F*&k, I think my brand new rear main seal is leaking!!

[Jeff G 78]

I doubt it matters. I have a Fel Pro in both of my Z's and they work fine. I bought the complete Fel Pro engine kit otherwise I'd buy Beck Arnley.

[ktm]

Stephen, if he was just doing a main seal, he shouldn't need any sealer. It is only needed when the pan or main caps are removed.

Shouldn't need it? Correct. Good preventative measure? Sure thing. I smear a bead of sealer around the outside of the seal before installing. It helps the seal slide into place and is a small additive measure. I've done this on three seals and not one has leaked.

[sblake01]

I'm just saying what has worked for me. It's up to whoever reads it whether they choose to do it or not. I've never had one leak either and I've done considerably more that three.......

[Jeff G 78]

Shouldn't need it? Correct. Good preventative measure? Sure thing. I smear a bead of sealer around the outside of the seal before installing. It helps the seal slide into place and is a small additive measure. I've done this on three seals and not one has leaked.

Interesting KTM. I've never heard of doing that.

[Jeff G 78]

Yeah, me too Stephen. I've rebuild many L6's and have never had a main seal leak afterwards. I guess there is nothing wrong with adding sealer though.

[cozye]

silicon sealer ? like plain old clear silicon ?

[ajmcforester]

Instead of using a socket why not use the correct tool to put it in. Auto Zone you were able, i'm not sure if they still loan it, had a kit for replacing seals check it out. It onlt takes a small nick and you done.

[steve91tt]

silicon sealer ? like plain old clear silicon ?

I would use a little Permatex Hylomar.

http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/auto_Permatex_Hylomar_Universal_Blue_Racing_Formula_Gasket_Dressing_Flange_Sealant.htm

or Ultra Black

http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Black_Maximum_Oil_Resistance_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm

Just a little smear around the seal can do wonders in my experience.

I've been using Hylomar quite a bit lately. Thus far I have been very impressed with how easy it is to use and clean up compared to RTV. It's also gas resistant which RTV is not. Overall it's been working great for me on everything I've used it on (at least so far:)).

[cozye]

Instead of using a socket why not use the correct tool to put it in. Auto Zone you were able, i'm not sure if they still loan it, had a kit for replacing seals check it out. It onlt takes a small nick and you done.

What kind of tool ? I've not seen a seal driver that would work for this application ?

I would use a little Permatex Hylomar.

http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_sealants/auto_Permatex_Hylomar_Universal_Blue_Racing_Formula_Gasket_Dressing_Flange_Sealant.htm

or Ultra Black

http://www.permatex.com/products/Automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Black_Maximum_Oil_Resistance_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm

Just a little smear around the seal can do wonders in my experience.

I've been using Hylomar quite a bit lately. Thus far I have been very impressed with how easy it is to use and clean up compared to RTV. It's also gas resistant which RTV is not. Overall it's been working great for me on everything I've used it on (at least so far:)).

I'll give it a shot, thanks

[cozye]

After drying off an cleaning up the area in question, bell housing and rear of block, I'm not convinced its the rear main seal. I took a putty knife and screw driver and pried a little on the loosened aluminum shield to open the gap and peer in. I can see the metal round portion that protrudes from the back of the block that the seal sits in. It looks dry. It may be this oil pain seeping and blowing back, and the oil is getting blown into the seams of the sheild and tranny, then leaking down after it sits.

If the rear main seal was leaking, which side of the aluminum shield would it leak on? Would it not be leaking through the weep hole on the bell housing ?

I cleaned it up good, its out there sitting on jack stands for other repairs I'm making. I'll take some pics if I can see any more leaking and post up for opinions.

I do know for a fact that my oil pan gasket is seeping oil, it's just that the location of where it was dripping looked like a separate leak. Couple that with the fact that it seemed to get worse over the last couple of weeks and I had just put that seal in a month ago.

[cozye]

well just a follow up to this thread. I've had the car up on jack stands for about a month doing some other repairs, removing rear bumper, some bodywork, frame rail repairs, etc..

I was not convinced it was a rear main seal, so what I did was remove the two bolts to the aluminum shield thats between the block and the bell housing. I used some brake cleaner and cleaned it all down real good, got up in the seams with a putty knife, got all the oil out of the seams, etc.. I could use a putty knife and a screw driver to slightly pry the shield away from the block enough to see the bottom of the metal flange where the rear seal drives in. It was bone dry, there is no oil dripping down from the rear main seal. I did not clean this area, so it has been dry all along. I pried the shield away from the bell housing where the weep hole is, and shined my light up in there from that side and it was still dry.

So now I have to ask myself how oil was getting up into the seams around this aluminum bell housing shield? I suppose it was blowing up in the seems and they were holding the oil. But when the car sat it was definitely dripping from the back lower corner of where the block meets the shield. Initially I thought it was running from behind the shield and dripping off that corner. So what I did was I left a putty knife jammed in between the shield and the block for like a week, after I dried everything off. This way I could observe while I did other repairs. When the shield was away from the block, the flow of oil changed and started dripping off the back corner of the oil pan. I believe what was happening was that the oil was seeping from the oil pan gasket and sucking up to that seam on the shield since it's only like 1mm away and dripping off that back corner. A little surface tension and capillary action in play here I believe.

I replaced the oil pan gasket last night. Relatively easy job. Took about an hour and a half to do it, clean everything etc.. And for anyone wondering or searching in the future, you don't have to raise the motor to get the oil pan off. It will come off with ease without doing anything. When I took it off, #1 cylinder was towards the bottom, and the oil pan snagged just a little. When I put it back on I turned the motor just a little so that the rod wasn't hanging down and it went back on real easy.

Time will tell if it solved my leak. I hear the oil pans are a bit finicky

Edited January 17, 2011 by cozye

[Jeff G 78]

Thanks for the follow-up. Hopefully that was the problem and everything stays dry.