How To Fix Small Rear Main Seal Leak
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Concluding Updated on November 22, 2021
Try every bit nosotros might, it is only impossible to wish away all that can potentially ail our vehicles. If one drives plenty miles, they volition eventually face mechanical hardship of 1 sort or another. However, non all mechanical problems are the same, either in blazon or severity, which creates a "luck of the draw" blazon scenario for motorists when the eventual breakdown does take place.
Some of the trickiest mechanical issues to pinpoint for repair, tend to exist oil leaks. The origins of such leaks tin can sometimes be deceiving, sending even a skilled technician on a wild goose chase of sorts. Even when located, the complexity associated with repairing such leaks can vary greatly.
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Few potential oil leaks tend to exist equally dreaded as those that originate at an engine's rear main seal. Leaks of this nature are often labor intensive and time consumptive to remedy, causing a substantial headache for those faced with difficulties of this type.
However, one is ameliorate equipped to handle an oil leak of this variety, when armed with a thorough understanding of what they are up against. Read on to learn more about the symptoms of a rear principal seal leak, every bit well equally what to await when faced with an oil leak of this type.
Read Also: 6 Symptoms of an Oil Pan Gasket Leak
What is a Rear Main Seal?
In the simplest of terms, a rear primary seal is a seal used to forbid oil loss from the rear of an engine, where the engine's crankshaft mounts to the transmission, via a flywheel or flexplate. This, in turn, gives birth to the rear main seal's nickname as the rear crankshaft seal.
Seals of this type are typically driven into a recess within an engine'southward rear cover and are more often than not curtained inside the bell-housing of the manual itself. In most cases, it is impossible to view an engine's rear main seal, one time information technology has been installed, and a vehicle has been returned to service.
Without a properly performance rear main seal, a vehicle'southward engine oil is allowed to escape exterior of its normal bespeak of retention within the crankcase. As such, a noticeable leak is presented, which can range in severity by substantial margins.
Signs of a Leaking Rear Main Seal
A rear principal seal leak can be identified in a number of means, some of which prove far more axiomatic than others. Being mindful of such symptoms will assist you lot in coming to an early diagnosis, thereby expediting the repair process.
The post-obit are the most common signs of a rear main seal leak.
#1 – Puddling of Oil in Driveway
Rear main seal leaks tend to worsen when an engine has warmed to its standard operating procedure. For this reason, a leaking rear primary seal is often most evident in the minutes to hours after a vehicle has been parked for the day.
This, in plough, leads to the puddling of oil beneath a vehicle's engine, leaving behind ample show of such bug.
Therefore, the sudden appearance of an oil stain within the driveway is cause for concern and should be advisedly studied to determine its point of origin. Information technology is likewise possible for this pooling of oil to worsen with time.
#2 – Need For Frequent Pinnacle-Offs
Rear master seal leaks are known for their trend to leak an excessive amount of oil in short order. In severe cases, a compromised rear chief seal can leak as much as a quart of oil in a calendar week's time.
This rapid loss of oil will necessitate frequent meridian-offs, to avert an engine's oil from dropping to dangerously low levels.
If a weekly inspection of our vehicle'south engine reveals unanticipated oil loss, or if you all of a sudden detect yourself calculation more oil to your engine than normal, a worn rear main seal could be to blame. Therefore, additional time should exist taken to assess the cause of this expedited oil usage.
See Also: Symptoms of a Valve Cover Gasket Leak
#3 – Oil Saturation of Vehicle Underbody
Since a leaking rear main seal tends to crusade pooling of oil within an engine/transmission's bell housing, it is non uncommon for blowback to cause extensive oil saturation of a vehicle's underbody. Equally a vehicle is operated, leaking oil is swept rearward, coating all that lies behind the rear of a vehicle'due south engine.
This places additional importance upon periodically inspecting your vehicle. Simply glancing beneath your vehicle will reveal such tell-tale signs of rear principal seal failure, in the vast majority of cases. This allows you to plan for repair earlier the offending leak grows in severity.
#4 – Illumination of Oil Low-cal
If you are driving forth simply to discover the sudden illumination of your vehicle's low oil low-cal, in that location are two main things that you should do.
The first of which is to pull to the nearest shoulder of the roadway and shut off your engine equally soon as possible. The 2nd task of essence is to figure out where your engine's oil has disappeared. In a case of this nature, an engine's rear chief seal is suspect.
A severe rear main seal leak can cause rapid oil loss, peculiarly when an engine is warmed to operating temperature, and the affected vehicle is in motion. If oil loss exceeds a item point predetermined past a vehicle'due south manufacturer, a low oil light will illuminate upon the dash.
Likewise, some vehicles will display a depression oil pressure light or message in a similar manner.
What Causes the Seal to Leak or Go Bad?
The single nigh prevalent cause of rear main seal leaks is simple wear and tear. Seals, though relatively hearty, are non designed to last indefinitely. Instead, information technology is quite normal for an engine'due south seals to suspension downwardly as a vehicle ages and miles accumulate. Every bit this occurs, seepage begins to take place.
Prolonged periods of vehicle storage can also lead to higher instances of rear main seal failure. Seals of this type generally rely upon splash lubrication from an engine's oil, in order to ward off early deposition.
