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Forum namePerformance/Engine
Topic subjectKiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Topic URLhttp://forums.2gnt.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=119226
119226, Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Son of a B#$%ch!!! I've had this leak fr a couple months and thought I'd get lucky and it'd just be the pan gasket, so I'd change it at next oil change and be done with it. Well, as my luck would have it, it's coming out of the cover plate between the block and the tranny (now I should feel fortunate, as my normal luck would include an angry badger hiding under the car waiting for me)

How many people have done this change in the car? Any estimates on how long a job this is? I'm just looking for an estimate of how much time I should put aside to do it, because I've been known to call a job three hours and not get it done till next tuesday.

I'm planning on just pulling the tranny to get to it, as I don't have access to a cherry picker right now. Any suggestions or notes to look out for would be great, also, since I'm going to be down there, anybody have a high stall converter they want to give me :D wishful thinking.
119227, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by ez, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by Keith2172
Son of a B#$%ch!!! I've had this leak fr a couple months and thought I'd get lucky and it'd just be the pan gasket, so I'd change it at next oil change and be done with it. Well, as my luck would have it, it's coming out of the cover plate between the block and the tranny (now I should feel fortunate, as my normal luck would include an angry badger hiding under the car waiting for me) How many people have done this change in the car? Any estimates on how long a job this is? I'm just looking for an estimate of how much time I should put aside to do it, because I've been known to call a job three hours and not get it done till next tuesday. I'm planning on just pulling the tranny to get to it, as I don't have access to a cherry picker right now. Any suggestions or notes to look out for would be great, also, since I'm going to be down there, anybody have a high stall converter they want to give me :D wishful thinking.


I'm in the same boat, but I'm going to wait until the timing belt change comes up in another 17k. Then I'm going to pull the whole motor and do both the belt and the rearmain. Gonna buy the cherry picker when it's time. Are you going to get that special tool to put in the seal?
119228, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by eclipse982nrRST, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
You could knock it out in the car in a couple of hours man. Just drop the trans and replace that piece of shit :)
119229, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by ez
Are you going to get that special tool to put in the seal?


Which tool do you speak of, is there one more fitting than a rubber mallet and flat head screw driver?

I guess maybe I'll take pictures when I do it and hopefully they'll be helpful to others. I'm just not looking forward to this at all.

BTW, I think I know the answer but haven't been able to verify, is the rear main a one-piece or two?
119230, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by 98VengeI4, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by Keith2172
Originally posted by ez Are you going to get that special tool to put in the seal?
Which tool do you speak of, is there one more fitting than a rubber mallet and flat head screw driver? I guess maybe I'll take pictures when I do it and hopefully they'll be helpful to others. I'm just not looking forward to this at all. BTW, I think I know the answer but haven't been able to verify, is the rear main a one-piece or two?


One Piece.
119231, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by 98VengeI4
One Piece.


Thank you, that's what I thought. I think I'm going to have to set aside a whole weekend for this, and maybe I'll get a chance to button up a few more items while I'm down there, like my crankscraper and clean up any undercarriage grime.
119232, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by foggy45, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
the actual seal is easy
once you drop the tranny, you pry the old one out with a flat screwdriver. pick up new seal and install it DRY (do not oil the inside) then place it in the grove and tap gently and evenly with a plastic mallet untill its flush. rebolt tranny and all's good
easier then redoing the timing ( :wallbash )
119233, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by VelocitaPaola, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by foggy45
the actual seal is easy once you drop the tranny, you pry the old one out with a flat screwdriver. pick up new seal and install it DRY (do not oil the inside) then place it in the grove and tap gently and evenly with a plastic mallet untill its flush. rebolt tranny and all's good easier then redoing the timing ( :wallbash )



I don't know about that... I thought it was going to be really easy too, and it ended up taking me 20 minutes to install it on my new block before it even went in the car! Maybe it's just me...

Anyway, I lubed the inside of the seal, and wiped a thin layer of RTV on the outside. No leaks to date...


-http://www.symtechlabs.com/-

119234, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by techboy, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Yeah, I 2nd that, if you buy a decent seal (check parts Dino) it won't just push right in. I did it outside the car and had a bit of trouble with it. Doing it in the car I can't imagine, but it'll definitely be harder. You should be able to do it though. I would def take the tranny copletely out. This will be a lot easier if you a manual. I'd guess if you started in the morning you'd be done by mid afternoon. That includes start to finish driving the car in and out. Maybe dinner time if you have trouble ... you know how car jobs go. :thumbsup
119235, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Chamuko, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Think mine is due as well.

Have a spare cherrypicker sight here...
119236, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by Chamuko
Think mine is due as well. Have a spare cherrypicker sight here...


Maybe we can schedule them both at the same time and have a race to see who gets done faster. Or better still, have a "So-Cal Meet" to draw everyone in, then make the suckers, er, I mean brothers, do the work for us :P

Hopefully I get a chance to do it before MOD, wouldn't want to drip oil on sacred grass.
119237, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by ez, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by Keith2172
Originally posted by Chamuko Think mine is due as well. Have a spare cherrypicker sight here...
Maybe we can schedule them both at the same time and have a race to see who gets done faster.


