Leaky Rear Main Seal

[pvt num 11]

Since my car has no plates, it pretty much sits. I notice that if it sits for awhile without running, I get smoke off of the crossover pipe. Looking at it, I have oil slowly dripping out of the rear main seal onto the pipe where it burns off and smells like Hell. If I let the car run for a bit, the smoke stops - I guess the seal doesn't do a very good job when it's cold but gets nice and soft when warmed up, and then seals. If I start it the next day, no smoke. Sits for a week or more, it smokes.

I've read the guide on changing the seal before, anyone ran into issues while doing this? Anything else I should do while I'm under there, when I get around to doing it? Is it a Big Deal if I let it go for now?

 

[2QUIK6]

Won't hurt a thing if its only dripping a couple of drops each time its parked, its common because of the crappy rope seal design.
Make sure its not the back of the intake or back of the valve covers leaking and making its way down the back of the motor...make sure its all dry back there.
Its not that bad of a job, you'll need to lift the motor up about 1-2 inches..remove motor mount bolts, and jack it up from the front pully/dampener and place a 2x4 piece of wood under the mounts...the rest is a piece of cake.

A little trick to getting the pan and the seal back on is to tie the gasket to the pan with little pieces of string..except for the rear part because it will make contact with the flywheel, tuck it inside the pan....get the pan up, then reach into the pan and pull the rear half out..place pan up and start a couple bolts..then cut the string.
Use the thick cork gasket too, Nike Micale has them...they are much more tolerant to over tightening the pan bolts...the rubber felpro will work if its spotless from oil on any surface and they are tightened no tighter than the spec.

 

[j13smiley]

yea - mine drops too... when (if) i ever do it i'm going to replace the rear main and the oil pan gasket.

however - i've also read and heard enough that i'm not going to mess with it yet. when it gets worse - i'll deal with it then.

 

[DaJoker]

Mine leaks also, but its not coming out till the tranny does!!!

 

[nickD]

Where is that guide? Are there part numbers listed there for the cork oil pan gasket and rear main seal ?
sorry I did a quick search but couldn't find it.

 

[2QUIK6]

Where is that guide? Are there part numbers listed there for the cork oil pan gasket and rear main seal ?
sorry I did a quick search but couldn't find it.

Rear Main Seal Replacement

 

[nickD]

thanks