Quit picking on this guy. He's trying to share some info on a job that most people on honda tech are either intimidated by or have never seen done.

To the OP: Glad it worked out, some of those picts look familiar </TD></TR></TABLE>

Not picking on, to be honest with you, the first few jobs I did like this, I just pressed it in all the way, then I read the manual. Should work either way but I do know some people like to go with exactly what Honda says.

Also I know some don't even have the lip on the back

JDM_SOHC

yeah i was looking around and i seen some of those brackets and such were different and some cars dont even have a retaining bracket for their Rear Main Seals lol bet those are fun... I was just going by what i read that said the lip in that bracket is used for a guide, make it snug but not tight... so thats just how i did it...

92ehatch

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_SOHC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah i was looking around and i seen some of those brackets and such were different and some cars dont even have a retaining bracket for their Rear Main Seals lol bet those are fun... I was just going by what i read that said the lip in that bracket is used for a guide, make it snug but not tight... so thats just how i did it... </TD></TR></TABLE>


me 2, not a drop of oil leaked since

been 15k miles

good writeup

JDM_SOHC

yeah i just took her for the first official lil drive around neighborhood put'r back on up jackstands and i cant honestly say shes as dry as a 98 year old virgin

and thank u for comment

timeless2

Nice writeup. Should someone reference it in the sticky, if not done already?

JDM_SOHC

thanks man.... i was thinkin when i was searching that i was gonna come across a couple of DIY's already made for the rear main seal and oil pan gasket but i found 0 results with pictures and instructions so i decided to make my own pretty much haha..

roger93si

nice write-up, just on time, my tranny went out completely and its time to change everything! I have a 94 teg and that sucka was leaking like crazy, so i decided to drop the whole motor this past sunday, im getting ready to scrub it down shiny and change the seals!.. thanks for giving us a heads up on what to expect