Hoping someone could provide an approximate/best guess.

I have 1995 F350 (gas) with about 160K on it. Looks like I have a rear main seal leak. It get worse as the weather gets colder.... and I live in the mountains.

This is NOT something I can do on my own so I am looking for info from those that have had this done by a shop, and curious approximately how much I might be looking at for repair.

Where I live it's EXTREMELY difficult to find a competent mechanic... So shopping around for this is very time consuming and I'd like to at least be somewhat armed with the knowledge of what I might expect to pay, realizing that different markets, location, etc. are all factors.

Thanks

 

Well it depends on all those factors but you are looking at a few hours work give or take the engine or transmission will have to come out to replace the seal. Have you taken a mirror and checked around the rear valve covers you may have a leak there.

 

RI agree with roboto65, make sure that it's your main seal before you have it replaced. I'm guessing it will be $400 in labor, just based on typical shop labor rates (around $90/hour where I live). The seal itself should be pretty cheap.
I believe it would be easier to remove the transmission than the engine to replace this seal. If your truck has a manual transmission, now would be a great time to replace the clutch set, while the transmission is out.

 

The problem with sealing additives is to make the seal work again. It has to swell the seal material. That means it swells all seals it comes into contact with. Then a lot of things will start to leak if when you quit using it.

 

Snake oil is what you add when you're a shady used car salesman...don't do it. A couple of hours worth of work, dropping the tranny, and you'll be back on the road. Knowing the labor involved, expect around $500-$600 in repair costs. Very affordable if you plan on keeping the truck around a few more years.

 

What engine?

Big block rear main in a couple of hours? Not happening.

 

Exactly. Unless you're taking the engine out (which is the best method), you're talking jacking the engine up, removing the pan, loosening rear main cap, etc etc etc. All inside the truck?

No thank you.

 

Had mine done 2 years ago at the local Ford shop. Something close to $1,000. This was n my 7.5L gasser.

 

if i went into a shop i would expect to be hit with a bill for 8 hours labour @ $80 - $90 per hour plus the cost of the seal, plus oil plus shop supplies plus taxes. it might not actually take them 8 hours, but ......

this is why a 22 year old vehicle is best suited for an owner with the time/space/tools/experience/will to deal with this sort of repair.

as stated, make sure that it is the rear main, not the valve cover(s) and not the intake manifold rear seal ... bitter experience talking here.

snake oil additives ... no, thanks.

 

I have the Ford shop do the big stuff. Even paying shop rates for labor, it's less money than making payments on a new truck. My opinion.

 

Yeah, funny... Ford shop.... They told me flat out they won't work on it.... WTF!!! It's a clean truck, very clean in fact for it's age. So I have to go independent.

I'm not a mechanic, not knowledge, no tools, not shop, etc. Not exactly something I want to jump into.

Thanks for all the info. First step is proper diagnosis. Living in Tahoe, it's impossible to find a real mechanic.

 

Some dealerships don't want to touch anything that old. Not surprising, younger mechanics look at these simple designs and are confused as hell as to what to do. A simple alignment job? Almost impossible to get someone to do it right on these trucks.

 

agree 100%. my point was just that in order to maximize the savings, an owner does most, if not all, the maint./repair on these old trucks. if i were living in an apartment and had no tools, i might still own one of these older trucks and would come out ahead, money-wise, over the cost of a new one.

to the OP ... this is fairly low-tech, basic wrenching, so any reputable shop should be able to handle it. good luck finding one.

 

The shop I worked at (years ago) could do a rear main seal in about 2-3 hours on these old Ford trucks. It's time consuming to jack the engine up far enough to drop the pan. Not impossible, it just takes a little finesse.

 

You living in Tahoe reminds me of a very ugly story.

I bought an F350 turbo diesel from my company along with a 24' enclosed trailer and drove them home to MN from Eureka, CA. I had the Ford shop in Eureka do the brakes, fluids, filters, etc., basically getting the rig ready for the long drive.

Long story short, the truck broke down on CA 44 in the Sierras. Had the truck towed to the nearest Ford shop, which was in Susanville. The service manager at Susanville Ford attempted to completely screw me.

He told me that the turbo exploded and would need to be replaced. He then said that the motor would have to be taken apart to check for damage, and would most likely need to be rebuilt. His quick estimate was $10,000.00.

I had him begin the job. They found a socket in the turbo. They asked if it was mine. I said no, but I bet the mechanic at the Ford shop in Eureka is missing a socket.

The Eureka service manager was a completely stand up guy. He said that his shop would pay for all damages. I told him that the Susanville guy was quoting $10k.

I then put the two service managers on the phone together with me. I asked the a-hole in Susanville to explain to the other service manager what he had quoted me - turbo/engine tear down/likely rebuild. All he said to the Eureka guy was "new turbo". I asked him about tearing the engine down and this time he said that wouldn't be necessary.

So had I been left on my own the a-hole in Susanville would have hit me up for big bucks for things I didn't need.

Moral of the story is DON'T EVER TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO SUSANVILLE FORD.

The story got even more involved but I won't bore you.

PS. Have you tried Reno? I've had work done on my '93 F250 at Ford shops in Portland, OR (new tranny when I bought the truck) and at home in MN with really good luck.

You gotta get one of the old mechanics though