How to Fix Your Rear Main Seal

Fixing the rear main seal in your vehicle depends a lot on the kind of vehicle it is.  In every case, your rear main seal is buried deep in your engine and will require a lot of work to get to.  The amount of work and time it takes to get to your rear main seal actually has nothing to do with how complicated of a component it is.  Your rear main seal is a simple shaft steal just like your transmission output shaft seal, or your cam shaft seal, both of which are fairly easily to replace.  Shaft seals all look about the same, they are just different sizes to ensure a good fit both in the casing and around the shaft they seal.  In the case of your rear main seal, the seal has to be the correct outer diameter to fit securely between your engine block and your oil pan and the correct inner diameter to fight tightly around the crankshaft to keep your engine oil sealed in, but not so tight that it wears out quickly.

Once you’ve gotten to the seal, replacing it is as simple as popping out the old one and pressing in the new one which should take about 15 minutes.  The expense and time of replacing of the rear main seal comes from the work it takes to get to the rear main seal.  The reason some vehicles are easier, or less expensive has mostly to do with how much work it is to remove the transmission from your vehicle.  Since your rear main seal is around the rear your crankshaft, replacing it requires removal of your oil pan and your fly wheel at least.  In some vehicles it even requires removal of the crank.  In order to gain access to your flywheel you need to remove your transmission.

If you drive a 2wd truck or rear wheel drive car, this can be a fairly simply process.  A 4wd truck adds the complication of removing the transfer case as well and front wheel drive cars are complicated as well as the transmission or transaxle can be very complicated and cramped to remove.  Removal of these components require the removal of multiple wires, the drive shafts or axles and any shift linkage.  Lastly, transmission, and transfer cases all require draining of the oil inside the case and are extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver so that it require special lifts or multiple mechanics to remove them.

Next, removing the oil pan from your vehicle may also prove to be a significant challenge.  Depending on the configuration of your vehicle, it is likely that something crosses under your engine making it difficult or impossible to remove the oil pan.  Things like the steering rack, or a cross member can easily obstruct removal of your oil pan.

One of the best ways to avoid all this heavy lifting and wrench turning is to repair the current rear main seal you have installed in your vehicle rather than going through all the work to replace it.  Adding BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer to your engine oil will revitalize and restore your rear main seal to its original size and shape sealing your leak and solving your problem quickly and easily.

For more information about BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer, you can visit our product information page here: Rear Main Sealer

You can also pickup BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:

• AutoZone
• Advance Auto Parts
• Bennett Auto Supply
• CarQuest Auto parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
• Pep Boys
• Fast Track
• Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
• S&E Quick Lube Distributer
• DYK Automotive

Pictures Provided By:

rear_main_seal.jpg – By Coddy – Licensed by ThinkStock Photos – Original Link