When a vehicle sits idle for extended periods, this splash lubrication ceases, thereby assuasive seals to dry, harden, and crack. As a result, leaks often become axiomatic shortly following a vehicle's return to service.
Less commonly, a rear main seal might brainstorm to leak if an engine is low on oil. While running an engine one-quart low on oil for a brief period of time is unlikely to crusade whatsoever upshot, operating an engine in this manner for extended periods can lead to seal drying and hardening.
Therefore, it is best to routinely bank check your vehicle's oil level, to foreclose farther bug at a later engagement.
Is a Rear Primary Seal Leak Serious?
A rear main seal leak is generally regarded as beingness quite serious in nature, due primarily to the fact that such leaks only tend to worsen with time.
In severe cases, a rear primary seal can leak to the point of creating difficulties when attempting to continue upward with the resulting oil loss. Just put, adding enough oil to maintain proper lube supply becomes troublesome.
However, this is all the same a far ameliorate scenario than what will likely occur should an engine become starved for oil, at the easily of a rear chief seal leak. Any substantial loss of lubricating oil poses the risk of causing begetting damage, which can ultimately result in untimely engine failure.
At the very least, running an engine depression in oil can, and will, cause premature internal wear. In any event, a rear main seal leak should be addressed at the commencement available opportunity.
While repairing a leak of this nature can get rather involved, information technology is nonetheless nowhere near equally troublesome every bit being forced to supplant an engine that has suffered the prolonged furnishings of sustained oil loss. If you are not up to the job of completing such repairs yourself (most volition not be), make an engagement with a trusted service centre as soon as possible.
Can a Rear Main Seal Exist Replaced Without Removing the Transmission?
Conventional rear main seal replacement requires a vehicle'southward manual to be removed. This is necessary to proceeds admission to the rear primary seal itself, which is housed at the dorsum of an engine, within the manual's bong housing.
Unfortunately, removing a vehicle's transmission is no small feat, and is rather time consuming to complete.
Luckily, there are now several products on the market that claim to end rear primary seal leaks in their tracks. These products are designed to rehydrate an aging seal, thereby restoring its sealing ability. Unfortunately, products of this nature are known to produce mixed results, leading some consumers to steer clear.
Nevertheless, a limited number of these cease-leak products stand out in a higher place the remainder, due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews that they have received. Ane such product is BlueDevil Rear Main Sealer, which is often cited by consumers as beingness a "cure-all" for rear main seal leaks.
In any upshot, consumers have picayune to lose, when giving a rear main seal stop leak product a endeavour. Later on all, when the only alternative is excessive vehicle downtime and exorbitant repair costs, the use of a single-awarding sealant comes as a welcome alternative.
Rear Chief Seal Replacement Toll
When it comes to a rear main seal leak, there is no sugar-coating the fact that repairs will exist quite pricey. Even more than aggravating is the fact that most rear main seals are relatively inexpensive to purchase. However, the labor costs associated with such repairs are oftentimes extensive.
Of grade, these labor costs are easily justified. Replacing an engine's rear primary seal is no easy task, and requires a significant investment of time.
A repair of this nature requires a vehicle'due south transmission to exist removed, every bit access to an engine's rear main seal is not otherwise possible. Additionally, the removal of a vehicle's transfer case is often required in the instance of four-wheel bulldoze vehicles.
The exact toll of rear main seal replacement differs from one vehicle to the adjacent and is reflective of a manufacturer'southward quoted flag time for such repairs. Pricing for rear main seal replacement is as well dependent upon the bulldoze configuration of a item vehicle.
The price of rear master seal replacement typically ranges between $650 and $one,800, though the vast bulk of such repairs fall within the $800-$1,200 price range.
Will Thicker Oil Help a Rear Main Seal Leak?
In sure cases, running engine oil of a thicker viscosity can tedious rear main seal leakage. This is due to the fact that oil thins as information technology warms during normal engine performance.
This, in turn, allows oil to escape more easily through aging, worn, or damaged seals. This is one of the reasons that a leaking rear main seal appears to worsen when an engine is at operating temperature.
Keeping this in mind, it is reasonable to assume that oil of thicker viscosity would be less probable to seep from such a seal, fifty-fifty when warm. In fact, almost everyone knows of somebody who has sworn that switching from 10w30 to 10w40 has slowed their vehicle's oil leak.
Likewise, information technology is even common to hear of heavier diesel motor oils, such as 15W40, being used in gasoline engines to tedious a leak.
However, one must likewise take into consideration the possible ramifications that could arise from deviating away from their vehicle manufacturer'southward specified oil viscosity. Manufacturers specify the employ of a certain viscosity of oil based upon several factors, including the measure of an engine's bearing tolerances.
Therefore, though rare, making such changes in oil selection can lead to possible oil delivery-related issues. As such, one should continue with caution, when determining whether or not to utilise engine oil with a viscosity other than that recommended by their vehicle's manufacturer.
Encounter Too: Types of Oil (Conventional vs Synthetic Alloy vs Full Constructed)
How To Fix Small Rear Main Seal Leak,
Source: https://cartreatments.com/rear-main-seal-leak-symptoms/
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