new rear main seal is leaking

[24flys]

guys

i recently replaced my clutch and while had it apart i also replaced the rear main seal. i was finally able to test drive it the other day and it seems the new rear main seal i put in is leaking. i put the shims back in before i installed the new seal. i haven't got the transmission back out yet, i'm still working on it, but i was wondering if anyone know what i might have done wrong? i thought i put it back in just like the directions in the tech article said but somethings very wrong, i had a big puddle of oil under the car when i had it running. let me know if anyone has any ideas.

thanks

scott

[robinaube]

Scott,

Are you sure its not leaking from anywhere else? I once had a galley plug blow out behind the flywheel and I had a big puddle of oil. I suggest pulling the tranny off again and try to isolate where the oil leak is before determining the best fix.

[Jake Raby]

Did you replace the O ring in the flywheel?? If not you probably disturbed it and it is the source of the leak.. Always change it when changing main seals.

[24flys]

jake,

i did replace the o ring. i bought the new clutch kit from pelican and it had all the parts in it. i'm going to finish taking the transmission out tomorrow night and i'll know for sure if its the main seal but i'm almost positive it is. thanks for the feedback.

scott

[BenI]

I've been after the same problem for awhile now-it's a difficult one to find because it takes so long to take out the tranny that any oil leak is hard to find. I even once took everything off so I could run the engine, observe the leak out the bellhousing, then quickly drop the tranny and pull the flywheel. Even doing that withing about 20 minutes of running the engine, it was difficult to see where the oil was coming from. I even tried a new flywheel thinging that its surface may be damaged. Anyways, good luck...you have my sympathy. If you discover something, please post so others can learn (like me!)...

Ben

[24flys]

well,

i finally got the transmission out and got to the rear main seal. it is definitely leaking from the seal. i noticed part of the rubber on the seal is rubbed off. i think i may have put the seal in wrong or something. i put the flat side of the seal out. here's some pics of what it looks like, hope they turn out. let me know what you guys think.

thanks

scott

[914GT]

Any idea what damaged the seal? It looks like that side was hammered on. Is the seal lip concentric? If it's warped it won't seal tight. Also if you haven't done so already check the flywheel surface and lightly sand it with fine sandpaper to make sure it's smooth.

[24flys]

i'm not real sure what scraped the rubber off. the flywheel is new and it looked ok when i took it back off. do i have the seal in the right way or did i put it in backwards.??


scott

[914GT]

Scott, you have it in right.

edit: you can put a little Permatex around the engine case surface to help it seal better.

[24flys]

well,

i just ordered a new rear seal, felt washer, flywheel crush washer and cv joint gaskets from pelican and i'll try it again. maybe i didn't have the seal in far enough or something, i'm still not real sure but we'll try it again and see what happens.!!

[type11969]

I had the exact same thing happen to me, you probably did not push the main seal until it seats against the case. Just getting the seal flush with the outer edge of the case is not good enough, that will cause the seal to shred. I thought flush was good enough, got a leak, pulled the engine out, and the main seal was shreded. New main seal, pounded it in until seated fully, no more leaks! I also put a little grease on the outside of the seal where it touches the flywheel surface to reduce the friction there.

-Chris

[Poor-sche Lover]

I am in the midst of this problem too. So, it is true that the seal is supposed to seat all the way in, and NOT flush with the edge? I never found any clarification in my tech stuff.

[24flys]

i sent mine flush and it didn't seal. this time around i'm going to put in as far as it will go. hopefully it will seal the leak, chris seemed to have the same situation and it worked out for him. i'll post more when i get the parts and put it all back together.

scott

[type11969]

yup all the way in

[24flys]

well,

i got the parts and put the new seal in tonight. i sealed up just like the last one, it is flush with the outside lip. i've tried to get it in farther but it won't go in anymore. i didn't put it back together yet cause i'm not sure it's right, is it safe to the car up if the engine is sitting on a jack stand. i'd like to check and see if it leaks but i don't wan the engine to fall off the stand. the seal just doesn't seem to sit in any different than the last one. anyone got any ideas??

scott

[24flys]

well,

i decided to put it back together, i should have it running tomorrow so we'll see what happens!!!

scott

[914GT]

Best of luck Scott!

[Jason Porter]

Also, while you're in there, check your crank end-play...

[schosh]

Couple of questions ,
I've always installed this seal using a hammer and a piece of 2x4 laid across the seal. Is there a better way? Other then cleaning the case real good is there any think else thats need's attention.
I've had the problem of a new seal leaking for no obvious reason and I've always suspected my instal procedure. But I haven't heard of any better method.
Also , I've heard you can tap and plug the galley plugs to prevent leakage, Can anyone provide details on this procedure?
Thanks in advance
Bill

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by 24flys

well,

i decided to put it back together, i should have it running tomorrow so we'll see what happens!!!

scott

Any updates to this thread?