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Rear main seal replace.....in place?

K kaamacatMember
Is not possible to remove the rear cap, loosen the others(like 1/32ish) to get enough clearence to "drift out" the upper seal, then slide a new upper and lower in while the engine is in place?

With low/minimal risk? (And I ask because it was referenced in one of my older shop manuals, but didnt know if it really works in-the-real-world.

Bob
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B bdMember
I believe what you describe is possible. When I first got my car it had a leaking rear main seal. My dad and I changed the seal out in just the way you describe. We did it with the car up on a hoist. I don't know how well it actually worked though because I never drove the car very far after that. The car went into storage for several years then I restored it. The engine was pulled for a complete rebuild.

[This message has been edited by BD (edited 03-22-2004).]
bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
Sure, it can be done as you describe.... assuming your Pantera has been modified such that the crossmember under the oil pan is now removeable. Otherwise, its much more trouble than simply pulling the whole powertrain to get the pan off.OK; if you can get the pan off, the lower seal in the cap is no problem. There are special tools to replace the block-side seal half, but if the old seal was done properly, 1/2" of one end of the seal is protruding from its recess, making the replacement simpler. I use a brass, aluminum or plastic driver to tap on the recessed end (they won't mark the crank journal), then use vice-grips to tease the seal half the rest of the out and to tap the new seal half in. A spot of RTV on each end seals them against seepage. While you're in there, check the condition of all the bearings, too- any copper color means you need new bearings. As long as the crank journals are not scored (you cannot catch a fingernail when scraping it across the journal), new inserts can be teased into place in all positions. Don't forget to torque things to spec afterwards.
K kaamacatMember
Jack. Yes. When I picked up the car in Nov2003 there was "oil drippage". The first area was the oil pan weeping around the bolt areas, so I DID do the X-Member cut/replace at that time. I'm kicking myself now for not doing the seal then. (I wasn't 100% sure because I had lots of oil gathering on the rear intake, traveling down the block rear....because rtv was used when the gap was clearly "std" enough for the rubber seal to be used with the intake pan). But hey, that gave me time to do it right, clean the intake....etc.

Only one thing it can be now, so that is this weekends project.

Thanks for the inputs.
Bob!
bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
Re your last question, Bob- utterly correct. Seal ends on most engines should nevert be indexed to the cap joint but displaced somewhat from 'square'. IMHO one of the best investments a do-it-yerself Pantera (or Mustang) owner can make is to purchase Tom Monroe's H.P. #36- book- "How to Rebuild your Ford V-8 -351C/M-400-429-460". In its 160 pgs, Tom devotes nearly half a page (with illustrations) just to rear-main-seal installation on the Cleveland. All engines have tricky spots and the 351C has more than most. This $9.95 book exposes almost all of them (except of course for building a pro-stock race engine or the like).
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