All 3 of us should compete. Loser pays for pizza!
119238, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by johnny, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Maybe we can schedule them both at the same time and have a race to see who gets done faster. Or better still, have a "So-Cal Meet" to draw everyone in



im all game i need to do mine too i think
119239, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Alright suckers, it's on. Saturday bright and early she goes up in the air and that leaky seal is Outsville. If I remember the camera I'll snap a bunch of pics and maybe write something up on it. I think I'll do the crankscraper at the same time as I've got one in the corner and nobody bought it last garage cleaning sale. Wish me luck.
119240, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by DR1665, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Good to see you getting pumped up about it. Didn't see it mentioned in the thread, though, so I'll just say a couple things that might be common sense...

- Be sure you've got fresh trans fluid from the dealer before you get started. You're going to want to drain that trans before you pop the axles. That's messy if you didn't drain the trans.

- I'm pretty sure you can leave the axles in the hubs and just unbolt some of the suspension parts to yank the CVs out of the diff. This can save you the headaches of dealing with those rusty main nuts.

- As mentioned, when you install the new RMS, DO NOT lube the area prior to installation. Keep it clean as can be. Then take special care when actually installing the new seal. As mentioned, take your time and work your way around the thing, tapping it lightly with a mallet. You don't want to tweak or damage it in any way or you'll do all this work for nothing.

- Finally, with regards to the new RMS, when properly installed, it's flat, but just a hair above flush with the block surface. DO NOT tap it in flush or deeper. Give it *just* a RCH above flush.

You *might* be able to fill it up and test idle the engine to see if it leaks, but you've only got one motor mount supporting the engine at this point unless you re-install the crossmember and front mount. I don't know if even that's a good idea, but it's food for thought.

Let us know how it all turns out.

119241, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by DR1665
Good to see you getting pumped up about it. Didn't see it mentioned in the thread, though, so I'll just say a couple things that might be common sense... - Be sure you've got fresh trans fluid from the dealer before you get started. You're going to want to drain that trans before you pop the axles. That's messy if you didn't drain the trans. - I'm pretty sure you can leave the axles in the hubs and just unbolt some of the suspension parts to yank the CVs out of the diff. This can save you the headaches of dealing with those rusty main nuts. - As mentioned, when you install the new RMS, DO NOT lube the area prior to installation. Keep it clean as can be. Then take special care when actually installing the new seal. As mentioned, take your time and work your way around the thing, tapping it lightly with a mallet. You don't want to tweak or damage it in any way or you'll do all this work for nothing. - Finally, with regards to the new RMS, when properly installed, it's flat, but just a hair above flush with the block surface. DO NOT tap it in flush or deeper. Give it *just* a RCH above flush. You *might* be able to fill it up and test idle the engine to see if it leaks, but you've only got one motor mount supporting the engine at this point unless you re-install the crossmember and front mount. I don't know if even that's a good idea, but it's food for thought. Let us know how it all turns out.


Thanks for the pointers mang :thumbsup will be very helpful. I'm most worried about the fact that it will be hanging by only the one mount, but hey, I've been there before.
If anyones cruising through Visalia and see's a 2g in the air with a couple feet sticking out, feel free to give me a kick and make sure the thing didn't fall on me, there's a beer in it for the look out ;)
119242, RE: Kiss of Death - Leaking Rear Main
Posted by xcasbonx, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by Keith2172
If I remember the camera I'll snap a bunch of pics and maybe write something up on it.


Do it. The more write-up content in the wiki the better.
119243, RE: Aack!! It's the galley plug not the main seal!!!
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Well, bought the main seal and got the thing tore down, so might as well put it in now, but I'm definately leaking from the galley plug not the rear main. What's the best replacement, just a new plug? My dad is suggesting I pack it with silicone and hope for the best, but I'm afraid that the oil pressure will find a way out. If just a new plug, what size are they? I'm almost to a pint where I'm going to tap the fucker and put a threaded plug in, but the metal shavings scare me and there is no way to get them all out.
119244, RE: Aack!! It's the galley plug not the main seal!!!
Posted by gyver, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
wow... I remember this nightmare in december right after my head rebuild...
119245, RE: Aack!! It's the galley plug not the main seal!!!
Posted by DarkOne, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Sure their is. Solvent / brake-cleen / compressed air / some fluid through the galley via the oil filter housing.
119246, RE: Aack!! It's the galley plug not the main seal!!!
Posted by Keith2172, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
Originally posted by DarkOne
Sure their is. Solvent / brake-cleen / compressed air / some fluid through the galley via the oil filter housing.


that's a damn good idea, too bad I live in Visalia where you can't get ahold of a plug and tap on a Sunday and I needed to get the car back together so I could go to work on Monday.

I left the plug in place and packed it full of silicone, it hasn't leake yet.

P.S. Anyone have a spare block in CA for cheap? I'm thinking a rebuild might not be a bad idea right now.
119247, RE: Aack!! It's the galley plug not the main seal!!!
Posted by SBR420A, Dec-31-69 06:00 PM
bud i have been there and done that. sbr sent me a block with NO rear main seal in it didnt realize it till i dropped the motor back in. i didnt drop the tranny i pulled the whole motor back out came to find out it also oil soaked the BRAND new clutchmasters clutch i had bought so that might be another thing you wanna check out.
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