I'm about to replace the clutch in my '83 pickup and I figured that while I was at it that I would replace the rear crankshaft seal because that's the only place left that I could possibly be leaking oil (my mystery oil leak). Any advice or words of wisdom before I get started? I've done them before on Ford and GM 8 cylinder rebuilds, but never on a 22R or in the vehicle. Since my V8 Tundra eats fuel, my '83 is my daily driver so I didn't want any surprise to cause me any down time.

Also does anybody have any recommendations for rear crankshaft seal kits? Is any type or brand better than another?

And while I'm at it, any thoughts on clutch kits? I was probably just going to get a Sachs OEM clutch kit, but I like to hear what folks have to say about different brands.

Thanks again guys!

 

Last time I bought a clutch it was an aisin HD one from phoenix friction, stock with a little more grab, that was for my tacoma though, might want to check there, marlin crawler probably has some pretty good ones too. I don't know anything about the luchs clutches though.

 

I have a leak from the front somewhere, but haven't looked into it yet. I just got this truck a few thousand miles ago, and need to inspect the cam chain. If the front seal is leaking, I'll have to remove lower pulley and sprocket anyway, so I'll get an eyefull on cam tensioner and stuff.

But I also want to get a quality seal if I have to replace it. There really is some crap aftermarket stuff out there (I am finding out!). Any recommendations?

 

Pingpong, I would suggest spraying down the motor with some Zep Degreaser and lightly powerwashing the bottom of your motor to get all the oil and grease off of it. I thought that I had a front seal leak too, but after cleaning it up, I noticed that the everything stayed bone dry and free of oil so I'm figuring that it has to be a rear seal. Usually if it was a front seal, everything from the pulley back would be covered with oil.

 

Yes... I really need to clean it up and find out exactly where it is coming from. It could just need oil pan bolts snugged up. I lost a screw and a screwdriver in there... I think it is on the rock guard! As soon as I solve the ignition problem and get it running again, I'll pull that off, clean up the engine and find the leak. It was less than a half quart every 1000 miles on the highway, but might have gotten a little worse while I've been troubleshooting the ignition problem.

 

I wish I was only going through a half quart per 1,000 miles! I'm losing about a quart every 200-300 miles with no blue smoke coming from the exhaust and no oils spots in the driveway!

 

every 200 mile... and No blue smoke and no oil dropping? Now that's just voodoo. I do not think it can be the rear seal. Wouldn't it just drop out back there? I never thought about that. Is the bell housing sealed? It should have drain ports on the lower side for rear seal failure, shouldn't it? Otherwise, your clutch would be useless pretty quick (and stinky, burning oil!). I changed my clutch on my (sold) 94 2WD Xcab, and don't remember if there are drain ports. I think it was sealed all around.

 

Kawazx, how does your coolant look? That might be where your oil is going. I believe there's a "gap" in the bell housing on the bottom where it mates to the block and the oil would be leaking in your driveway from there and your clutch would reak of burnt oil, I would think. I have seen/heard some wierd stuff but your dissapearing oil trick is impressive. Let us know what you find.

On clutches, I have a centerforce dual friction that I've run the hell outa for 10+ years and I have nothing bad to say about it. I like it a lot but can't compare it to anything but the worn out oem clutch that was in it. The centerforce is WAY better than oem. I've heard good things about the marlin clutches but haven't run one.

 

You might want to have a sleeve on hand in case the crank is grooved. I think maybe Toyota makes a thinner seal that would ride in a different spot on the crank (or maybe they just make a thinner crank seal for the front of the motor - can't remember) so that might be an option too. Anyway, something to think about.

 

Bingle, I'm glad you think my mystery oil leak is impressive! I'm quite proud of the fact that my truck rivals David Copperfield and my savvy ability to find and cure an oil leak! LOL The coolant looks good. I just replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses so if there was oil in the coolant then it would have definitely showed up on my garage floor when I replace those. On occasion I smell some funkiness coming from the tranny, but it doesn't smell like a burnt clutch or oil, but it might be the scent of the combination of the two...who knows?! Hopefully I will know I drop the tranny! I occasionally get some oil drops coming from the clutch housing while parked, but I imagine that the majority of the oil leaking out of there comes while it's under pressure being driven. Plus when I hit about 45 MPH I start getting a funky vibration that feels like it could be coming from the tranny. It gets increasingly worst as I go faster and running longer. When I push in the clutch during the vibration, I get a fairly good rumble too. I've check all all typical vibration sources (drag link, knuckles, hub bearings, etc) So I'm figuring that it could be a bad throwout bearing or fluid (oil) churning up in there. Again, we'll see soon.

As for the clutch, I was thinking about going for the multi-friction plate clutch, but I don't really "need" it and I didn't want to sacrifice my daily driving conveniences. I ended up ordering a Perfection Performance clutch. From what I have read, they are a lot more grippy than the OEM clutch, but last a lot longer. Plus I wanted something that was fairly economical to get me through the summer until I rebuild the motor and will likely replace it with a Centerforce or one of the Marlin's.