Why is my new rear main seal leaking?
The most common leaks that can masquerade as a rear main seal leak is a valve cover gasket leak, intake manifold gasket leak or a distributor gasket leak. An oil pan gasket is also usually much less expensive to replace so it’s important to check for leaks in your oil pan gasket before you jump to any conclusions.
Can a new rear main seal leak?
Although getting your rear main seal replaced is crucial to fixing your car, you can drive with your seal malfunctioning. However, the oil will consistently leak out of your car, and you will need to top up the oil much more often than if the seal had an air-tight fit.
Why is my rear main seal leaking oil?
The rear main seal is subject to both high oil pressure since it is right by the rear main bearing as well as the spinning crankshaft which is constantly wearing on the inside of the seal. No matter how often you change your oil, eventually the spinning metal crankshaft will wear down the seal enough to cause a leak.
Is the oil pan gasket the rear main seal?
The oil pan gasket is known to leak though, and make it appear to be the rear main seal. I went through the same scenario 2 years ago. I was sure it was the rear main.
What should I do if I have an oil leak in my engine?
To replace the seal, either the engine or transmission will have to be removed. Once one of those is removed the oil pan also has to come out so it gets to be an expensive job. Some seals and gasket in your engine never cause large leaks because of the design or because they don’t seal a pressurized portion of the engine.
Do you need to replace the rear main seal?
I may be tackling a rear main seal job soon, but it is not very pressing at the moment. However my oil pan gasket is. I need to replace that gasket and fix a broken bolt. My question is does the oil pan need removed to do the rear main seal or can I go ahead with the oil pan now and do rear main seal later?