Hunk of Cheese

I am replacing the rear main seal on my '89 Civic 1.5L 4-speed manual while doing the clutch.

I bought this Fel-pro seal, picture attached.

It came with the circular seal I was expecting, and some gaskets, as shown in the picture. I don't see anywhere they would fit, and I don't find any mention of gaskets that should be replaced while the tranny is out. What are these gaskets for?

ezone

Some engines use a separate 'carrier' that holds the seal.

Yours probably has one, part #7 in this diagram?






GIS for some random seal carrier:






Gasket sets are usually packaged to cover several different applications with a single kit.

Hunk of Cheese

Is it usual to replace this gasket while replacing the seal? My Hayne's manual doesn't have any torque values or instructions here. Any tricks e.g. extra RTV sealant necessary? Better to install the seal while the carrier is on the engine, or off?

I do have a lot of oil on the outside of the pan, not sure where it's coming from but replacing gaskets while it's apart seems smart.

ezone

You don't need to remove it if it isn't a problem IMO, but should it be resealed right now while it's all apart? Maybe.
You probably need to remove the oil pan to get the carrier off.

Replacing the main seal can be done either way. Note the depth it's installed at.

I DO NOT SEE a gasket from the factory in that location. Do not put a gasket in there if it did not have one from the factory.

If there is no paper gasket then it must be RTV. I'd use Permatex Ultra Gray or equivalent (Hondabond),

Bolt specs.....If you use RTV the specs will be standard 6mm fastener specs and some common sense.

Hunk of Cheese

Thanks for the tips. I wound up leaving the seal carrier in place since it's too much trouble holding up the engine with both the oil pan and the transmission out.