99 3.0l Ranger 2WD 68,000miles
my Ranger has developed an oil leak, i noticed it awhile ago, but only when I was parked facing downhill. The leak comes from between the engine and the manual transmission. It has gotten worse, now leaking on flat and uphill, but not as bad as downhill. Could this be the rear main seal on the engine?? Or any suggestions to what could be leaking???
Regardless, am I looking at major surgery to have the leak repaired?

 

its the main seal. gasket isn't bad but labor is! sorry!

 

any idea of how many hours shop labor would be to replace main seal?

 

it depends on the vehicle. in some if not all they have to raise the motor to get at it and you can just imagine the time that could take. labor could cost you $500 bucks alone, give or take. the rear main seal is the one you don't want to have done.

 

The rear main seal, it seems to me, would leak more when parked facing uphill. It is possible that the front seal on the input shaft of the transmission is leaking, or your oil pressure sending unit (top rear of the manifold) is leaking and the oil drips down the backside of the engine/bell housing. It could even be the rocker cover gaskets. I wouldn't condemn the rear main seal without doing some more investigation. Al the stuff mentioned costs a lot less to repair.
My old Merc w/the Vulcan has gone 228000 plus miles with the original rear main seal still functioning well.
tom

 

You won't be able to determine the leak source until you wash the engine, drive it, then inspect for the source. This may require the use of a mirror and flashlight to inspect areas that you cannot see directly. Oil from a valve cover or the lower intake can easily run down the back of the engine and drip off in a location that might make one *think* it's a rear main seal. Homework rather than guessing will be required to correctly pinpoint this leak source.

 

another good trick is to use cardboard and see where the oil is coming from, i know i'd rather replace valve cover gaskets instead of the main seal.

 

Yep, clean it off real nice (do the tranny to while you're down there), and go for a drive. Just drive it normal like you would day to day. Come back and check underneath. Check again hours later, you can follow a trail a lot better than you can a mess of dirt and oil mixed up on the bottom of the engine and tranny.