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.

Views: 1297

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Got oil replaced.  Plugs in.   Did 3 or 4 starts wo coil.  Replugged coil.  Started up.  No exhaust really makes it sound like a drag car!

Anyway,  ran about 15 seconds,  oil light still o .    Turned off.  Statred 2 more time .  Oil light stayed on.

Decided to stop and ask if i should prime, or let it run a little more to get the oil flowing to point of turning off lighr?

Dnt want to burn up testing a leak

20 to 30 seconds.  3 times

Not sure why you would start with the exhaust uncapped. Just to save time? You have just removed and reinstalled a bearing cap. I would want the engine as quiet as possible so I could hear any issues. Not to mention, if you get under that exhaust manifold end with it running you will burn your face off or anything else that gets in the way of the fire hot gasses.  I remember in my younger foolish days after running at the local drag strip with headers uncapped, I decided to drive home like that... only 3 or 4 miles, but had accidentally pushed the transmission shift cable from my B&M Quicksilver shifter over just enough where it got enough heat from the exhaust to burn it in two. I remember having to crawl under the car and manually push the lever to shift the car until I got another cable.  

Lack of confidence the seal is holding due to the installation i outlined earlier and hving to detach it all again.  

Tony, the special tool inserts into the cap as to protect the seal from the sharp edge.  

Kim, since the oil light is not coming on, I would hook up the exhaust and prime the oil pump.  You can either remove the oil filter assembly and fill the tube to the pump. Start it up and run it for 10 seconds.  If it doesn't prime after a few times, you will need to pull the distrib and fill the oil pump again.  Spin the distrib until the pressure returns. 

Dropping the oil  pan has the same affect as draining the oil from the plug to change the oil, meaning, you should NOT have to prime the oil pump!   If you have added the correct amount of oil, have not touched the oil pump, I would run a couple of minutes. Perhaps pop the valve covers off and run some oil over the rocker arm assembly and tighten back down ... if it makes you feel better. Often when you change the oil it takes a bit before the oil light goes off. I understand being cautious but dropping the pan should never be a reason to have to prime the oil pump. Read your shop manual and it will say nothing about priming the engine under oil pan installation or rear main bearing seal replacement. 

Yes, i saw that video in my research.  Because manuql didntvsay lossen all caps  i didnt do that.  Remainder i did as the video shows, which pretty much follows the manual.  I can tell you, that is a tight fit,  loosening may be a solution

Good video. I offset my rear seal when I rebuilt the engine. As far as adding RTV sealant or not, it was interesting to hear him say his packaging said no sealant. I had to go by shop manual as my seals were part of the rebuild kit and no individual packaging or instructions. So.. I think I used RTV sealant, and offset and still get a drip leak when cold. I have tried not to do a deep dive here as Tony and Kim are 7 pages into this just putting the thing back together but it is my opinion that these rear seals continue to leak, especially when cold and the seal has shrunk a bit, because of the slight groove created by the crank journal rotating literally millions of times over 55+ years on these 100K+ mile engines. If you can wear a groove on the front on the harmonic balancer I am sure a groove can wear on the crank where the seal hits it. When I pull my engine out again I plan to do some close inspection and measuring and check out different rear seal offerings. 
The only thing I question on the video is whether to loose all main bearing caps?  Just dunno? It would basically eliminate the need for a special tool but you better be in a position to get the right torque on all those bolts and that is not always the easiest thing to do with engine in car. Anyway, it is a good video .. .always good to see the parts in hand. 

Strange that the 63 book does not mention using the tool to insert the rear main seals, but the 64 book shows the tool and gives dimensions to make it. 

When I did my engine in 17, we modded the cap to take a later/better style set up from memory. I'd have to check with Shane, but I know we run a different rear seal over standard.

The tool was introduced in the April 1963 Serviceman Bulletin on page 21.   This would  have been well into the 1963 model year production and long after the Shop Manual was printed. This is 1 of at least 3 entries in the SB's regarding the rear seal.
Here is the introduction of the tool:

RSS

Photos

  • Add Photos
  • View All

Forum

Modern radio antenna …

Started by Mack in 1963/64 Cadillac Specific Discussion on Tuesday. 0 Replies

Just replaced radios for the modern radios with Bluetooth and all the dance things and wanted to share how I went around the antenna knob… I’ve installed a regular two way GM window switch in the…Continue

BOOT

Started by John Inglesby in 1963/64 Cadillac Specific Discussion. Last reply by Marty Smith on Tuesday. 1 Reply

I recently purchased a new boot for my 64 convertible and was wondering how difficult it s to install. I'm not very mechanical. It looks like the chrome piece behind and at top of seats needs to be…Continue

63 Exhaust Hanger Mystery

Started by Mike Travers in 1963/64 Cadillac Specific Discussion. Last reply by Cees de Bunje on Monday. 8 Replies

I'm in the process of installing a stainless steel single exhaust from Classic Exhaust on my '63 Coupe de Ville. I'm running into a mystery regarding my middle exhaust bracket. I have the bracket…Continue

TH400 Dipstick Tube Seal

Started by Logan Robb in 1963/64 Cadillac Specific Discussion. Last reply by Logan Robb on Monday. 9 Replies

In my “rebuild” of the transmission, I ordered a dipstick tube seal. However, I’m not sure if the right one came or how to best install the seal. I am wondering if anyone has replaced this seal OR…Continue

Blog Posts

Loud air moving sound within carb with cleaner removed

Posted by Dave Fehrle on March 23, 2024 at 3:23pm 8 Comments

While checking my Carter carb with engine running, I took the air cleaner off and there was a very loud hissing sound of air. I placed a piece of paper over the carb and it didn’t move up or down, is this normal?

Vintage Air AC

Posted by Chase on March 21, 2024 at 5:55am 0 Comments

Hey everyone, has anybody done a Vintage Air AC/Heat setup in their car? I want to bypass the old vacuum setup and go with a Vintage Air Gen 2 model. Before I get started, does anyone have any experience with this? (Which model to go with, do’s and dont’s, etc.) It looks pretty involved. Any and all info/pics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

accumulator dryer

Posted by CHRIS CARLSON on December 6, 2023 at 10:54am 0 Comments

Who rebuilds original AC  accumulator dryers for 1964 Cadillac? I have been on Classic auto air in Tampa FL wait list for over a year ,  There is one on Old air products web site that looks very similar to the original # 21-4214A but states it fits 1962 Gm cars, The one recommended for a 1964 Cadillac is half the length 21-4215A    What  is everyone using ? I would prefer to be as original as possible. Thanks

'63 Eldorado trumpet horn + 2 standard horns restoration

Posted by Les Eastling on November 15, 2023 at 10:34am 1 Comment

My son, unbeknownst to me, had all three of the horns on our 1963 Eldorado completely restored. We had recently added the Eldorado trumpet horn to the two standard horns and the sound was not very good... we had heard good ones so we knew something was not right... but there was not much we could do to get better sound from the 3 horns. 

There is a restoration service called The Horn Works who my son…

Continue

Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

© 2024   Created by Jason Edge.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service