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i hate engines!!!!!

shavedsvt

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Jan 26, 2006
Messages
617
Location
Livonia, MI
so i get my 3L done and fired up well since last night i fixed a vaccuum leak and run the car for 5 or so mins. they i shut it off and my friend says hey dude is that oil. i was freaking! well it was and i traced it to the rear main seal. and since the motor and trans are together i have to start all over again. i have a week left in school, and no time to tear into it again. so i guess ill have to tow it home to michigan, unless someone offers me an offer i cant refuse and takes it.
 
Figure out a way to and from school and tear into it when you have a chance..No need to sell somthing just becasue its not working right..Ive been there many of times where im working on my car things arent going right and i just want to sell it. But i dont i keep working on it because in the end its all worth it...
 
That sucks...

Thats why you always do the work yourself (for every part of the build) and you check twice, install once and make sure its done right. It's not a huge deal, at least you don't have to tear the engine apart, just pop out the rear seal and re-install.
 
thats the thing i did all the work myself. everything! i cheched it and it was fine and i put it all back together and running and its running down the engine right between the dust shield and the block. im tearing it apart and going to try to fix it before i graduate and move back home, but im afraid a week isnt enough time.
 
That sucks...

Thats why you always do the work yourself (for every part of the build) and you check twice, install once and make sure its done right. It's not a huge deal, at least you don't have to tear the engine apart, just pop out the rear seal and re-install.

Right...or just leave the original in there. They can stand up to at least 150K miles these days without leaking in most cases.
In all honesty MOST Of the rear main leaks people have had were due to installation error when they tried to change it.
On my own 3L I just check the lip seal by hand when it is out with a smal instrument to see how pliable it is and if there was any oil in that area. If it was nice and pliable and no oil, in it would go.
Now for any customers I had and on my last motor I put in all new rear main seals but I was always very carefull to lube it, allign it and use sealer on the outside. Also I would always only use the Ford OEM rear main seals.
 
i tried to use a seal driver but the school didnt have one big enough. and i definitly dont have one now so how would you suggest me doing it this time. my teacher showed me how he does it on his race engines but i was stupid to try it i guess im the one that screwed up
 
You can make your own with a large PVC pipe cap to drive it in equally. Also, remember that there is a stop for the seal so you can just drive it all the way down to the stop rather than attempting to flush it out with the rear face of the block and possibly getting it cocked in place.

Rick
 
exactly what I was about to say. PVC pipe is your friend. That's the method I used and I haven't experienced any leaks from the seals.
 
well guys i have done a pretty quick removal. it only took 6 hours. after i removed the trans and the oil pan i noticed that the rear main was leaking and so was the pan. i also found my vaccuum leak, well my leak at least. where i jb welded my lower intake where the secondaries used to be, had a small pin sized hole that when i poked at it to make sure it didnt go all the way through it kind of poked all the way through. im guessing i need new gaskets now. all the parts but the pan gasket are going to be here tomorrow, so im trying to have it all done by wednesday
 
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so i got the rear main out and looked at it. it was leaking from around the seals outside edge for about an ich and a half. little did i know that when people say drive it in flush and straight, they actually meant drive it all the way in and make the rear of the seal flush with the block. my old one i flushed the front edge. it wasnt completely sealed with the block so it leaked. thanks buckshot for the post you saved me from pulling it a third time.
 
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