rear main seal help

[dfirefighter]

I have your typical oil leak. seems to be dripping out of the converter dust shield. assuming it is the rear main. got the oil pan off, and noticed that there were a couple rtv glob spots where the side cavity slots are on the rear main cap. is it possible the leak is coming from the pan? seems that the globs might compromise the seal of the gasket and oil pan. has anyone seen this too, or is it normal to have these small globs. I would think it should be flush.

any help please. I dont want to change this
It is not leaking at the rear main seal.

 

[turbofabricator]

It very well could be the pan gasket. BUT........If I ever pull a pan, I also change the rear main seal while I'm in there. Easy enough to do. The blobs of seal are there to help seal any mismatch between the block and main cap intersection. If you pull the pan, be SURE to use a cork pan gasket (and neoprene rear main seal). They are available form the vendors on this site or from ROL, Detroit, and Corteco. I use a Fel-Pro rear main seal (mainly becasue they are cheap and available 1/4 mile from my shop) I do NOT use the rubber side seals. I pump silicone into the cavity after torquing the cap down. I smear a light film of silicone (Ultra-Black) on the mating suface of the cap, but only in the area of the seal, not around the bolt holes themselves. Then using a caulking gun, I fill the channel with silicone until it squeezes out along the main cap into and out of the engine. This has worked the best for me over the years. If you live in a VERY arid envoironment, then it might be necessary to dip a wetted pipe cleaner into the cavity to get moisture in there so the silicone cures. Around here, I have never had an issue with that. But, it rains here 390 days a year. (seems like it anyway) As a side note, an easy way to pull the main cap is to thread two pan bolts into the cap (1/2 way) and use two small pry bars or screw drivers to pry under thier heads and use the pan rail as a leverage point. The rear main is the easiest cap to remove.

 

[chadly]

Got a picture? Sounds like the rear seal was replaced and maybe a little extra goop was left behind. However the pan is already off so I would just change the seal. Heck you’re almost done anyway.

Chad