Main seal.... while I'm in there... (1 Viewer)

[DaFuzz]

Been searching the forum and see lots of references to main seal leak and how common they are. Can't seem to find any info on what other maintenance should be done while the motor and tranny are apart?

My 1997 LX 450 has 175000kms on it and it's due. The valve cover was recently done as was the front crank seal. The main seal is dripping a it so I'm going to have a trusted garage do it ( I have neither the skills or the tools to tackle that big a job myself).

Any suggestions on preventative maintenance I should perform while the main seal is being replaced?

 

[ajax1]

Make sure not the pan arch of your oil pan

 

[rc51kid]

If the main is just weeping...just leave it. My truck was burning/leaking 1 qt every 900 miles. I fixed every leak but the rear main. No change. Redid HG and valve seals. Main still is wet but I never see a puddle. I can go 5000 miles now between changes and dont even add a drop. Nothing is lost. So if it is just a little leak or wetness I would not fix it. fix everything else fist and see how much you are really loosing.

 

[DaFuzz]

I'll have them check the rear pan arch seal while there. Also consider the PHH and the firewall heater hoses .

 

[baldilocks]

My 93 has 272k and the crank seals are not leaking. However, my oil pan arches were both leaking. I resealed my oil pans last year while I had the front axle out for something else.

You can pull the inspection cover from the forward side of the bell housing and stick a mirrror up there to see where the oil is leaking from. That's how I discovered it was my pan arch.

You can wipe the area up in there clean and park it over night with the nose high to get the pan arch. Mine would leak most when I was parked this way.

 

[rc51kid]

This is the other issue I have seen. Some people have spent a lot of time changing a rear main only to find out later it was the pan arch. By all means if you have bad leak fix it. I cant stand oil going all over. A dry truck makes me smile. But I have seen a few threads from people that jumped in to a rear main or pan arch job to fix a minor drip. One of the fixed the wrong one and ended up doing it twice. In the end they felt they would not do it again.

By all means fix something if it is bad.

 

[bloc]

280k on mine and when I addressed the leaky valve cover gasket and tubes, both oil pan surfaces, front main and oil pump cover gasket, it didn't leak a drop. Before that I was sure I needed a RMS.

 

[DaFuzz]

Thanks all!

I'll make sure I communicate my concerns with the mechanic to ensure proper leak is getting fixed.

@baldilocks... thanks for the tip. I'll pull the cover and inspect . I'll try to post pics of my findings.

 

[Malleus]

My 93 has 272k and the crank seals are not leaking. However, my oil pan arches were both leaking. I resealed my oil pans last year while I had the front axle out for something else.

You can pull the inspection cover from the forward side of the bell housing and stick a mirrror up there to see where the oil is leaking from. That's how I discovered it was my pan arch.

You can wipe the area up in there clean and park it over night with the nose high to get the pan arch. Mine would leak most when I was parked this way.

Can you get to the seal with the engine in place? Without pulling it, but maybe lifting it off the motor mounts?

 

[Skeet]

Can you get to the seal with the engine in place? Without pulling it, but maybe lifting it off the motor mounts?

Oil pan arch seal

 

[Beej]

Can you get to the seal with the engine in place? Without pulling it, but maybe lifting it off the motor mounts?

Yes. Engine just needs to be lifted a few inches. You can jack on the harmonic balancer without even using a picker

 

[Malleus]

Thanks guys.

 

[alia176]

Been searching the forum and see lots of references to main seal leak and how common they are. Can't seem to find any info on what other maintenance should be done while the motor and tranny are apart?

My 1997 LX 450 has 175000kms on it and it's due. The valve cover was recently done as was the front crank seal. The main seal is dripping a it so I'm going to have a trusted garage do it ( I have neither the skills or the tools to tackle that big a job myself).

Any suggestions on preventative maintenance I should perform while the main seal is being replaced?

I went through this and did the following:
rear main seal
Transmission input seal
Transmission output seal (separate Tcase for this one)

The upper pan arch seal is a job that can be done w/o affecting any of the above items. The pan arch seal is a project by itself, check out my writeup in the FAQ section.