In about three(3) weeks I'll be replacing my clutch and flywheel and, since I'll have the tranny out to do this ...... should I also replace my 81,000 mile original OEM rear main seal if it's NOT leaking.

I really don't know how difficult it is to replace the RMS without removing the RMS adapter, and, if the RMS is not leaking and looks good ..... should I try and fix it if it "ain't broken" anyway?

 

You just pop the old out and install the new. No need to remove the housing. Might be good preventative maintenance.

 

With 81k miles and it's not leaking, I would leave it alone.

 

But then again, it might start leaking next week. They don't last forever and it's a lot of trouble to pull everything out to spend the few minutes it takes to change one. It's a judgement call.

 

I still use my original one.....after 2 rebuilds....

I'm cheap

 

That's no joke... cheap skate.

 

I have 155+k miles and no leak. Just recently installed headers,
new tranny and T.C. - the thought of changing the seal out never
crossed my mind. Of course, the engine will be rebuilt soon.

 

It's less than $20. Change it for piece of mind.

 

Just changed my clutch a couple of weeks ago at 92k miles. I wasn't going to change mine since it wasn't leaking, but decided what the heck. It was only another $20. It comes out in about 20 seconds using a screw driver, and installs in about 2 minutes.

Dan

 

I bought a teflon one when I had to change my crank. The old one was'nt leaking so I left it in. Now I have a spare. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

I thought mine would be OK when I changed my clutch at 74,000 miles. Now at 104k I'm regretting that decision..it's been leaking a little for the last year or so.

 

Yeah so I bought a new one for the new build the other day @ autozone. They had 2 types in stock, the completely rubber one, and the Teflon rear main. Both were felpro. I chose the Teflon, it made more sense. I dont remember it looking like either of these last time I changed mine.

 

First off ..... Thanks! to all who replied. This turned out just about the way I expected it to with basically four(4) of your recommending I change it, and, the other four(4) of you saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

Believe me the issue here isn't either the extra $20 for the seal or the extra 5 minutes to change it. Your points are all well taken but, the thing that sticks in my mind is when I replaced my Optispark and the Opti seal .... and the brand new Opti seal leaked, while the old one never did.

Maybe the question/questions I should have asked is ...... "How long did your original OEM rear main seal last before it started leaking?" (i.e. How many miles?). Or maybe .... "If you replaced your NON leaking RMS during a clutch/flywheel swap, did the NEW seal then leak?"

TIA for any more input on this, I still have a couple of weeks to decide what to do regarding this.

 

My 95 T/A still has the original main seal, and no leaks. Oh, it has 160k on the clock. Newer engines with one piece rear main seals have very little leaking problems compared to the two piece main seals of the past.

I'm like you, have changed a non-leaking seal and got a leak.

 

Things have to be installed correctly for them to work like they should. It's a lot easier to bend an opti seal than a rear main that has no metal in it.

If you are afraid of changing the seal, leave it alone.