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Rear Main seal fix cost

Hoppy

Bronco Guru
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
1,193
Loc.
Gresham, OR
Very long story short. I have lost the place to work ion my bronco and it is too cold for me to work on it. Yes is my daily/only driver. I hate the bus.

So its a 76 302 with an NP 435 D20
How much should it cost to have the rear main seal fixed?
Any good shops near Portland Oregon? I know Tom and his crew In Medford would do an awesome job. They are just a big tow bill away.

Its now at the point where every 2 days it leaks a quart. %)

and NO im not putting it for sale
 

rutwad

Full Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
242
I have no idea about $$$$ because I trust no one. However, I recently replaced the rear main seal on my 351w and it may have taken 1 hour or so.
 

gojohnnygo

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
35
Loc.
Chicago
Any reputable neighborhood shop should be able to do the job. I had mine done recently with a few other minor repairs. I think that portion of the bill was in the $100 - $200 range.
 

SHX669

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
1,997
It leaks a quart out of the rear main seal ; down through the bell housing ? WOW.
How hard would it be for a guy without a shop to fix it ? Hmm - and how do you fix it ? Drop the oil pan , Loosen the main bearings , dig out the old seal
and replace? Is there enough " play" in the pilot shaft bearing and or the TC mounts to let the crank /flywheel drop a bit to get clearence to install the new seal ?
SHX
Oh are you sure all the oil is coming out the rear main seal ? Sometimes a leak out the back of the intake manifold or the back of the valve covers is hard to detect . Those run down the bell housing . Then there is also the times a guy forgets to put sealent or loctite on the flywheel bolts .
 

mkaenel

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
1,545
Loc.
La Costa, CA
100-200 for a rear seal!

I called a local shop here and they quoted me about 600! :eek:

I quickly hung up the phone. I am still looking for someone in the San Diego area for someone that will do it for a much better price.

Matt
 

Nobody

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
1,215
Loc.
Stanwood
On a lot of engines, it would require that the transmission be dropped, in which case the repair bill should be a lot more expensive. Luckily you have a 2 piece rear main seal, so the tranny does not have to be dropped, just the oil pan. I have no idea what shop rates are, but my guess would be maybe 3 hours @ 100 per hour.

As mentioned, make sure it's not leaking from the back of the intake. Also this could be more a blow-by problem, where crank case pressure is building up and forcing oil past the seals. If that's the case, changing the rear main won't help. Make sure the PCV is in good working order. A good way to check is pull the breather tube from the valve cover. Then put a small piece of plastic bag, or paper over the valve cover. There should be a light suction. If it blows out, it's a good sign the old 302 is getting tired.
 

gojohnnygo

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
35
Loc.
Chicago
100-200 for a rear seal!

I called a local shop here and they quoted me about 600! :eek:

I quickly hung up the phone. I am still looking for someone in the San Diego area for someone that will do it for a much better price.

Matt

I'm assuming they thought the tranny would need to be dropped - which it doesn't.
 

stock1970

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
1,793
Loc.
Olathe, Kansas
make sure it is not your intake manifold and valve cover gaskets.. the 76 i purchased was leaking oil that bad also and in changing the intake and valve cover gaskets and oil leak was fixed.. look at top back part of engine just behind the intake.. if there is a puddle of oil back there then start by changing those gaskets.. first..
 

charvey9

New Member
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
49
Loc.
Beaverton, OR
I also live in Portland and found a pretty good mechanic at Northwest Performance and 4WD center. Its on 1100 SE Division. 503-239-5934

I can't remember the guys name, but he works on a ton of old 4WD vehicles, including a couple of EB's. I took my '72 there a few years ago when I bought it and he fixed it up nice.

The only bad side at the time was that he was pretty busy, so it took awhile to get my repairs completed. If all you need is a rear main seal replaced, I'm sure just about any local mechanic could do the job.
 
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