Main seal still leaking-suggestions?

[BenI]

After the car has been running for about 1/2 a minute, a stream of oil starts out of the drain hole where the tranny meets the engine. It is motor oil. I just ran the engine than quickly pulled the tranny and saw a nice oil trail from the bottom of the main seal. It didn't look like oil was leaking from any of the oil gallery or cam plugs. The surface on the flywheel is good (even switched flywheels out and still leaked) and the surface the seal meets is pretty good. I am sick of doing this job and want to make sure it's done completely right this time. Here's my method:

-Check crank end play, install shims
-degrease and clean seal sealing surface.
-apply very thin layer of orange RTV (high temp) to outside edge of seal
-press seal in so it contacts back edge of block (now seal sits about 1mm behind lip)
-Let dry and reinstall tranny


This hasn't seemed to work for me-am I missing something? Is there a trick? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Ben

[BenI]

Also, I bought a main seal but it doesn't have the ridges around the OD like my old one. New one is black, old one is orange. Is the black one with no ridges inferior?

[handyher]

I had the same problem. I bought new seal that sound like the same one you bought. engine goes in tuesday providing no snow here sounds as if we did the same things soooo. I will let you know if mine leaks or not.

[Zeke]

Did you put the O-ring inside the flywheel?

[roadtrp204]

When you remove the flywheen check to see exactly where the oil is coming from. If it is coming from the seal you should see oil on the back surface of the flywheel stretching out to the outer edge. The inner o-ring will allow oil to enter through the center where the friction disc is. After reading your post and the fact that you have changed the seal more than once with the same problem, I am thinking you might have a leaking oil passage plug.