Need help w/ rear main seal install, please.

[Hutchew]

I am about to stuff this motor in, but have decided to change the rear main seal due to a little seepage present between the flywheel and bellhousing. I do not have the service manual yet, and need to know what special instructions and/or tools are required for this install. looks to be pretty straightforward, but don't wanna take the chance of screwing something up. Thanks in advance.

 

[sewman]

Well to pull it out you drill a couple of small holes across from eack other,like @ 3:00 & 9:00 screw in a sheet metak srew,use a claw hammer & pry it out,alittle @ a time. When you put it in it's supposed to be dry,it comes with a sleeve that you remove once you get it installed,use some sealer around the outer seat of the seal. Like most seals it's hard to get started .

Good Luck

 

[Hutchew]

THERE YA GO.....

That's what I was looking for, Sewman. Thanks a million.

 

[illflem]

If you don't know this trick it helps a lot in getting a seal started staight and in. Just use a short piece of PVC pipe or a fitting that is the same OD as the seal for a driver. If you can't find the correct OD just cut a section out of a larger OD piece of PVC and squeeze it to the right size with a hose clamp. Put a piece of wood on the end of the pipe as you tap it in so that you are pushing evenly all around the seal. Works great for me.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Rear main seal part #?

Geez! My defferred maint must be catching up to me. My rear seal started leaking like a pig. Maybe time to think about a new clutch while I have it opened up.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

In addition to the rear main seal. . . Check the plug at the rear of the camshaft. If you block was made after March 1995, it has a provision for an o-ring under the plug, but the factory may not have used an o-ring. Less likely possibility is the 11/16" plug at the rear of the oil galley.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Thanks Joe,



It's a 97' so I will look for that also. I had normal "seepage" for a long time. So little that I use maybe . 5qt in 5k miles or so. It just started leaking big time just like that.

 

[B-52]

Thought my rear main seal was seeping - everytime I was under the truck I would find a drip at the bottom of the bellhousing, and the whole area generally covered in oil.



After pulling transmission, bellhousing and flywheel to upgrade clutch and replace rear main seal, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the source of the drip was not the rear main. The area under the flywheel was bone dry.



Seems like either the factory used way too much lube on the input shaft or my old clutch release bearing was puking - I could never tell which. It was obvious this was what was occurring because the whole inside of the bellhousing was covered with muck. It seems that during normal operation the grease was hot enough to run down and seep out the bottom where the ventilation (inspection ?) slot is. With new clutch came new release bearing, and I used a high-grade marine grease on the input shaft. Never had a drip since in 20K miles...



Just my . 02 - hope this helps



Mike