Change Rear Main Seal & Pan Question - 98 Safari

[Stevo_]

Hi. My main rear seal is leaking. Do I need to drop the only the oil pan, transmission to get to this seal? Do you recommend a higher quality seal for replacement? This Safari has been sitting for a while and developed the leak with only 60k miles on the engine. Thank you very much for any help.

[Lumpy]

Apparently there is no such thing as a high quality rear main seal. Every car I've ever owned, when taken to the dealer, has returned with the recommendation "Replace leaking rear main seal".


Lump

[chevymaher]

How bad is it leaking? You have to pull the transmission and the oil pan to replace the rear main seal. It may straighten up some after it driven a while.

[trapper20]

How bad is it leaking? You have to pull the transmission and the oil pan to replace the rear main seal. It may straighten up some after it driven a while.

Randy, are you saying that a leaking rear main will sometimes fix itself? Mine leaked from the start. Real slow leak, just always a couple drips under there after it has been run.

[chevymaher]

Yea 2 instances I know of. My van sat a couple years a long time ago. It leaked a couple drops a night when I first got the house. I imagine it did in the parking lot where I used to live to. I just never noticed. But on a clean garage floor it is easy. Then it stopped and never leaked a drop again till that engine broke its oil line.
Second instance. The engine I sold Astrowill. Never leaked when I bought it. Pulled the engine it sat in a heated air conditioned garage about a Year and a half. Astrowill bought it and put it in his tiger motor home. We chat on the phone from time to time. At first it was leaking. Then after he drove it to alaska it stopped.
Reckon some times the oil dries and causes it. Then once it breaks loose it fine. Only thing I can think of that would cause it.

[Stevo_]

Chevymaher: It is leaking about 5 drops or so when I let it idle on the concrete driveway. It is in a small incline to the rear of the vehicle so that does not help. I have been running it every day to try to see if it will go away with Bar's Leaks. If I only need to replace one piece oil pan gasket and rear seal, I will. I did a 94 Astro with no problems a few years back.

[Stevo_]

Just got the van back today. I had a friend replace the rear main seal. I had him replace the seal above the oil filter where cooler tubes hookup and transmission seals as well just for preventive maintenance. I have done the main seals before, yet did not feel like doing this job at the moment and location where I live. In any case this van is dry as can be now. There was a leak at the lip of the oil pan, not sure where, they fixed that too which might have been part of this.