Some of you may know what I'm talking about from my other thread. But I am beginning to think that a bolt from the rear main seal HOUSING (there are 4 bolts) fell out and got caught up in the spinning flywheel or torque convertor and shot out the transmission dust shield.

I am not positive that is what this is, but it's beginning to look like it. Have you heard of this happening? I've never had that apart before so it would be a factory assembly problem and it seems like an unlikely event but I don't know what else this bolt could be from.
Also, if I now only have 3 of the 4 bolts holding the housing...is it unsafe to drive w/o damaging my engine?

 

I've never heard of this happening, but it is possible. If that is in fact what happened then I wouldn't worry about it. There's still three bolts and an oil pan holding it on, plus the gasket is probably fused to the housing and the engine block. I would think that something would have to hit the bolt to break it though. It could have been a rock or something like that that somehow made it into the flywheel area. Have you taken the flywheel cover off yet to look at the ring gear?

 

i have not traken off the flywheel cover yet but I do plan on it this weekend. I was just worried if one bolt came undone, it's possible that the other ones could, then what happens? Do i just get an oil leak or does something get out of whack and scorch a crank bearing. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I was still sitting on money. As nice as a 383 sounds, I can't afford it.

 

That is EXACTLY what happened to me last summer, except it never shot out. It would just sit on the dust shield and get sucked up into the torque converter when I floored it and made it sound like my car was going to blow up. Finally when I was puting the headers in I saw the bolt sitting there all chewed up.....

Anyways, I took the bolt out of there and after the headers I was driving the car with only 3 bolts for the rear main seal for most of the summer, and replaced the bolt(along with some thread locker) when I did the vigi and shift kit.

It was a very scarey problem when I didn't know what it was.

 

that's kind of interesting that both of our cars are 97's. I wonder if it is more common than we know?

 

While not a lot, I have read numerous posts over the years of this happening. I can't tell you what years where involved, though.

 

I've heard it happening on a 96 before.