Because there's more to the internet than hits alone, Jim Caldwell
wrote:
It has a rear seal oil leak. I have done car repair work, but not that
particular job. Do you have to have a lift and a transmission jack? (I
don't) Am not sure to what extent the tranny has to be removed to get to
the seal. Any idea how much this repair job should cost if it is not a
feasable do-it-yourself job?
You have to take the gearbox off, plus the flywheel/torque converter
assembly. If it's a manual transmission, this is the time to replace
the clutch assembly also.
If you are confident with a spanner, know some effective swearwords,
and are prepared to take your time as you learn how to do it, it is
certainly possible to DIY.
You can do it from underneath with the front wheels on ramps, or use
axle stands (NOT jacks) to rase the front up far enough to get under
it. There are more comfortable ways to spend your time. Gearboxes are
not that heavy, and can be removed safely with a small trolly jack
underneath it as you pull it free from the engine. If you've been
eating your crusts, it is possible to do it with arm strength alone,
but lifting it back into place can be a bit of a sweat. If you have
not removed a gearbox before, it can be a full day's work and possibly
more. Haynes or Volvo Workshop Manual recommended.
The old seal will need to be carefully prised out, and the new one
inserted. If you can't get the old one out, drill a couple of small
holes in the front face of the seal and insert some self tapping
screws; this will give you something to grip with pliers or
vice-grips. If there is a groove worn into the crank boss, then the
new one can go a little further in (or possibly less far in, depending
on the position of the old seal - the seal recess is designed for
this), so that it runs on a new part of the boss.
When mounting the clutch assembly back onto the flywheel you need to
make sure the hole in the clutch plate is central to the hole in the
flywheel before you tighten the spring plate, so that the gearbox
shaft can slide into it. There are special alignment tools (cheap from
any motor accessory shop) to help with this, but I've never found them
to be very successful and prefer to do it by eye and feel. Because of
the accuracy needed here, getting the gearbox back on can often be the
trickiest part of the job; take your time getting this alignment
right.
--
Stewart Hargrave
I run on beans - laser beans
For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name
