I hope this q doesn't sound completely newb-ile....i have done clutches before but only in various 4wds....since my Z is so low to the ground, I hired a mobile mechanic to do most of the work for me.

I read the write-up on this page and saw no mention of a rear main. Of course I read it on my iPhone so it's possible I missed it....

Can anyone say for sure that this is necessary and or recommended ?? Thanks!

 

Its such an easy task to do when the clutch is being swapped so why not

 

Well it hasn't shown any sign of leaking and there's been vehicles in the past that leaked afterward so I'm kinda of the attitude that 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.

Is there a recommended replacement schedule on these? I'm only at 55k miles

 

I'm in the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' camp.

 

If you are already there... the extra 5 minutes and very little cost it takes to change is well worth the total cost vs basically changing the clutch again if it starts leaking later.

 

a rear main seal on a Z is not an easy task whatsoever - it's actually a giant PIA (oil pans have to be removed (all of them) - and it's not the easiest seal to seat correctly

if it's not leaking, do yourself a favor...leave it alone

 

So am i on this one, not to mention i have seen the rear main on a VQ. Not 5 minutes.

 

I thought the same thing when I changed the tranny on my vqde maxima. Till I noticed the upper oil pan has to come off lol.

 

I'm doing my trans job this next week so I decided to look at what it would take to replace the rear main seal. First of all - no dealerships in the country have it in stock. There aren't even that many in the PDC's.. which leads me to believe that it doesn't get replaced that frequently.

Then I saw the location of it... it's definitely not as easy to replace as most other Nissan's.

 

The '07 service manual says nothing about removing the oil pans to replace the rear main seal. It appears to be accessible after the flywheel is removed. The SM illustration shows the lower cylinder block in place. No special tool is needed to remove it, but there is a tool for putting the new one in.

Is the DE engine different?

Still don't see a need for messing with it if it's working OK, though.

 

In for VQ35HR info, I would like the rear main seal replaced soon as I am doing clutch to !

 

its not really necessary unless its leaking. 2 clutch changes and havent ever replaced it and its runnin like a champ.

best thing would be to visually inspect it and replace if your gut tells you to. im sure theres a writeup somewhere

 

Oil pan must be removed. It is hard to get a decent seal if the upper oil pan is installed. I would not change it out without removing the lower pan based on having done it with the engine out a few times.

 

Not on the VQ. Do some research before you post.

 

This is a completely false statement. On this car the upper oil pan must be removed because there is a rubber seal that must be pressed in vertical with RTV. Without the pan removed that seal must be put in at a weird angle and it won't seal properly.

Anyone else wishing to post comments that relate to OTHER CARS please just hit back on your browser and go to another forum before posting false information to users. After you have actually rebuilt a few VQ engines then you can post about how easy or effective it is to fix things.

 

so I'm kinda of the attitude that 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.

 

This is true but if the engine has high miles then there is a possibility that the seal will go bad. I honestly wouldn't replace a normal seal unless I was completely removing the engine (since it requires the engine to be pulled). I would not do it when changing a clutch since it really can't be safely changed with the engine in.

 

Had some questions about replacing my rear main.

1) Is the seal is driven in from the inner or outer side of the retainer? (pictures seem to show from the outside)

2) Can I do it without removing the retainer from the block?

3) I am starting to leak how long till this becomes a serious issue?

 

if its not leaking leave it alone. if its leaking at all replace it.

 

It is leaking and I believe I can pull the seal with the plate installed and press/tap the new seal into place.

White lithium grease on the inner portion and anti-sieze on the outer. done this on other vehicles but not on a Z.

Has anybody tried this method?