Will a leaky rear main seal foul the flywheel/clutch interface?

[oz]

I ask because I am having an issue with severe clutch chatter...
History:
When I rebuilt my engine, the Fel-Pro two piece rear main seal was too long... I tried to torque down the rear main cap but the seal would not compress enough to allow the cap to seat. I had no choice but to shorten it slightly with a Dremel cut off wheel. I used silicone sealer in all the right places as suggested in "How to rebuild your small block Ford', etc.
After driving the car awhile, I noticed a little oil on the front surface of the plate that covers the bottom of the bellhousing. I get a drip in my garage from time to time. Not a lot but some. I assume I have a slight leak from the seal.
Now for the question, will oil that is leaking from the rear main (in front of the flywheel) find it's way to the back of the flywheel and cause the chatter I am experiencing?
If I find that the rear main is the root cause, what's the best way to fix it? I am aware of a 'sneaky pete' to get the old two piece seal out but I have little confidence after last time that a new one would be any better.

HELP!?!

Thanks.

 

[68rustang]

Absolutely. Any oil that leaks onto the flywheel will be slung onto the bellhousing when the engine is running. From there it is not much of a stretch to get to the clutch.

That being said a new clutch kit is what $100 and you said the oil leak is minimal? I would wait until the clutch is smoked or the leak gets to be a problem. It is the same amount of work to do it now or later.

 

[thehueypilot]

The "sneaky pete" is for the rope type seal and not the two piece rubber seal.

 

[69Rcode_Mach1]

Fix the problem now. Do not leave problems like this for later. It can open a can of worms. It is not that big of deal I had to drop my oil pan 4 times the first time I dropped in my engine. It gets easier everytime, the steering can be dropped via 2 bolts on the pass side frame rail. Then loosen the starter and remove the bottom bolt that will give you enough play to get all the bolts from the oil pan. Then drop the crossmember and you are there. I had to change my rear main seal with the engine in the car. It is VERY easy. Take the pan off take off the main cap. Then just lightly tap a small driver or punch on the rubber of the seal it will come out the other end and you can pull it out with needle nose pliers. Just be careful not to nick the crank. Did you make sure to have the lip on the rear main seal facing the right direction. If not that is your problem. Sneaky pete is absolutely useless for this style seal. Ask me how I know, I tried to make it to work for 20 minutes, then whipped out the hammer, finished in 60 seconds.

 

[gjz30075]

Make sure those flywheel bolts have sealant on them. The holes in the crank are open all the way to the inside.

 

[oz]

The oil leak issue is the worst case scenario in my opinion, I would like to try to eliminate other causes of the problem first. I guess I need to take the transmission out regardless. From there, I can see if there is oil on the flywheel. I am 90% sure that I did NOT grease the input shaft. I have been told that this can cause chatter. I am also 99% sure I used sealer on the flywheel bolts so I really don't think that's where the oil is coming from. I tried to pry the plate that covers the front of the bellhousing forward to stick a rag in there to check for oil awhile back... I will do that again.

This is going to suck big time whatever I find...
Can anybody tell me what to look for so I don't have to just start replacing everything? Is there any chance that my clutch is not junk now?

Can anyone tell me what is the deal with the rear seal I had? It was toooo long when I tried to install it. I mean it was more than 1/4" too long. I thought perhaps it was a compression fit but I put on the main cap and tightened it down to near the proper torque and there was still a gap between the cap and the block... what the hell? I cut off one end of one of the seals with a Dremel and a cut off wheel. This exposed the steel core of the seal. I put a dab of silicone at the ends of the seal when I finally did install it.
How can I avoid this situation? I don't want to do this over and just have the same problem again.

As for waiting, the car is basically undrivable. I WILL break something in the drivetrain if I don't fix this. I am familiar with mild clutch chatter and this is the worst I have ever experienced.

I am depressed....

 

[D.Hearne]

Leaky rear main won't cause clutch chatter. It WILL make it slip eventually. Clutch chatter is usually from a mismatch between the clutch and flywheel, or rather they didn't wear in together right.

 

[2nd Mustang]

My new Centerforce II clutch chattered for a few hundred miles as the speed shop told me it would, but it was a very minimal chatter.

I once had a shop install the wrong size crank bearings in an engine and it literally poured oil out by the crankshaft pulley when under a load.

Good luck.

 

[oz]

Thanks for the replies.
I tended to think that an oil problem would cause slippage as well and not necessarily chatter... Not that I have that - yet. The oil I have witnessed has seemingly been on the front of the bellhousing plate - as if it were coming from the valve covers... in fact, I have almost eliminated it by tweaking my valve cover gaskets and breather setup. Plus the covers are 'finned' and channel any oil from the poorly fitting breather to the rear of the engine and down the back side. But there is still the occasional drip from the bottom of the bellhousing.

What about a worn clutch fork. My fork was worn more on one side of it than the other.... and my old clutch disc was worn as if it was riding crooked - the thing was way past worn out - the rivets were touching the mating surfaces - but only on half of the disc (I think the higher wear was on opposite edges of the disc on either side). Could the slight difference in fork wear account for the chatter? In theory, the fork will not push the release bearing down squarely against the pressure plate fingers....

Someone mentioned bellhousing misalignment - is this a common problem with stock bellhousings? How do i check this, fix it?

Any other thoughts?

THANKS for all the suggestions!!!