Front cover removal

[najiru]

I\'m trying to fix an oil leak by removing and resealing the front cover of the engine and having got all the bolts out etc I\'m looking at how to prise it off without damaging the aluminium mating surface. It\'s sealed on with silicone so wont easily budge. There\'s nowhere obvious to lever or get a block in to tap it free and I just wondered if anyone who\'s done it can advise?

Cheers,
Neil

[davehg]

Silly question but have you taken the main pulley/eccentric shaft bolt out? If so just give it a few taps

[HaywardRotary]

You must be VERY careful doing this job because once the front pulley is undone then the needle roller bearings that the end play spacer is located inside can drop down and everything seems fine, but it will trash the engine if one gets trapped between end play spacer when engine I run after a few miles.

[najiru]

Yeah I\'ve removed the pulley, I read that keeping the clutch depressed prevents the bearing issue - which I\'m now very much hoping is true!

[Prof]

I presume the oil pan is also off ?  There are about 6-8 bolts on the oil pan that mate with the bottom of the front cover.
 
As Carl says, the torrington bearings can easily slip - I\'m not convinced the clutch trick always works :-(  The only sure fire way is to have the engine on a stand and held vertical when you undo the front stack.

[najiru]

Yeah I got all the bolts out of the sump but I\'m now not so worried about getting the front cover off but worried about these bearings.
 
Is there anything I can do to check if they are still in place? What sort of damage would there be if they have moved and I run the engine? I\'m trying to weigh up what to do next as I don\'t want to risk starting it and causing a lot of damage

[Prof]

Mazdatrix have a very useful page on their FAQ section:
 
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm

[najiru]

Thats a good link, thanks.

Unfortunately having got the front plate off and put the pulley back on to check I have zero float so looks like a roller has dropped out... all good fun though :-/

[Arnie_O]

Can you actually check front end play with the engine in and pressure on the flywheel/clutch?

Isn\'t this normally an engine out job to be on the safe side?