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rear main seal help

M

markg

NAXJA Forum User
Location
nj
about a yr ago we put a new rear main in it.never leaked a drop till about a week ago.now its leaking like a seive.at 1st i though maybe the pcv but they apperently dont use one.any ideas?
also i used a one pc rubber oil pan gasket (about 30 bux)is it reusable after a year?

thanks
 
Check your valve cover gasket at the rear. If it leaks there, oil will run down the back of the block.

As for the gasket, if you can get it off in one piece and it still feels pliable, I'd use it. Use some silicone when you put it back on.
 
if ur going to take ur oil pan off why reuse the gasket, dont be cheap, ur just asking for problems, and if ur going to replace the seal again, buy a more expensive one, not just what theyv'e got on hand, there are different brands and not all are make equil.
 
I would assume if its leaking again, the crankshaft has a groove in it. They sell a double lip seal that technically acts like two seals and seals against the crank in a different spot.
 
Blue XJ said:
I would assume if its leaking again, the crankshaft has a groove in it. They sell a double lip seal that technically acts like two seals and seals against the crank in a different spot.
Click to expand...

Who sells the double lip?
 
falcon556 said:
That would be great!
Click to expand...

That's why I'm working on it, and that's why WiP has a "Tech Archive" section...

I also need to finish encoding all the torque tables I'm working on. I should go ahead and up what I've done so far, so that at least can be referred to...

5-90
 
5-90 said:
That's why I'm working on it, and that's why WiP has a "Tech Archive" section...

I also need to finish encoding all the torque tables I'm working on. I should go ahead and up what I've done so far, so that at least can be referred to...

5-90
Click to expand...

Sure, post what you have, update when possible.
 
The first of the torque charts are up - click the link in my sig, and go to the "Tech Archive" section.

All information posted will be either from manufacturer literature or FSMs, just to be sure I'm citing an authoritative source (and eliminating the possibility of losing something in translation - as far as encoding, I check, double-check, triple-check, and then lock Murphy in a closet...)

5-90
 
5-90 said:
Fel-Pro P/N BS40612, Double Lip Rear Main Crankshaft Oil Seal, 1987-2000 4.0L

5-90
Click to expand...



all of my local auto part stores stock this pn only for a replacement.i called felpro today to ask about the double lip and he says the double lip is the only one they sell for it and that the double lip was nothing special.in fact the factory one was also a double lip.their replacement rides in the exact same spot as the original.

could oil be leaking from somewhere else to come out of the trans insp plate?the vc gasket seems fine but im gonna look again tonite.the reasn i ask is because even after it is turned off it still leaks for a long while and overnite there will be a large puddle under the eng.the main seems high up and seems to me that once off it would stop leaking right away

thanks again for all of the help!
 
markg said:
all of my local auto part stores stock this pn only for a replacement.i called felpro today to ask about the double lip and he says the double lip is the only one they sell for it and that the double lip was nothing special.in fact the factory one was also a double lip.their replacement rides in the exact same spot as the original.
Click to expand...

I replaced one of them a few years back and I am pretty sure that there was nothing double about the seal both original and replacement.
In fact I was somewhat disapointed with the flimsy lip.
 
replaced the vc gasket last nite.didnt see anything unusually wrong.cleaned it all very well including the baffles.i was hoping there was a small vc leak near the back that i couldnt see.
still leaking like crazy.
tomorrow the pan comes down again.
so much oil is coming out it looks as if there is no rear main seal at all.i just dont understand it.
ill keep ya posted.
 
just how important id the liquid soap deal?.im going to pull the pan tomorrow.any insight as to why this my have failed after only a yr is appreciated.
thanks
mark

i know i didnt use liquid soap last time.i may have lubricated the top half with oil too to get it to go in easier.
 
I don't usually use soap - when I do a rear main, the first thing I do is pour a small parts bin full of clean engine oil and throw the seal it.

You may want to inspect the sealing surface of the crank rather more thoroughly - use a fingernail to feel for a groove. If you can feel it, it will probably cause a leak.

As far as the seal lip, it's going to be fairly flimsy. There's not a lot of pressure behind that seal (and make sure you install it the right way around - the little "V" under the lip should be toward the INSIDE of the engine!) because most of the pressure will bleed off through the forward bearing gap. Granted, there's a little more there than there is behind an axle seal, but it's still not so much (try sealing a power steering box!)

I'm not sure of the utility of lubricating the seal, but I feel better doing it, and it's not caused me any trouble, so I see no reason to stop doing it. The clean oil you used to soak the seal can just be poured right into the engine...

5-90
 
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