Front oil seal

[dal2.0litrefrogeye]

Hi all . Could do with advice from someone who's done the job . My front oil seal is leaking . It's all new but it's two years since I got engine back from builders and for the 1st 10 months was pugged up in hobby corner at work so I couldn't even get to turn it over . So I'm probably lucky it's the front seal and not the back .....
So , I more or less understand the job .... but read in a couple of posts (all over the web ) sump has to come off / sump stays on etc etc also is it best to fit new seal with the piece that runs on the crank aswell . Cheers for any ideas from those that have done it . Regards confused of orpington

[Heuer]

James has done it and wrote up the whole process. Some reading for you to get your head around it:
viewtopic.php?p=84366#p84366

[Tom W]

I did this job with the engine in situ, and the car on axle stands. You don’t say what model your car is. My S2 has the later front cover to allow the seal to come off without removing the cover.

I managed to remove the sump without removing the reaction plate, but it’s very tight at the back where there’s 2 lumps on the sump. I jacked the back of the gearbox as high as I could (with the bulkhead rubber disconnected) to gain the clearance. Even then it’s not easy, especially when refitting and getting all the sump gaskets in place. If I did it again, I would remove the torsion bar reaction plate, then the sump could be offered up vertically.

I wasn’t able to remove the taper piece that the crank damper sits on without it breaking apart. There’s nothing on it to grip, and because the slots in it go nearly all the way through, it splits very easily. I used the later xj6 style seal. This needs a new distance piece. It’s slightly longer than the original as the later seal doesn’t need the oil thrower. If your car already has this upgrade, then you won’t need a new distance piece, unless it’s worn. With the front cover in place, there’s no way to remove the thrower without cutting it off. It’s easy enough to cut it into 3 with strong tin snips to remove it.

Regards,

Tom

[dal2.0litrefrogeye]

Cheers for info ... it's a 69 4.2 engine ....
So the sumps got to come off..... bollax