Rear main seal

[Nick Wise]

I was going to start doing the rear main seal and thought i should ask around on here first. has anyone done this. I got a 2 piece seal to replace the old rope seal. can you do this in the car without dropping the crossmember. looks like you definitely need to remove the crossover pipe. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, about how long does this take.

 

[1tufam]

Ready to get greasy are ya?

Remove crossover pipe. Start by soaking all those bolts ahead of time with PB blaster.

Remove converter cover.

Remove both motor mount bolts. You can slide these bolts back in when you lift the engine up. Just let them sit on top of the mounts to support the engine. (jack can be moved for more room to work)

Supplement manual says to remove thottle cable bracket. From experience you will crack your wiper motor cover.

Probably good idea to remove the IC shroud screws to keep from pulling the holes out.

Remove the pan bolts. Oops was the oil out? I think the pan will clear the pickup on the GN, but the thing will not clear on the TTA. (there will be a new gasket in your oil pan set for this pickup, if you need to pull it)

Drop the pan and you can pull the rear main cap. Be carefull with all your machined areas and crank bearings.

Remove old seal per instructions. If you need to push on one side use a tool or rod made from soft brass which will not nick the crank or block.

Install main cap. Torque the bolts properly. Check a fastener reference source (based on the diameter and grade of the bolt) for the value.

Reinstall the pan. That gasket is not fun but the temporary dowels in the kit offer some help. (Felpro anway)

Repeat disassembly and enjoy no smell of burning oil and drips on the concrete.:beach:

I might have missed something but the guys will chime in.

Good Luck,
Matt

 

[V6TA-MI]

Ready to get greasy are ya?

Reinstall the pan. That gasket is not fun but the temporary dowels in the kit offer some help. (Felpro anway)


I might have missed something but the guys will chime in.

Good Luck,
Matt

Looks to me like you covered it all, I used 4 to 6 small zip ties to hold the pan gasket to the pan until I got most of the pan bolts started. I used the GM pan gasket. I also used the GM sealant on the main bearing cap mounting surface.

 

[Nick Wise]

Thanks Matt. It was a success I think. So far no oil drips, at least not from the rear main, or the pan. I used the felpro set which did come with the pickup gasket although i did not need to take it off. Took a couple hours to do, but I was at work and every body was bugging me too. Went a little easier than first thought. when I got the cap off I realized why it was leaking so bad. Half of the lower seal was gone. I think I found most of it in the pickup screen. Got everything cleaned up and sealed and put back together. Great tip on putting the bolts back in the motor mounts and setting it back down on the lower mounts. Just enough heighth and no jack stands in the way. This is the first rear main that I have done, And I can honestly say it went better than expected, but I am not excited about doing another.

 

[Quiky One]

Thanks Matt. It was a success I think. So far no oil drips, at least not from the rear main, or the pan. I used the felpro set which did come with the pickup gasket although i did not need to take it off. Took a couple hours to do, but I was at work and every body was bugging me too. Went a little easier than first thought. when I got the cap off I realized why it was leaking so bad. Half of the lower seal was gone. I think I found most of it in the pickup screen. Got everything cleaned up and sealed and put back together. Great tip on putting the bolts back in the motor mounts and setting it back down on the lower mounts. Just enough heighth and no jack stands in the way. This is the first rear main that I have done, And I can honestly say it went better than expected, but I am not excited about doing another.

Give it a year. I have changed 3 of them on cars over the years. They ALL leak after the motor torques over.

Thanks for the info on how to on a TTA!

 

[Rodimus_Prime]

Good to hear, now I know who to call if mine ever goes bad