After my last oil change this weekend, I noticed an amount of oil leaking from most likely the rear main seal. I'm reluctant to immediately jump to this issue right now, as this does not look like a walk in the park to replace. Has anybody actually done this swap, and if so, how difficult/long/expensive are we lookin' at here? I've done some basic repairs with help from some guys on the board -- brakes, waterpump, things of that nature. Just wanted to know if this was something I could tackle on my own, or if I would need a repair shop to do this for me. Thanks guys!

 

After dropping the tranny and draining the oil its not that hard.

A friend of mine borrowed a tool to insert the rear seal in.

Not sure what its called.

 

I went ahead and changed mine when i had the tranny out being rebuilt. It's really simple to replace if you've got the tranny out. It's only like $5 for the seal.

 

My dad and I replaced his in his 65 stang i know it's not real relevent but it was not hard we did not have to drop the tranny though lucky us we also replaced the crank bearings while we had the oil pan off it does make it a lil easier if you have that tool

 

so there is actually a tool that will put the seal on after the tranny is out, huh? How much is this tool, or where can I obtain one otherwise? I just don't want this leak to get any worse!

 

Replacing the rear main is not that hard at all. If you drop the tranny, then only 4 bolts and a little prying will do the trick. The tricky part is finding out how stuck the original gasket is to the block or seal housing. If its stuck to either one use some type of penetrant or something to get it wet ---for ease of removal. The tool used to remove the seal, that I used was a flat screwdriver. I layed the housing face down on a table and punched the seal out by hitting it around the rim---carefully--a little a time gets the job done. To install it, if you use a regular seal---or if you buy the teflon seal( a bit more expensive and you don't use any lubrication for installation on this one) you can rent the seal driver kit from your local parts store or use like a piece of 2X4 and tap it ever so lightly to get uniform sealing around the perimeter.

All in all---not that hard to install or remove---just sounds a bit tricky.

 

The hard part is dropping the trans. After that it's a piece of cake. Don't take off the seal carrier, prize the seal out of it. If you remove the seal carrier, you have to drop the pan because the pan gasket goes up into the seal carrier. A 4" pvc coupling union, a flat board and a BMF hammer makes a fine seal installation set.

 

That's true---I forgot about that minor (major really) detail. You can remove the seal then with a seal removing tool--easy to find in the parts store for about ~10.00.

 

are you sure it's the rear main seal? might want to check your intake manifold!

 

As said before, removing the transmission is the hardest part. I used a screwdriver to pry the old seal out. It doesn't matter if you destroy the old seal when you remove it. Put the new seal in straight using a board or a length of pipe and a hammer. Not too bad at all.

 

The seal itself is very easy to get out. All you need is a flathead screwdriver. Putting it in is just as simple, put a little oil on it (I used the rubber gasket, other people use teflon, it really doesn't matter that much), and push it back in. I personally had no problem getting the seal in with just my hands, as long as it's flush with the housing your fine. The difficult part is pulling the trans and getting the clutch off, in my opinion. It's about 8 to 10 hours worth of work, but I also put in a new PP and clutch disk, as well as resurfaced the flywheel. It's more time consuming than diffucult, if you have a little mechanical knowledge and experience. Also, check the intake manifold, because that's more likely where you are leaking at. The only reason I replaced my seal was because I saw no reason to leave a 91K seal in my car when I could swap a new one in for about $10 a a minute worth of time.

 

I'm 85% sure that it's the rear main. However, I have been known to be wrong before in my life (it happened this one time at band camp... ) Anyway, what's the easiest way to check that it is the rear main and not the intake? I had my intake leak fixed about 2 years ago at the dealer while it was still under warranty, you think it went out again? Any info would be SOOO helpful. Thanks guys

 

It looks like it's leaking about 3 drops/night right now, I just don't want it to get any worse than it already is! Anybody wanna tell me how I can be 100% sure?

 

An old 101 fix problem I learned back then. Try putting some type of talc on the rear of the intake----make sure to be very careful you don't get it anywhere it may harm a sensor or something. Also try putting some near the rear main. when the oil begins to leak and creates its passage of travel it shows up real neat on the talc. Sometimes when talc isn't enough I use flour. I'ts helped me pin point pesty leaks before---might work for you----you figure it out. Hope it helps.

 

I will see what I can do with that info -- thanks! It seems like it must be from the rear main and not the intake, the oil is hitting the axle going across to my wheels, seems too far back for an intake leak! What do you guys think? I'll try to get some picture of it this evening to be sure.