Project Cappuccino: Clutches, Oil Leaks, and Kei Car Oddities
Cappuccino Rear Main Seal & Oil Pan
We noticed the oil pan was still weeping, so even though we only did this 1000 miles ago, we’re forced to re-seal the pan again.
Gasket Cutter
We used a gasket-cutting tool to cut through the old RTV and remove the oil pan. The rear main seal sits in its own housing that is removed with a couple of bolts.  This is the correct tool for breaking seals: it’s essentially a razor blade welded to a block of steel so you can whack it with a hammer.  When used correctly, it does not bend the flange of the oil pan.
Worn Cappuccino Rear Main Seal
The old rear main seal was showing some scoring and burnishing on the wear face. It’s not leaking yet but based on what we’re seeing here it was getting mighty close.
Cappuccino Rear Main Seal & Gasket
We purchased a brand new main seal and gasket from MegaZip. They stock all sorts of NOS (New Old Stock) parts and have a nice inventory of Cappuccino parts.
New Cappuccino Rear Main Seal
We gave the housing a quick clean, then pressed in the new rear main seal.
Cappuccino Rear Main Seal Gasket Trimming
The new gasket was about ¼” too long for our housing. We secured the gasket with the alignment dowels, then sliced off the excess with a razor blade and reinstalled the housing onto the engine block.

5 comments

  1. I love how tiny everything is.
    FYI the oversize gasket is meant to be cut off after installation, just before applying sealant.

    1. There were two different layers of silicone when I went in there 2 years ago and I reeeeeeeeallly didn’t want to be removing the entire transmission a third time! It may be small but it’s a PITA!

  2. I purchased the adjustable fly wheel tool you used. How did you get it to line up? None of the holes line up with the tool unless I am missing something incredibly simple.

    1. I put one stud in one of the upper transmission bolt holes (I want to say passenger side top but it’s been almost 2 years since I did this so I’m not 100% sure). Other one went into one of the casting recesses. There’s only one it really fits into. Pretty sure I had the tool set at its shortest length or close to it

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