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Rear main seal leak??

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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 02:47 PM
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Default Rear main seal leak??

Car was covered in oil, degreased it and got it all cleaned up, took it for a small drive put it back up and saw this. At least I have pinpointed the location, is this definitely the rear main seal causing a leak?

Last edited by nismoasfuh; Apr 6, 2019 at 04:36 PM.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 04:32 PM
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Broken link.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 04:37 PM
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whoops! sorry about that, I fixed the link in the OP
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 04:52 PM
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Could be rear main, or could be valve covers or oil cooler that is leaking down to there also.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by guitman32
Could be rear main, or could be valve covers or oil cooler that is leaking down to there also.
yea there was oil around the oil cooler hose, I'll replace the O-ring next oil change. The oil pan was also ugly looking, so thats probably due for RTV / gasket. But this oil seems to be dripping right where the tranny mates to the block. This freaking brace is right in the way of having a clear look, it also get caked with oil cause it just drops onto the top of the brace as the video shows, or else I'm sure the puddle on the floors would be much more significant too :/ I tried to follow the leak as far up as I could, and it seems the leak is just down low. Im so anxious over this issue right now. I see rear main seal stop leak additives and a breather filters for my PCV in the future lol
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 05:36 PM
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Rear main. Replace the seal and replace the PCV valve. A stuck or sticky PCV can cause the seal to blow out. May as well replace the clutch and T/O bearing while you're there (if it's a stick).
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by i8acobra
Rear main. Replace the seal and replace the PCV valve. A stuck or sticky PCV can cause the seal to blow out. May as well replace the clutch and T/O bearing while you're there (if it's a stick).
Thats the thing, clutch was replaced by previous owner one year ago at a reputable shop, they did the rear main but the shop is located 250+ miles away. I already ordered the PCV valve though. I really don't want to put additives, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to because its leaking a decent amount in my opinion. Also wouldn't my clutch be slipping if the rear main seal is leaking? Or it just hasn't gotten to that point yet probably lol

Last edited by nismoasfuh; Apr 6, 2019 at 07:06 PM.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 08:24 PM
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Sounds like they either scratched the seat where the seal goes, or screwed up the seal. Additives won't fix it. Your seal is metal. Additives are for dried out rubber seals. It makes the rubber soften and swell. The clutch won't slip unless it gets much worse. The oil mostly hits the flywheel and gets slung against the inside of the bell housing.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 09:38 PM
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There is a rubber seal there for the upper pan.
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Old Apr 6, 2019 | 10:14 PM
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ughh well upper pan / rear main seal is a major job, and I have never dropped a tranny or pulled a motor before.

Last edited by nismoasfuh; Apr 6, 2019 at 10:19 PM.
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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 07:10 AM
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Ok so If I find a decent shop to do the job is there anything in specific i should tell them to look out for? or should I just hand them the FSM and hope that they read it? Or just give them some RTV grey to RTV the **** out of the seal?
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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 12:10 PM
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Its a little bit of a headache to do. I pulled the motor and upper oil pan to replace it on mine. I've heard its possible to do without dropping the pan, but that just isn't worth the time I'll spend fiddling with it, IMO. Try a clutch shop if the others quote you crazy prices and see what they'll charge.
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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Zazz93
Its a little bit of a headache to do. I pulled the motor and upper oil pan to replace it on mine. I've heard its possible to do without dropping the pan, but that just isn't worth the time I'll spend fiddling with it, IMO. Try a clutch shop if the others quote you crazy prices and see what they'll charge.
thanks for the suggestion, it seems like people have issues no matter how well they install it, every time they go back to reinstall they notice the seal is crimped or something, is the only solution to RTV the hell out of it or have you guys figured out a way to do it without it messing up. Isn't there a seal tool that can be used to make sure the seal stays in place?
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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 03:32 PM
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I have had a rear main leak like yours for a while now. JWT flywheel, absolutely zero clutch slippage issues. Main seals are one of those areas where if you arent going to keep the car forever, it may be best to just leave alone. I have run trucks with bad front/rear main leaks for many many, many miles with no issues, other than severe oil consumption on account of it leaking like a sieve from multiple places.
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Old Apr 9, 2019 | 04:24 PM
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Originally Posted by guitman32
I have had a rear main leak like yours for a while now. JWT flywheel, absolutely zero clutch slippage issues. Main seals are one of those areas where if you arent going to keep the car forever, it may be best to just leave alone. I have run trucks with bad front/rear main leaks for many many, many miles with no issues, other than severe oil consumption on account of it leaking like a sieve from multiple places.
Yea I hear you, I mean the leak seems pretty decent, I wish the brace wasn't in the way so i can see how much of a puddle it actually makes. I always check the oil anyways, just hate the dip stick in DE's lol. How long have you had your RMS leaking?
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