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advice needed re: rear main seal

Started by _zenburger_ , Aug 09 2014 11:08 AM

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12 replies to this topic

#1 _zenburger_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 11:08 AM

Hey guys im after some advice from the engine gurus on here regarding my 'lemon' 355 LX, the backstory is a bit long winded but please bare with me as im ready to put a match to this thing!

So purchased this car from a fellow forum member, drove back from NSW to SA and car developed rear seal leak about halfway home (car otherwise was great!), progressively got worse so after 2 weeks of ownership it went in to the mechs for a fix, that was april 19th... got the car back last thursday 7th august!

Mechanic pulled engine down finds crank bearings,cam and lifters are stuffed, so off it goes to Miltons in Adelaide for a proper tear down, they replace cam,rings,bearings and lifters along with rear seal.

mechanic refits engine only to find seal still weeping, sends back to Miltons where they fit a felpro seal, mechanic refits engine and keeps an eye on the car for an extra week just in case, no leaks while he test drives it during this time so he is confident enough to hand it back to me.

i pick it up and pay a quite handsome sum of money for the repairs and head home to run the engine in, its a 100km trip home and a bit of driving around town, check the car and find one drop of oil has formed on the flywheel cover, no drips overnight so im relatively happy... another casual trip up through the hills yesterday for some load on the engine and seems the rear seal is still weeping a small amount, just enough to form a drop on the flywheel cover.

it is only minor (at this stage!) car has done around 170kms since i picked it up and has been driven accordingly, it will be going back to the mechanics after run in 300kms or so for a tune etc.

So i keep thinking there has to be some other cause for this thing to keep weeping? I am just a young buck and inexperienced with such a highly strung engine and am not sure what to do if it gets worse, i dont think my or my mechanics hairlines could handle another problem with this seal!

So any help or advice you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated as im almost at my wits end with this engine.

Thanks in advance Blair

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#2 dattoman

Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

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Name:Neil
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Posted 09 August 2014 - 11:41 AM

Rope or neo seal ?

Brand of crank ?

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#3 ls2lxhatch

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 11:55 AM

If would be worth checking that the PCV system is working. If the PCV is not working then crankcase pressure can push oil out the rear main seal.

http://www.gmh-toran...e-2#entry433717

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#4 _LHSL308_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 12:22 PM

When I first picked my car up I had major problems with rocker cover gaskets leaking. Tried everything to fix it by putting rubber ones on then even putting a smear of gasket goo on the gasket itself, still didnt help. In the end we found there was no pcv and the pressure being generated was the main cause of the problem.

Keep persisting Blair I am sure you'll get to the bottom of it. Good luck.

Edited by LHSL308, 09 August 2014 - 12:22 PM.

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#5 _oldjohnno_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 12:35 PM

And you have to remember that it's unusual to find one of these old style engines that doesn't leak at least a tiny bit. Most of them leaked to some extent from new. So unless it's leaving spots where it was parked I wouldn't worry too much. It's also not unusual to replace a seal that leaked just a little, only to find that the new seal leaks a bit too, so sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.

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#6 _zenburger_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 01:00 PM

And you have to remember that it's unusual to find one of these old style engines that doesn't leak at least a tiny bit. Most of them leaked to some extent from new. So unless it's leaving spots where it was parked I wouldn't worry too much. It's also not unusual to replace a seal that leaked just a little, only to find that the new seal leaks a bit too, so sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.

well so far only one drop on the ground, at the rate it seems to be weeping now i could live with it as long as it doesnt get any worse, seems just enough to form a drop on the flywheel cover.

just frustrating after the amount of money its cost me :(

If would be worth checking that the PCV system is working. If the PCV is not working then crankcase pressure can push oil out the rear main seal.

http://www.gmh-toran...e-2#entry433717

thanks i did find that thread, left side rocker cover has a breather, right hand has the return to the rear of the carb with plenty of vacuum, will put a pic up shortly but how can i check its working correctly?

When I first picked my car up I had major problems with rocker cover gaskets leaking. Tried everything to fix it by putting rubber ones on then even putting a smear of gasket goo on the gasket itself, still didnt help. In the end we found there was no pcv and the pressure being generated was the main cause of the problem.

Keep persisting Blair I am sure you'll get to the bottom of it. Good luck.

Thanks mate its been stressful but im also learning a great deal which is great, and this forum has been an excellent research tool

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#7 _zenburger_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 01:26 PM

here is a pic of the brether setup, the hose runs to the base of the carby, i thought the pcv was located on the inlet manifold? or am i completely off track?

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#8 ls2lxhatch

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 02:48 PM

The PCV is the black and silver fitting plugged into the bit of hose in the bottom right corner of the picture.

If you pull it out of the rocker cover when the engine is idling you short hear it rattle and there should be vacuum.

The other end of the PCV hose is connected to a vacuum source at the base of the carby.

The other rocker cover where you have a filter is usually connected to the base of the air filter. Connected to the air filter base will breathe a little more than just putting a filter on the rocker cover. Technically it is not legal to just have the filter on the rocker cover.

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 09 August 2014 - 02:54 PM.

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#9 _zenburger_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 03:08 PM

ah thanks mate i thought that was it, has heaps of vacuum through the pcv, can even feel the strength of the vacuum through the filler hole on opposite side rocker cover.

so i should be able to count that out? oil pressure reads around 60-65psi at idle on startup and once up to normal operating temps after driving seems to drop down to 20-25 psi when at idle. gauge hit about 70psi when i gave it a good squirt on the highway.

does this sound about right?

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#10 _LHSL308_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 05:04 PM

I'm not sure about those pressure readings as I only have the SLR dash oil pressure gauge. Thats what mine does though, mine reads at about 3/4 after initial start up and then drops off to about 1/2 when in normal running conditions. I am sure someone will let you know about those psi readings though.

Nice engine btw Blair. If I remember correctly thats a 355 with VN heads...sweet.

Edited by LHSL308, 09 August 2014 - 05:05 PM.

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#11 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 06:35 PM

If "Miltons" was "Chris Miltons" then thats probably your issue.

Cheers.

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#12 SA EH

Another Holden 6 tragic

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Posted 09 August 2014 - 09:56 PM

I wouldn't be too harsh bomber, my engine doesn't seem too bad, or leak from the rear main. And their machine work is pretty good too, but there are always some exceptions.

Like when I rebuilt my engine after they did, THEN my rear main started leaking...

Edited by SA EH, 09 August 2014 - 10:01 PM.