Replacing 308 shift shaft seal: Do I need to pull the engine?

You do not need to pull the motor.

you remove dipstick tube then the sump and transmission cover. Undo the bolt in the fork holding the shaft to the shifter linkage in front. Undo the bolt holding the shaft to the selector inside the transmission. Jack up the rear of the transmision to allow the shaft to be withdrawn. Replace the o-rings and reassemble.

It's a two hour job with the propper tools handy

It's a three hour job with 3 trips to sears to get the right tools

It's a 6 hour job if you run out of beer in the process.

 

May I add.....
1) Remove the oil temp sender from rear of sump.
2) Remove large pinch nut (27mm?) from dip stick tube at bottom, once dipstick tube is removed, stick your finger in the hole and pull out the extension.
You can then wiggle the sump cover off.

There are 2 seals, one between gearbox & engine sump and one sealing engine oil from the ground, both seals are the same. They are like normal seals, but they are flexable as you have to wiggle them into position.

 

Attached are my notes from doing this on a 328:

1) Prior to starting the job, from the top remove the dipstick tube bolt from the timing belt cover, the torque rod? (see below) and the battery prior to jacking car-up.

2) Prior to removing dipstick and oil temp sending unit; use a spray cleaner in the area (prevents grime from entering hole after removal).

3) Engine probably does not have to be lifted-up. I disconnected the cat and slightly lifted engine, but not sure if this was needed. If you do want to lift engine be sure to disconnect torque rod from rear valve cover. On my car there was interference between the shifter rod (from shifter) and the shift shaft being removed from the engine. The fuel tank cross-over tube could be pushed out of the way to allow removal and refitting of the shaft. (it would be good to include the fuel tank sleeves with this procedure) The adjustment fitting does not have to be unloosened.

4) The seal is a poor excuse for a seal; it looked like the OD of my seal was the weakest link; if I had the engine out I would fit a regular lip seal with a spring squeezing the lip onto the shaft.

5) Dipstick fitting into the case was hard to access and the fitting is very tight. Tried Snap-on 6 Pt, 24mm socket and it would not clear the threaded nipple; 1” deep was unwieldy and could not get long ratchet on it. What worked well for me was a Craftsman 12 Pt 24mm, Std length socket with a extended length Craftsman Flex ratchet. This ended-up being a very positive arrangement and the fitting just spun-out.

6) People have said this is an approx 9 hour job—this is pretty accurate for a first time, but having the right tools for removing the dipstick fitting would probably knock-off 2 hours (and an unquantifiable gain in frustration relief).

7) It would be best to drain the oil out of both sumps at least a day before (a week would be preferable) —the longer the better otherwise oil will keep dripping down of the gears, pickup tube, Etc.

8) Prior to removal of dipstick tube—put a mark on it (for clocking alignment), near where it fits to the block, to facilitate installation. It is difficult to move the tube around trying to get it in the right place when you are try

I hope these help--it should defiitely help with preventing going to the tool store.
Enjoy,
Mark

 

WHILE YOU"RE IN THERE-------

I had the SilentBloc shift bushing replaced, and in the process, had the shift shaft seals done last week - my mechanic explained that the shift shaft seals are the most common area for Ferrari 3-series cars to leak. Doing both would prevent you from having to go back in there again in the near future should your gearbox start acting funny....

Oh, and everything was done with the engine in-car, from underneath the vehicle on a lift and the gearbox pan dropped.

 

Good luck.