rear main seal

[bmoore's88rx7]

I assume since my oil drains out between the engine and tranny bell housing that it is the rear main. drains as quick as you can put it in. whats the part number for the seal, and the reason im posing is because i wanted to know about any other parts im going to be dealing with. ive ordered a clutch and i am not pulling the motor to do the job. ide rather drop the tranny and drive line.

any thoughts/comments to make my life easier and to ensure i order the right part? i saw a seal for 10$, would like to stay around that price. thanks guys!

88 fc, all stock

[theorie]

I just replaced the rear main on my FD. It's the same part for all RX-7 engines, however not all main seals are created equally, as I've recently found.

I built my motor with a rebuild kit from Atkins and used the rear main that came with it. It was kind of a brownish color. That seal turned out to be defective, and came loose after only a couple thousand miles (I had the same problem, oil coming out of the bell housing). I ordered a replacement from Atkins, but before I installed it looked around for alternatives. I ended up getting one from Mike Lowe at Lowe's Automotive in Sarasota, FL. The seal I got from him was about the same price but seems a bit better quality and more "heavy duty", in my opinion. Installed that seal and haven't had any problems yet, but it's only been a few hundred miles since then.

Here are some photos showing the comparison between the Atkins seal (on the left) vs the seal I got from Mike Lowe (on the right):

http://gallery.tfrascone.net/var/resizes/cars/rx7_93_bb/2013-11-03/2013-11-04-181539.jpg?m=1383703854 (http://gallery.tfrascone.net/var/albums/cars/rx7_93_bb/2013-11-03/2013-11-04-181539.jpg?m=1383703852)

http://gallery.tfrascone.net/var/resizes/cars/rx7_93_bb/2013-11-03/2013-11-04-181526.jpg?m=1383703853 (http://gallery.tfrascone.net/var/albums/cars/rx7_93_bb/2013-11-03/2013-11-04-181526.jpg?m=1383703852)

Took me about 6 hours start to finish, and I was using a lift. Also, it's a hell of a lot easier to drain the transmission first, just FYI. If you want to go with the Atkins seal, I have a brand-new-in-bag one that I didn't use. Shoot me a PM. If you want the other kind, I'm not sure where to get it, but you could always call Mike Lowe and ask, here's his website: http://www.lowesautorepairsarasota.com

[bmoore's88rx7]

holy crap! the right seal looks way more beefy. im gonna order from him lol

[bmoore's88rx7]

i sent them a message, i didnt know it was a full service center. what did he say when you talked to him? i live in WA lol

[jahjahsqc]

I've been selling dealer parts for 9 years now and I can attest to the low quality of most aftermarket seals. The aftermarket copies the "specs" of the OEM seal and has a manufacturer reproduce it to the same "specs" but its never quite the same.

I've never had to look one up personally but have you checked a mazda dealer or mazdatrix for the seal?

the orange seal on the right looks like the OEM seal on mazdatrix's website.

http://www.mazdatrix.com/b2.htm

http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.asp?partnum=10-556A-1668

http://www.mazdatrix.com/pictures/b-engprt/rear-main-seal.jpg

[RETed]

Oil leak between rear iron and rear stat gear -> o-ring on stat gear.
http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.asp?partnum=10-555A-0813
Mazda PN: 0813-10-555A

Oil leak between rear stat gear and flywheel / rear counterweight -> rear main seal
http://www.mazdatrix.com/getprice.asp?partnum=10-556A-1668
Mazda PN: 1668-10-556A

This could also be caused by not enough sealant between the rear portion of the e-shaft and flywheel / rear counterweight...

...which could also cause a leak out the back of the e-shaft itself (onto the flywheel contact surface).


-Ted

[theorie]

i sent them a message, i didnt know it was a full service center. what did he say when you talked to him? i live in WA lol

Yes they are a full service center, I thought the might be willing to ship the part though since I wasn't what brand that seal was...

[Rotary Evolution]

the Atkins seal is actually just an OEM RX8 rear main seal and it should work just fine, assuming you press it in properly.

[hozzmanrx7]

Today I just picked up a new OEM Rear Main Seal from Puente Hills Mazda for around $8. Mine looks like the one pictured on the right.

[Rotary Evolution]

i was told by atkins that mazda superseded the orange seal for the rx8 brown one, i don't know how true that is but it is possible that you are just getting the last of the new old stock ones from suppliers before they run out.