Anyone know about what it would cost to have a shop replace the rear main seal on a v6 with a manual trans? Also, the 1988 base firebird manuals, were they t-5's?

 

anything after 84 was a t-5, and 88 plus were the stronger wc t-5

regardig the rear main seal, i dunno

 

Anything after '84?

Weren't all manual 5 speeds in F-bodys Borg & Warner T5's?

 

weren't the manuals in 84 and earlier 4 speeds? :shrug:

I have no idea about a shop charging to do it, but I'm right about to do my Rear main seal. I'm so happy that my car has a 1 piece not a 2 piece rear main. I can just drill a drywall screw into it and rip it out with some pliers, soooo much more simple

 

Well, figure on 3 hours of labor at least @ about $60/hr

Do you need to have the clutch done?

If it's questionable and you have the money, just get both done at the same time, saves on labor.

 

A drywall screw? I don't get it... what does that do?

Also how is it easier if you have to remove the trans? As far as I understood, the two piece rope was easier to change b/c you didn't need to pull the tranny. Unless you've already removed the trans?

But, ajbutowicz, are you sure it's the rear main that's leaking? It might be the o-ring seal at the base of the distributor. It's common for that o-ring to harden up, crack, and start leaking- and when it leaks, it drips oil down the back of the engine and around the crankshaft. That makes it look like a rear main seal leak, when it's really just a 50 cent o-ring. The o-ring is an 1/8th inch thick, one inch inside diameter o-ring, you'd have to pull the dist to change it.

 

I guess "drywall" is the wrong word for it... but you screw a screw into it, and grab the screw with pliers, then rip the seal out. Then just tap the new one in

 

Oh, okay, that's a cool way of doing it! But you still have to remove the trans, right?

 

lol yuppers, but its in my backseat in a garbage bag Felt like we took out a little kid or something muscling that thing back there in a garbage bag lmao


www.cardomain.com/id/theratduder64 page 8 shows my work thus far lol. It would be done except I am too broke


That is an awesome trick, my room mate told me it. I had never thought of that myself nor would I have

 

Well I dont know if it is or not. I am looking at a car and the owner says the rear seal needs replaced. So i'm going off his word. The part is only 10 bucks, so ya know, 150 plus 400 for a solid firebird, not bad if its only 3 hours of labor.

 

Does the rear seal just dry out? He said it was leakin and sat for awhile without oil, and the seal dried out, but he never had a mechanic look at it.

 

Yeah, they just get old and sloppy, so they start leaking. You should probably think about doing the Dist. O-Ring too, just for good measure like TomP said.

 

Add to the list the rear cam shaft cover gasket.
About $5 for part, access is same as rear main when tranny removed.
Sure thing is to add a small block chevy distributor gasket to base of V6 distb as long as ya have it out to do the new o-ring, too.
All cheap effort stuff for best new clutch ya got going in same time.
Why not replace clutch at same time, might as well.
And rebuild distributor while it out, too. Yeah things add up when it's "in your hand".

 

this is true. i also have an 88 firebird v6 manual, and i thought it was the rear main seal. it was just the distributor o ring. saved me a big chunk of change. change that first, then the main seal.

 

Uh this thread is like 6 years old....

 

Starting to feel like a zombie movie up in here.

 

A boat load of old threads have been revived lately.