rear main leaking

[predator5100]

Hey i need some help on how to fix a leaking rear main seal and how hard it will be. I also found out my valve covers are leaking as well as the oil pan.
Someone help

[TealV6]

Fixing the rear main would be best left to professionals. (easier on you too) Valve cover gaskets should be no big problem for you, just have to get around some stuff. Oil pan can also be done, just need to get around stuff.

Keith should be able to elaborate more if you have more questions.

Steve

[Magnus]

I would like to elaborate but I can't.

You have a 3.4 and I don't have this 3.4 experience.

Rear main seal would be a PITA. I haven't done this YET and I hope to be ok for as long as possible. Mike Huff has done this on his 3.8 I believe.

Valve covers should be rather straight forward.

Oil Pan, I was under the impression that the motor had to come out to change the pan itself.. maybe you could get it down an inch or so to slide a new gasket in there... Also I am uncertain on this.

Sorry. :(

- Keith

[Cale]

Expect to pull the engine to fix the rear main seal... I mean, cause you're gonna have to at least jack it up, and you might as well go the extra .1 of a mile and pull it out.

[3.4 slow to go]

havn't looked at a 3.4 yet, but the 85-92 2.8/3.1 have the 1 piece rear main, and one of the steps in the haynes is to separatre the engine & tranny.

kinda makes you wish for the old two piece seal, remove oilpan, remove cap, remove old seal, install new seal, replace cap, replace oilpan.

[ January 15, 2002: Message edited by: 2.8 slow to go ]</p>

[TealV6]

Yes, the 3.4 is a one piece design. This is why I said "best left to professonals". When I had my clutch done, they did that also.

Sorry for the bad news.....

Steve

[predator5100]

thanks for the help i beleive you have to seperate the tranny for it anyone wanna car. oh well here's for a second job [img]graemlins/crybaby.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/crybaby.gif[/img]

[3.4 slow to go]

i'll take motor if you don't want it ;)

[ January 15, 2002: Message edited by: 2.8 slow to go ]</p>

[predator5100]

no i'm keeping my baby i think i need to come up with $450 dollers thats the cheapest i have found also an oil pan would be nice but where can i avoid the dealer on that

[MustangEater8251]

just form personal experience I would go to the dealership on something like a rear main, Its costs alot more, but I have been burned by too many mechanics in my life.

you can do the oil pan with motor still in, hell I think oil pan would be easier then valve covers.

[Ironman24]

I have done all of this on a 3.8, so I don't know how much of it would relate to a 3.4. I've pulled the motor out too and I will tell you it's much easier to just leave the motor in the car and pull the tranny off. On the 3.8 you can get the oil pan off and change the gasket without moving the motor off the mounts, it's a little tight and requires some talent working around the pickup tube but it's a HECK of a lot less work than pulling the motor. I had the dealer replace the rear main seal under waranty and they screwed the job so bad it made it worse. Did it myself and no leaks since.

If you think all 3 are leaking you may just have a valve cover leak and it's running down behind the block and it may just look like a rear main leak. I would fix the valve cover leaks, clean up the oil and go from there.

[predator5100]

See i thought that also but it looks like my oil pan got smashed. And blew out the rear main it's hardly there.
As far as valve covers how hard will it be to pull the intake plenum off and whats invovled.

[Ironman24]

To pull the valve covers you just need to get the alternator and coil packs/mount out of the way. There is a bracket on the pass side in the back used to hoist the motor, it will be in the way. I couldn't get to the bolt on the back of the block so I just bent it back a little to clear the valve cover.

[Colin]

I just had the same problem with my '92 and rather than instantly drop the trans. to get to it, I went and bought some engine sealant just to save the mega-bucks it would cost to have it replaced.

[predator5100]

I proprosed a theory of just dipping the whole engine in silican (no just kiddin) i'm just having the whole engine rebuilt here shortly