Rear main seal leak

sgw_88FoxGT · Aug 20, 2008

How do I fix this? I only have jackstands and a driveway, should I go to a mechanic?

putnam88 · Aug 20, 2008

cheaper at home but the k-member is in the way also if u blew out ur rear main seal check ur pcv valve and the screen one or the other is prolly clogged but u would have to drop the oil pan get the tranny out and the fly wheel or flex plate cause i believe it is a two pice seal then put everything back bolt and torque to spec and u should be off and running

sgw_88FoxGT · Aug 20, 2008

I can take the tranny off without much trouble, never attempted to get past the flywheel. Is it hard to do that?

putnam88 · Aug 20, 2008

no its only a couple bolts that hold it to the crank then bam there is ur seal then u have to drain your oil some how lift ur motor up high enuff to get the pan off take ur caps off so ur crank is loose enuff u can switch out the seals then put it all back together

sgw_88FoxGT · Aug 20, 2008

Thanks for the help so far but...

What are caps?

crank=crankshaft?

This is all new to me. I only just started working on cars a couple months ago.

putnam88 · Aug 20, 2008

caps are your main caps that hold in ur crank aka crankshaft make sur u make which ones go where and make sure u dont mix up main bearings

jd-hart · Aug 20, 2008

putnam88 said:
no its only a couple bolts that hold it to the crank then bam there is ur seal then u have to drain your oil some how lift ur motor up high enuff to get the pan off take ur caps off so ur crank is loose enuff u can switch out the seals then put it all back together

I might have missed something, but I hope you don't go to all this trouble to replace your rear main seal on a 302.....

You don't have to touch the oil pan or the engine mounts. The tranny, and clutch have to come out along with the flywheel but that is all.

I assume you are working on an 88 GT?

bentley429 · Aug 20, 2008

Putnam don't post anymore please.

Yes you can do it. If your some what mechanicly inclined you should do fine. You'll need to drop the mid pipe out, then take out the drive shaft, then the tranny, then bellhousing, then clutch and flywheel. You'll be at the back of the block now, the rear main seal will be right there. Should be about to carefully pry it out with a screw driver. Then the new one should go in pretty easy, just make sure its nice and flat. After that just put it all back together! Honestly if its not leaking insanely bad just leave it, 302's generally always leak.

bentley429 · Aug 20, 2008

Also it doesn't hurt to have a friend give you a hand. Helps a lot when putting the tranny back in.

cenok is family · Aug 20, 2008

putnam88 said:
no its only a couple bolts that hold it to the crank then bam there is ur seal then u have to drain your oil some how lift ur motor up high enuff to get the pan off take ur caps off so ur crank is loose enuff u can switch out the seals then put it all back together

are you kidding? you don't have to do any of that. like bentley said, you can pry it out and put a new one in once you get the fly off.

putnam88 · Aug 20, 2008

if u want to do it right and well i am a perfectionist going in and prying isnt the way to go

93 LX · Aug 20, 2008

on newer 5.0L engines the seal sits on the back of the block. On older 302 blocks its held in by the rear cap and oil pan. I think its also a rope type material too.

putnam88 · Aug 20, 2008

ok then that is what i am thinking of i suppose i have only delt with older blocks

sgw_88FoxGT · Aug 21, 2008

Yep it's an '88 GT. It doesn't leak too bad, maybe needs a quart every every couple weeks. Is that normal for this type of car? I also have oil residue on the side of the block, looks like it's coming out of the cylinder head covers but the residue is never wet, it's just a residue.

The reason why I'm worried more about the rear main seal is in case it's leaking oil onto my clutch. The clutch feels fine but I completely blew up that last one but that one could have gone because it may have just been old.

93 LX · Aug 21, 2008

Mine leaks about a quart between oil changes so I would say that your ride is leaking allot.

sgw_88FoxGT · Aug 21, 2008

What will I need to replace the part that causing the leak? Is it like an O-ring?

putnam88 · Aug 21, 2008

just tell them u need a rear main seal it isnt like and o-ring it has to allow movement without letting oil out

93 LX · Aug 21, 2008

its like a wheel bearing seal. Its a metal ring with a top that goes around the crank shaft. You need to pound it on but you have to do it in a level way as to not to damage the rubber on the metal ring. I used a piece of pvc pipe that was just big enough to go over the crank and sit flush on the seal. While your there you may want to replace the clutch and pressure plate, resurface the flywheel, replace the bearing retainer on the tranny and replace the throwout but thats up to you.

93 LX · Aug 21, 2008

here is a cool write up I just found for a clutch replacement.

http://forums.stangnet.com/707250-86-95-5-0l-clutch-swap-help.html#post6957073

btsclan · Aug 22, 2008

If you have only recently started working on your car or doing any auto repair I would advise that you take the car to the shop.

Fixing the rear oil seal is not an easy job for someone who has just started working on cars.

Have you done any work on cars? If not, then take the car to a shop.

Rear main seal leak

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