Ahh! Run and hide! I'm asking for help on the v6!!! ... errr.. anyway.

Okay, my poor 'ol 6er is currently nose-high in the air getting a 5 speed tossed in her.. Since I bought her she's been drippin from the rear main. This has never been a prob with the auto, however, I'd prefer to keep my clutch clean with the manual.. I don't see motor oil as being a good thing to constantly coat it with. It's also the last thing on my to-do list before I bolt up the new flywheel and get this party onto its last leg... there's just one miiiinor problem.

That freakin rear main seal *refuses* to pry out.

Comments/Hints/Tips/Suggestions/Virgin Sacrifices appreciated.

 

Having done two,
last one I took a "screwdriver" to chisel it out.
Get new one.
Coat it in Gas-A-sinch
tap it in to seat.
Good luck!

 

Thanks, Karl, but I've got 4 days of busted knuckles and a broken screwdriver to prove mine isn't going that quietly into the night..

I'm picking up a seal puller tomorrow and seeing what more damage I can do.

 

Okay.. the seal puller isn't cutting it. Any more ideas before I have to pull the motor to drop the main cap?

 

Two choices.
Leave it & toss back in functional automatic
Pull engine install a 3.4
And I realize one may be more pricey than other....
BUT ya gonna pull the engine for this little drip?
BESIDES.....
IF ya keep beating upon old leaky seal, (with engine in bay) will the OTHER seal do any better of a job?

 

The pan's dropped, too?

 

No.. the pan's still up. My knuckles finally had enough of me punching my block, the sharp lip of the pan, etc.. I took a break. I'm back.

The rubber in the old seal already came out, replacement is required. I have no spare budget for another tranny or another motor. This car isn't *worth* that kinda work. If I'd really been thinking I'd have saved it and picked up the 85 LG4 bird for sale in town for 500... but no.

I've also managed to discover that one of the edges of the seal puller has the same radius as the inside of the seal.. it grabs perfectly.. unfortunately it bends the seal puller =\ So, I'm having a custom prybar fabbed soon. It'll come out. =)

 

BTT ...

Guys.. I still need some ideas here.. KED, if you could be a little more verbose in how you got that last one out, I'd be pleased.. I mean, it seems like a simple enough task, the manual has it in all of 3 steps.. but I'm running out of options here. it's been over a month on one damn seal =\

 

Serious, I just used screwdriver and basically picked it out.
I SUGGEST another set of eyes?
TOWING TO ANOTHER FOR THIS MISSION before ya kill the ride for good.
I'm sorry to be short on more ideas, but,
HAVE YA TRIED HEATING IT WITH HAND TORCH FOR ANY EXTRA HELP?
Ya can't hurt the damn area, right?
Can ya pry one area down, insert any tool and work it around?

COM'N CHIP IN IDEAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

 

You are not trying ti pry the entire rear seal housing out are you?
This will not come out unless you drop the pan. There is no reason to remove the seal housing or the oil pan, just pry out the seal with a screw driver and gentlely tap the new one in with a hammer and a small block of wood.

If you have tried to pry on the metal part then you have mostlikely already damaged it and will then have to drop the pan to fix this.

 

I assume to be doing all this you have to pull the tranny back and remove the torque converter?

I was thinking of having my rear main seal replaced but you guys are making this sound easy to get at on my own.

 

OH YES tranny/torque convertor NEED be outta way.
NOT FUN
CHECK OTHER SOURCES FOR LEAKS FIRST!!!!

 

le sigh

No, I'm trying very hard not to pry on the housing. If I were being rough, I could have had it out by now. I've been merely prying on the metal portion of the seal... At this point, I figure someone used an adhesive to put it in last time. It's not coming out nice. I'm left with no choice but to mangle it out (thin cold chisel between the outer housing and the seal metal) and use an rtv-type adhesive to seal the outer housing scratches when I put it back in (I feel sorry for the next guy who goes to change it.. hope it's not me). Hopefully I'll have either decided to sell the car or will have enough to put in a fresh motor when it goes again

 

Funny thing.
I just read today how peopel are NOW FINDING IT HARD TO SCORE A DECENT THIRD GEN FOR CHEAP
What a surprise!
Black RTV! Lots of compressed air to clean.
Best thoughts!

 

Hey! My '88 was only 800 bucks. Just saw an LG4 Bird go for 500, the V6 was 1000.. mind you my 88 is the only decent one of the bunch, but.. still. You just have to look.. and.. like.. know how to rip someone off.

 

Hooah!!! It's freakin' out!!

Took a thin cold chisel and mangled the hell out of it between the seal and the main bearing bore.. eventually the deathgrip the seal had on the bore gave out.. and, behold, it popped right out like it was supposed to. No nicks on the crank, no nicks on the bore that were deep enough in the bore to matter (worst one was about 1/32" into the bore.. clean beyond that point).. sprayed it out with brake cleaner, greased up the new seal, popped it in, bolted up the flywheel.. next post, the beginning of the end: Yet Another T-5 Retrofit.

 

At this point, I figure someone used an adhesive to put it in last time.

That's exactly what one should do, use adhesive.
I believe I used Gas-A Cinch.
Yeah! onto the remainder of swap.