Miata Tools

I am replacing the timing belt and seals (crank front/rear, camshaft) on the 1.8L motor I am swapping into my 93 Miata. Is it worth getting the tools to install the seals and hold the cam gears?

Flyin Miata has a kit and they also have the parts ala cart.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?dept=121

I replaced the rear main seal on my EJ205 Subaru motor a few years back and drove it in too far and had to get a new seal and make a PVC pipe tool to drive it in evenly but not too far. (I wish I would have known I drove it in too far before I reinstalled the motor and was wondering why it wasnt building oil pressure)

Do all the seals just seat against the back ledge of their respective recesses?

Just get the bottle opener, its awesome, the other tools I can do without. But the bottle opener kicks ass (as a tool, it kind of sucks as a bottle opener).

The rear seal installer is the must-have in my opinion. The Miata seals do not seat against a back ledge, and that large diameter rear seal is really easy to push in too far. The tool costs as much as a replacement seal, so if it keeps you from screwing one up then it just paid for itself and saved you the time of waiting for another.

The others are really useful. They're all tools that we built for ourselves first, then released to the public. If you've got the engine out, you can use the flywheel to hold the crank so the crank holder isn't as necessary. Still, makes the job easier.

Keith Tanner wrote: The rear seal installer is the must-have in my opinion. The Miata seals do not seat against a back ledge, and that large diameter rear seal is really easy to push in too far. The tool costs as much as a replacement seal, so if it keeps you from screwing one up then it just paid for itself and saved you the time of waiting for another. The others are really useful. They're all tools that we built for ourselves first, then released to the public. If you've got the engine out, you can use the flywheel to hold the crank so the crank holder isn't as necessary. Still, makes the job easier.

You can also use the brakes to hold if its in the car though, takes a 2nd person though since the e-brake wasnt enough for me. I've also never done the rear main with the engine in, I just take the metal rear main piece off and press it onto the seal with both on the bench. Makes it sit perfectly flat.