rear main leak

[Kim K Kaiser]

Per Tony,  i am starting a new thread on my adventures with this rear main leak,

i posted a video on a 390 engine of a rear main seal replacement but the engine was out of the car,, gave some insight as to sealing and materials etc.

One of my neighbors has a hoist,(yeah!) and has allowed me to use it,, makes it a lot easier than rolling around on the asphalt in the street and is enough higher that its not too confining under there.  I did have to pay attention to the lift points though as it seems you cant just put those lift arms wherever you want..

As of this evening, I have taken the exhaust loose, the steering loose, and the starter is out,, took about 4 hours to do that.  I guess there is nothing earthshaking to report on any of this.  Tomorrow, I will take the pan off and proceed from there.

To be clear before proceeding.

the 63 manual says to insert the bearings in there slots, do not pull off wax coating as that will aid in insertion.  I do not see any wax on my gasket, so my guess they had it on the old ones.,, 

Now, the question here is,, do i add a touch of oil or something to aid in that insertion process,, the manual does not suggest it, as i describe above, or, just insert dry, as is..

it does say apply rubber cement to cap and block mating surfaces, and gasket ends, but that is the only reference in the 63 manual regarding lubricaitng the seal for installation,,  so is that correct?? insert dry??

the you tube video says to use lubridation after insertion so it wont be dry on start up, so i plan to do that as well.

i will try to take a few photographs of things once i get the pan off,  i m sure most have seen the underside, but its my first venture in there and post them for reference.

[Kim K Kaiser]

Tony, all.  Addl pictures.   There are 4 watvappear to be slices in the first rib touchs the inside of the seal.  The seal will fit.  The seal was very hard to pull out of cap.  I dread doing topside as its gonna hv to be pounded out and inam very concerned acout dmg to flat side of upper cap getting nicked due to the tightness of the seal to the channel it is in. There was maybe a hit of sealant on the cap connections, 

[Kim K Kaiser]

Mark,

here are the cleaned up photos that you pointed out.. 

[Kim K Kaiser]

[Kim K Kaiser]

Here are cleaned up photos that u requested

[Kim K Kaiser]

ok,   well, nothing like throwing a turd in the punchbowl!!

So, please advise to the following as I have no experience at his level..

Option 1:  If i put the car back together, with the new seal in and the rest as is,, i am guessing that i will continue to suffer a leak, maybe not as bad, but a leak.   As someone wrote, the bearing will have to be addressed at some point...  

what else can happen if i continue to use for say, couple months till i can make a more permanent decision , the car was running great, thats the real bummer of it.

Option 2:  I get one of those rebuild kits,, seems they run from 1200 to 2k depending on what all you get.   what would appx labor cost be on a rebuild..roughly, i know different areas have different levels of cost.    if it would save me a couple grand to do it,, i would, but I'm not sure i have the skills for such and endeavor.   Can i use the same block that I have?  or do i have to get another one,, will i have to replace the crankshaft or does that come with the kits,   I dont know the what does and what does not go with the re builds.  What is still good on my block,,, is my crankshaft still good,, assuming the bearings are worn?

Option 3:   LS swap,, a bit more costly, but a more modern solution with the potential of more access to parts down the line, better gas mileage, able to use the lower cost fuel.

My usage level of the car is a lot. I drive it 3 or four days a week, usually hundred mile a more at a pop.    So i am a regular user,, i use my truck when i have to haul work stuff.. otherwise I'm in the 63.

Any other options to review?    if so, please give me some semi detailed explanation of thse options, I would appreciate it 

I am just to much of a novice to know the options and there cost...

[Kim K Kaiser]

Could u please draw on one of the photos i hv sent were you suggest putting the jb weld? If you need my emsil or something let me know, for a long description.

I can say that the seal was quite a bit thinner than the replacement seal.  I dnt know if its by design, but the fat part in the rear was no thicker that the front

[Kim K Kaiser]

Thought id add some general photos for the record of the bottom of engine when first pulled apart. Mostly of the rear bearing and crank shaft area.  

[Kim K Kaiser]

Ok.   So pardon my ignorance, but you are saying mix up some jb weld and put it on the part of the seal were it will be at or near those cut marks,  just enough to seal off oil that may hit at that point of the seal and the cut marks.

Is that correct?  Basically a dam at the cut marks on the seal?

[Kim K Kaiser]

Yes,  if i remeber right, the part the seal goes over is fine,  just the nxt lip has the damage.

No problem on the scare, i was a bit shocked when i saw it when it came out with my limited knowledge of things,  i just didnt look right at all

[Jason Edge]

Unless you are ready for a full rebuild and several thousand out of pocket, I would note this issue, install the new seal, and enjoy the car until you are ready for a rebuild. As long as the seal is "sealing" against the crank, the cuts in the insert grooves should not affect anything. Not sure how much it was leaking before, but hopefully with new seal pushed into the less than perfect rear main bearing cap, it will allow you to continue to enjoy the car for the foreseeable future.  If you were ready for a rebuild anyway and ready for the expense might be a good time to consider the rebuild and sourcing another cap so it can be matched to block when honed.

[Kim K Kaiser]

We arnt therecyet, Tony,  i hvnt gotten the upper seal out ye .  Its stuck in there pretty good

[Kim K Kaiser]

thanks everyone for the help     gonna just put in the seal and drive her a while...

thanks again