Oil leak at clutch boot

[twodogs]

I bought a 200 six and three speed tranny, still in a Maverick, from a guy on Craigslist. The guy had a cherry picker, but didn't have time for the next month to pull it. I said I'd pull it if he knocked $200. Ha said he had an appointment that morning and couldn't do it right then. I told him to go get ready for your appointment, and I'd have it out and loaded in less than an hour. I made it right on time.
Sixes are great!

Since you'll have the pan off, I'd pull a couple rod and bearing caps for a look.
If you don't know the history, plan to replace the timing chain.
I'd replace the freeze plugs while it's out.

I won't have it out in an hour but I don't think it will take me too long. Lots of room in comparison.

I do love this six; it runs like a top. What I know about the vehicle is that it has 108k on an engine that hasn't been rebuilt. I plan to take a close look at the things I can while it's apart. I was also thinking about the timing chain, but hadn't considered the freeze plugs. Seems simple enough.

 

[twodogs]

Hi, measure your clutch it could be 9" or 9 3/8". I got a Luk 9" clutch, I don't remember where.
If you change a rope seal to a 2 piece rubber seal you must drive the pin out of the bearing cap and seal it with silicone.
Visit fordsix.com for more info on your engine.
Good luck

I believe it's a 9" but I'll verify. I was thinking of a Luk clutch as well, though I wasn't able to find one in my quick search. I was planning on converting it to a 2-piece Felpro but would stick with the 1-piece if that's a better approach.

My understanding would be to seal the pin location if a 2-piece is used. The other two things I've gleaned are to only use a small amount of RTV where the ends of the seals meet, and to use anaerobic flange sealant on the caps.

I've been to fordsix a number of times and will for sure be tapping the knowledge over there. Thanks much.

 

[twodogs]

Never ever...ever use RTV between the block and seal or the cap and seal.
If you're the next person replacing that seal, you'll really be pissed!

I have no clue on how to quote from multiple messages, so....

I understand RTV only on the ENDS of the joining seals, and anaerobic flange sealant on the caps. I know I saw a video outlining the steps but apparently I didn't bookmark it. To the google machine, again.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I have no clue on how to quote from multiple messages, so....

I understand RTV only on the ENDS of the joining seals, and anaerobic flange sealant on the caps. I know I saw a video outlining the steps but apparently I didn't bookmark it. To the google machine, again.

What I meant was using RTV to actually glue the seal halves into the block and cap grooves.
I've seen it done.

 

[twodogs]

I pulled the engine today. Not too bad and it sure is easier to do the work not laying on my back. It sure looks like a rear main leak and the bellhousing has a good amount of gunk that was fouling my clutch, not to mention just plain nastiness. The clutch is pretty smooth, but I get some chatter primarily only on reverse.

I've included a few pics to better explain what I have in front of me. My questions so far are:

In the pic showing the seal cap, notice that I put a black line with a sharpie on the left side. I was wondering if that's basically where I need to apply anaerobic flange sealant. I was only going to put RTV on the seal ends, as well as a small amount to plug the hole where the pin was to keep the rope seal in place.

It's clear that I'll need to clean out the bellhousing. Any tips besides a putty knife and some brake cleaner?

Lastly, I don't know how old the clutch is but it is pretty smooth even with all that gunk in the bellhousing. When do you decide to put in a new clutch versus cleaning up and reinstalling the old one?

 

[blubuckaroo]

In the pic showing the seal cap, notice that I put a black line with a sharpie on the left side. I was wondering if that's basically where I need to apply anaerobic flange sealant. I was only going to put RTV on the seal ends, as well as a small amount to plug the hole where the pin was to keep the rope seal in place.

Yes, that's the right spot for the anaerobic sealant. Make sure the surfaces are completely oil free. Lacquer thinner or Chemtool work best.

RTV on the seal ends? Only when the instructions with the seal say so.

 

[twodogs]

Yes, that's the right spot for the anaerobic sealant. Make sure the surfaces are completely oil free. Lacquer thinner or Chemtool work best.

RTV on the seal ends? Only when the instructions with the seal say so.

Thanks. I'm putting in a 2 piece rubber Felpro seal and I'll have to check if it says anything on RTV on the ends. I think I picked up that idea from an online video. Perhaps a bad tip...

 

[blubuckaroo]

Thanks. I'm putting in a 2 piece rubber Felpro seal and I'll have to check if it says anything on RTV on the ends. I think I picked up that idea from an online video. Perhaps a bad tip...

There should be instructions on the seal packaging.

 

[twodogs]

At long last I've got everything back together. I swear a good portion of the last month felt like I was waiting for parts. For those that don't want to read all of this thread, I had a rear main leak that killed off my nearly gone clutch. I also had a leaking oil pan at the dipstick tube. On the advice of the folks here, I decided to pull the engine and take care of a number of items. Here's a list of what I accomplished while I had the engine out:

Installed a rebuilt clutch and disc
Had the flywheel ground
New ring gear, as mine was pretty hammered
New throwout bearing
Rebuilt the harmonic balancer after noticing a missing chunk of rubber
New roller bushing
Pulled the crankshaft and put in new rod bearings (for what it's worth, Plastigage is a bit annoying)
New neoprene rear main seal, new front seal
New timing chain and gears
Replaced all the freeze plugs
Drilled out rivets for dipstick tube and re-sealed and riveted
Replaced all the front brake lines since access was so easy
New FlowKooler water pump
New 195* thermostat
New coolant hoses
Installed Remflex exhaust gasket
Replaced all of the exhaust manifold bolts with AMK exhaust bolts
Cleaned the engine bay and yanked out extraneous wiring installed by the original owner

I'm probably forgetting a number of things. I put the engine back a few days ago and have taken it on test drives. So far I'm happy to report there aren't any leaks, and the clutch is smoooooooth. Thanks to all that chipped in with advice to this completely novice mechanic! It honestly wasn't as daunting as I first imagined. Here are a few pics, because you always need to post pics.

 

[AZ73]

Nice job. Good for another 250,000 miles.

 

[B RON CO]

Way to go. I bet you are pretty darn happy you did all that. Good luck

 

[twodogs]

Way to go. I bet you are pretty darn happy you did all that. Good luck

Definitely pleased to have knocked out so many things. It sure is nice to have a history of when the maintenance was done. Thanks for your help on this one!