Rear main seal...
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: East TN.
Rear main seal...
Can the rear main seal be changed out successfully with the motor still in the truck? Just wondering i've got a mighty leak and i was going to reseal the oil pan and thought i would change the seal while i was at it.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Before you jump off a bridge that you don't need to jump off of, check the rear of the intake manifold. They are bad for leaking and the rear main gets blamed when in reality the FE rear main is hardly ever guilty.
Get some carb cleaner and spray the back of the engine good, and wipe it clean. You will be able to hang a light over the back and inspect it.
John
Get some carb cleaner and spray the back of the engine good, and wipe it clean. You will be able to hang a light over the back and inspect it.
John
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,857
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From: Northern CA
It can be changed in the truck, but by the time you get it changed, you'll wish that you HAD taken the motor out to replace it.
Go ahead, ask me how I know.....
If you're going to change it, use the rubber one not the rope type seal.
Go ahead, ask me how I know.....
If you're going to change it, use the rubber one not the rope type seal.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
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Agreed it can be changed. I also would recommend the rubber seal. They do make a kit to install the rope seal while the crank is still installed, however I personally don't like the rope seals as good as the rubber ones. The rubber one will install without a special tool tool. You basically rotate the old seal out, clean everything up good, use some oil or grease as lubricate and rotate the new seal in around the crankshaft. Install the cap seal just as normal. Depending on the vehicle, this can range from not too difficult to nearly impossible....LOL.
Good Luck!
Tracy
Good Luck!
Tracy
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: East TN.
Thanks for the replies, Im hoping its just the oil pan leaking. Its a new rebuild with a new rear main seal so I cant imagine it leaking but I guess stranger things have happened. We'll see what happens, thanks again.
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I've never done it on an FE, however I have on other engines. The transmission does not have to be pulled. As noted above though, you might wish you had pulled it before you're done. If you can get the oil pan off without too much problem then you can handle this. The key is patience....LOL. It's just not fun laying on your back up under these things working on them. In some ways this job is probably easier on an FE due to the block design. It's very difficult to get a good seal on an oil pan in a vehicle when the main caps extend past the block. The FE pan is easier to deal with in this regard.
Good Luck!
Tracy
Good Luck!
Tracy
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
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I don't recommend this, but...
On an old FE with the rope type seal, I used steel shim stock to bring the old rope up to snuff. The steel stock was actually a steel bristle from a street sweeper. Once trimmed to length, it worked perfectly for over 10 years.
Didn't some of the early blocks have a retaining nail in them?
On an old FE with the rope type seal, I used steel shim stock to bring the old rope up to snuff. The steel stock was actually a steel bristle from a street sweeper. Once trimmed to length, it worked perfectly for over 10 years.
Didn't some of the early blocks have a retaining nail in them?
Senior User
Joined: May 2007
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We replaced our's last year, but we did lift the engine an inch or two. As mentioned, doing this on your back would be a pain. We had a lift. The only hard spots were working the pan free from around the oil pump pickup and then working the seal around the crankshaft.
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Senior User
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From: East TN.
One good thing is the tranny (and rear end for that matter...another story) is out of the truck...i'm working on a 5 spd conv. I think i'm going to just replace the oil pan gasket for now and see if that remedies the prob. If not i'll tackle the rear main later. Thanks for the responses.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 201
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One good thing is the tranny (and rear end for that matter...another story) is out of the truck...i'm working on a 5 spd conv. I think i'm going to just replace the oil pan gasket for now and see if that remedies the prob. If not i'll tackle the rear main later. Thanks for the responses.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 669
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I've gotta agree with above. If you don't have the transmission on and you've already dropped the pan, then by all means go ahead and change the rear seal. You've already done all the hard work necessary to get to it. It'd be a shame to put it back together and find you have a rear seal leak. With the transmission out, there is now way you should have difficulty in replacing the seal properly.
Go for it!
Tracy
Go for it!
Tracy
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