rear main seal leaking

every leak is different, some go a long time without getting worse some don't. My old truck had the rear main leaking and I drove it for a year(was planning on getting a new truck before leak started) before trading the truck off. If you plan on keeping the truck for awhile schedule the repair when you have a few days off.

 

I have seen many rear main seals get mis-diagnosed because something else was leaking such as bell housing to the block or even simply the oil pan. So make sure it gets properly diagnosed. A lot of owners panic over oil leaks and some get exaggerated. Really they are mainly cosmetic and every engine leaks some oil. Should a rear main leak, no. What is bad to you may not be that bad to the next guy. It would be great timing to have it repaired the same time as a clutch job and kill two birds with one stone. I have seen many many trucks with leaking rear main areas go and go a long time before they were addressed. If time or money is an issue I wouldn't be afraid to run for a bit longer. If that clutch has a lot of time on it, it should be replaced anyway since everything is apart. Other than making a bit of a mess, which can always be washed, you really can't hurt anything. Make sure your oil level isn't over full and your crankcase breather isn't plugged too as this can be a cause of the leaks.

 

what engine is it?

I know on my S60, I had a nuisance leak that really left a trail on me. After a few oil changes, it's finally gone. My mechanic pulled all the oil galley plugs on the oil cooler and put new thread sealer and retightened them good.

No more oil leak. I now have 19,000 on this last oil change, I can still see the hatch marks on my dipstick and still on the full mark.

If anyone is in Southern FL this weekend, I'll be doing a 34 hour reset Sunday and you are welcome to verify that bit of information.


My leak bothered me in a major way. It washed the entire underbody of the truck down and dirt/dust adhered EVERYWHERE.

 

In-frame?

I'd have that thing back in for warranty work so fast....... It's not even 9 months.

 

You bet your butt if it was under warranty I would be driving right back there.

 

out of frame and you haven't taken it back yet?

I'd be waiting at the shop door next day with that issue.