Rear Main Seal time...

[reklund]

Hey guys-

It seems my rear main seal has failed, as I'm getting oil down the back of the oil pan, out of the starter mounting hole, and out of the bellhousing inspection plate. I washed it all down with brake-kleen this morning, and the entire are is wet again after driving about 30 miles around town today. Is there anything OTHER than the rear main that could be leaking that bad? The turbo drain pipe is in place, and seems dry. I installed a new gasket on that when I installed the Turbo last fall. The turbo oil supply line is dry, and the valve covers aren't leaking- I did those last fall too.

My truck has 86K miles on it- barring any unusual wear, should I be OK to re-install my current clutch? I don't have the money to install a new clutch right now, and I don't have ANY issues with the current setup to report. I can't stand it when my vehicles leak, so I want this fixed ASAP.

Any tips or tricks to remove the tranny? I'll be doing it at work on the lift, with a air over hydraulic trans jack. I was planning on leaving the transfer case attached, although the book says to separate 'em... Do I really have to remove the floor panel?

Ryan

 

[sassyrel]

check that theres not a leak under the injection pump--and its running out the back of the valley pan--if its the rear main--you can pull the shifter--then slide transfer and trans back--- use the adaptor piece to push the new rear main in straight--if not--it will leak--

 

[geonc]

Excessive crankcase pressure from either blocked CDR or overfill, and exhaust back pressure can also cause seal leakage......

Slight chance the rear seal carrier is leaking...it attaches to the rear of the block and shares 2 bolts with the oil pan.

Sadly if the carrier is leaking....the seal will need to be replaced anyway....and removing the carrier is the easier way to remove the seal....

 

[reklund]

I cleaned out the CDR about 2 weeks ago, but the problem persists. I made sure I didn't overfill it- I actually sucked 1.5 quarts OUT of the pan with a vaccum evacuator and made sure I'm right in the middle of the "low" and "full" marks on the stick with the engine at temp and having sat for 20 minutes before checking the oil level, as per the owners manual.

No problem resealing the carrier with some FIPG when reinstalling, right?

Ryan

 

[geonc]

No problem resealing the carrier with some FIPG when reinstalling, right?

Ryan

FIPG------fuel injected pressure grease

RTV red or copper
Best way is to mimic the newer style gaskets....thin bead along the perimiter with full circles around bolt holes....allow to "skin" a little then install tight enough to seal but not gushing out and collapsing, with the possibilty of contaminating the oil screen/pump with the "strings" ...........

 

[reklund]

I know all about applying FIPG- I'm a Toyota Master Tech. I'm just glad to be able to bounce these ideas off of guys who have done it before. BTW- it's "Formed In Place Gasket" in case anyone cares...

Toyota makes this black FIPG stuff that is the BEST for sealing stuff. It works WAY better than just about anything readily available at NAPA. I used it on my valve cover gaskets, and my CDR adaptor plate with GREAT results. It's about $20/tube, but well worth it, if anyone cares to give it a try.


Looks like a slow day at the shop tomorrow- I might go ahead and replace the seal if IH or Ford has one in stock.

Ryan

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Does the ATS turbo use the CDR hole in the valley pan for oil return? IF so, you might want to check the grommet.

 

[reklund]

Does the ATS turbo use the CDR hole in the valley pan for oil return? IF so, you might want to check the grommet.

Yes, it does use that hole for an oil return. I can't find ANY oil coming from up top. I'm pretty convinced it's the rear main, but I'll let y'all know when I pull the trans this afternoon...

Ryan

 

[Agnem]

How much oil are you loosing to the leak? Some leaks are not worth fixing, until you have another reason to "go in". The Moose Truck has had a leaky rear seal for 20 years, but I never have to add between changes.

 

[reklund]

Mel-

I'm loosing enough that the truck drips on the driveway if it sits for more than 10 minutes. It doesn't just "seep" and keep the area wet...it's enough that it makes a mess. The leakage covers the oil pan, the bellhousing, and my exhaust crossover pipe. If I drive on the highway for more than 20 minutes, the rear axle is rust-proofed...

Being a professional technician, I agree that it's sometimes not quite worth the hassle. With the equipment at my disposal, it should only take an hour or two, and hopefully fix the problem.

I was going to tackle that project today, but none of the Ford Dealerships or the IH Dealership had a seal in stock. I ordered the part, and will hopefully get to it on Thursday...

Ryan

 

[reklund]

Well, I just got home from work, where I spent the afternoon putting in my new rear main seal.

It was definitely the rear main leaking- no doubt about it. I'm glad I at least ordered the correct part to fix the problem.

Had to remove my entire exhaust (I couldnt separate the slip joint on the downpipe- I guess I tightened the U bolt too tight and crimped the pipe a little...) to get the ATS downpipe out of the way for the tranny to come out.

I was surprised how light the transfer case was. Next time I won't bother separating it from the transmission.

The clutch was in VERY good shape, for 86K miles. I'd estimate that it's only 30-40% worn. There were no blue marks on the flywheel, and it all was in good condition. The throwout bearing was a little noisy, so I replaced that with a new one from Ford, but reinstalled the OEM clutch and flywheel for now.

Getting the screws on the shifter boots to line back up sucks. No other way to describe it.

Oh, and aside from fixing the leak, heres the best part: I THINK I FINALLY FIXED MY EXHAUST LEAK!!!!! The stupid slip-fit up and down pipes on the ATS turbo setup have leaked since the day I installed them. I was nothing short of furious about having that stupid noise coming from my truck for the past 9 months. When I reassembled everything today, I coated all the exhaust joints with some sort of Permatex high temperature silicone stuff that a local (and very well known) hot rod builder reccomended to me. He uses it in place of header gaskets on all the rods he builds, so I thought I'd give it a try. It seems to have done the trick!

Ryan

 

[TLBREWER]

Ryan

Excellent. No you can help me do the rear main in my daughter's truck!

Tom

 

[reklund]

I'd be glad to. As long as we have access to a lift...I don't want any part of bench pressing that big 'ol tranny!

Ryan

 

[TLBREWER]

There in lies the problem! Guess I'll be bench pressing on my own. Actually I have a very small floor jack that I use. Gotta wait til my back gets better. Threw it out Monday...very sore.

Tom

 

[reklund]

Tom-

Must be a rash of bad backs going around. My dad can barely walk due to his, my service writer at work has been out all week, and now you...

PM me about your daughters truck...