replacing main cap side seals in car ?

[cozye]

I appreciate the input. I've pulled my pan before, it's just the stocker. If #1 is at TDC it slides out very easily.

On the bearing, will it stay in place and are their any precautions I should take removing the cap?

I'll probably put this off a bit as I'm finishing up body and paint right now, but I'll need to resolve it some time in the near future.

[clayton 260z]

The bearing should stay in place with no problem.

[cozye]

Just FYI for anyone searching in the future. The leak started to get worse, so I went on and made the repair. It was definitely the side seals that were leaking. Once I got the oil pan off again, I could see the oil seeping from the outer seem of the cap, especially when I pushed on it. Fortunately this was a very easy job. I was able to take a small screw driver and pick just enough of the rubber out so that I could grab on the nail with some needle nose pliers. The seals slid out very easily. The new ones went in nice and tight. Ran the car a few times and no more leaks! Previously just the car sitting it would leak, especially if the front was on jack stands so that the oil was leaning back on the rear of the block (it would leak a puddle the size of a small plate in 3 or 4 days). It no longer leaks jacked up or running now.

[cygnusx1]

FWIW, I changed them in-car a few years back. I used a slide hammer, if I recall, with an 8mm bolt in the end of it, to pull the bearing cap. FYI, if you do that, you need to apply four beads of sealant to the area during assembly. Two beads in the corners of the block cradle area, and two beads along the keyed edges of the cap itself. It's visualized in the FSM.

Truthfully I could have dug the side seals out, but I wanted to have a look at the bearing shell while I was there.

Edited May 2, 2011 by cygnusx1