Rear main seal change/clutch removal -850 Manual

[taxi]

Clutch Replacement 1.jpg (41.83 KiB) Viewed 11438 times

For starters, I put the front of the car on stands, doesn't have to be really high. Just make sure you can loosen the rear subframe supports, you have to put the stands behind them, I put some wood between as well.

Put the steering wheel UP and towards the engine.

Remove everything thats on top of the gearbox; battery and shelf, airfilter and wires, both electrical and gear-change-wires (?)

EDIT: Disconnect clutch cylinder from gearbox but DO NOT disconnect the hydraulic line!

You need something to support the engine from above and to lower it on the left side, but I guess you should be able to do this very carefully with a jack?

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I removed both axles and CV joints, as well as the ball joints before I started removing the five bolts and supporting the steering gear. I used a tow line to keep the steering gear in place.

After removing all kinds of things to allow subframe to be lowered and all of the engine mounts BUT the right-to-subframe one I started lowering the subframe on the left side.
I removed the subframe bolts on the left side and unscrewed the bolts on the right side by 20-25 mm while supporting subframe with a jack.

Keep an eye all around, especially the steering gear as you lower the subframe, then lower the engine until the gearbox can come out through the left wheel well.

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I also supported the gearbox from above, as I removed 12 bolts holding it to the engine, including the two bolts that also holds the starter. (I removed the starter as well))

Be sure to take the gearbox straight out from the engine, you don't want to support the weight of it on the axle and clutch (louver?).

Remove the pressure plate, six screws. (Picture)

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Here is the gearbox out of the car, and its a good time to clean the splines on the axle and put just a little grease on it to allow gear change (one and reverse) with engine running. This alone made this entire operation worth my while
And of course, if you do this for the same reason as I; clean the interior for oil caused by leaking rear main seal.

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Flywheel, ten bolts, replace bolts with new ones on assembly.
Its pretty tight even when the bolts are out, you have to wiggle it for a while...

Clutch Replacement 6.jpg (53.14 KiB) Viewed 11438 times

Flywheel off, and there is a leaking rear main seal!
Can be a bit tricky to get out, and you dont want to scratch the surface of crankshaft or engine block.
I then put in the new seal using the old one to carefully hammer it in, a few mm more towards the block than the old one. Dont know if you are supposed to do that, got the tip from a mechanic.

Clutch Replacement 7.jpg (50.79 KiB) Viewed 11438 times

Please add everything I missed!

If someone would like to make a REAL writeup, give me an e-mail address and I will send the pictures if needed. I will also erase this one if it is dangerous

Good luck!

[JimBee]

This "simple" procedure would probably prevent many 850's from going to their early demise. Hope I'll never have to do it though

REMOVING THE SEAL:
Don't try to dig out the old seal from the outer edge or around the crankshaft—there's too much risk of scratching or gouging and it won't take much of a gouge to create a chronic leak.

I have replaced all the other seals on my 850. The easiest way I've found to remove the old one is with the drill and screw method. Use a prick punch to dimple the old seal right in the middle of it's metal face ring. Use about 1/8" drill bit and drill a hole through the metal at that point. Monitor the bit so you just get it through the seal but not into the block.

Then use a wallboard or sheet metal screw that fits the hole very tightly. Screw it in. The threads will grab the sides of the hole; the point of the screw will hit the back of the seal well where it cannot damage anything and the seal will "walk" right out. If it's really stubborn, drill a second hold directly across from it. With both screws working it out, it will pop right out.

[taxi]

I actually started drilling, but my 20 year old drill was too tired Then I just poked around with it and it came out!

[renns]

taxi,

Nice write-up. I just completed this job on my V70 yesterday. Wow - what a big job it was. I had difficulty with numerous rusted bolts, particularly on the steering rack, which added some time to the job. Also while apart I replaced front struts and spring seats. Anyone considering this job should inspect the entire front suspension and brakes at the start of the job, and order new parts as needed. May as well reassembly with fresh parts if needed!

I ended up dropping the sub-frame completely, as it allowed me to lower the transmission neatly straight down, rather than dragging it out the wheel well. To lift the transmission up into place, I built a wood support for my trolley jack that held the transmission at the correct angle. Engine support was achieved using an overhead engine hoist.

Alignment with the engine on installation can be a bear, so I tried I trick I'd read about elsewhere, and it worked very well. Two long bolts were found of the same size as the main engine/transmission bolts. The heads were cut off these bolts, and then threaded into two of the mount holes on the engine. The transmission was then lifted and slid onto these protruding bolts (now studs really...). This made engagement with the clutch and locating dowels much easier. Once the transmission is in place, those studs should unthread easily by hand, allowing the original bolts to go in their place.

Another hint for removal of the flywheel. Leave three or four flywheel bolts partially threaded into the crank. Using a metal hammer, strike the outer rim of the flywheel to loosen its grip on the crank. Be careful where striking, so as to not mark the clutch running or mounting surfaces, or the ring gear. When the flywheel comes loose, it will be supported by the remaining bolts, rather than falling off on your foot!

When reassembling the flywheel, be sure to put sealant on the bolt threads, or oil may leak past the threads into the clutch area. I used Loctite blue to seal and lock those fasteners.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[volvobaggen]

Thanks for the guide, I need to do this myself soon. Can I ask how long it took you to finish the job?

[cn90]

In 2008, I had this (RMS) done at my indy, they charged my 9h labor.
So 9h is the book rates.

[taxi]

It took me about two weeks, one hour/day. It was my first time doing something this big and I was blessed with not one stuck screw/bolt.
I am now however a little worried about the loctite, I did not use it on the flywheel bolts, there was something on the threads already when I opened the bag? I hope I wont have to do this again soon..

[renns]

My job took about 16 hrs, but there were a couple hours spent addressing frozen bolts and broken tools, and I did spend another hour or so putting on new struts and spring seats as well.

taxi, if your replacement fasteners had some sealant on them already, you should be fine. I re-used mine, and the local indy reminded me that sealant needs to be applied in that case. He's seen cases where oil has leaked past the threads of those flywheel bolts, which is worse than an rms leak, as the oil leaks into the clutch friction surface.

[taxi]

Thanks for the info!

[ManManOhMan]

You guys are incredible!!!!