rear main seal leak

[leelandaiche]

does anyone know how much it would be to get someone to change the rear main seal on my 71 bronco? looks like it is slinging oil all down the passenger side of the bronco. if anyone around the baton rouge area got some extra time on their hands.. sounds like a good project! im tired of going down the road and choking out everybody that rides behind me after a while!

 

[Bucky]

I was told between 700 and 1000!!

 

[jeffncs]

Ford had two different style seals in the 302 depending on which year your engine is...

Early engines had a one-piece seal which I'm pretty sure requires the trans coming out. $700 - $1000 wouldn't be out of the question with that labor.

Later engines have a 2-piece seal. Those can be replaced by simply dropping the pan, removing the rear cap, loosening the other caps to drop the crank a few millimeters. The seal slides right out. I just paid $300 at a very reputable shop in PA for that replacement. If you pay someone to do it, make sure they're reputable. Incorrect reassembly would be disastrous to your engine.

If you have decent mechanical abilities, do it yourself. Either way, it's not a super difficult job - just time consuming. I would have done my own except I have a warranty repair which is being reimbursed.

Jeff

 

[jsniper06]

You should join the Deep South Early Bronco Club. Our meetings are mostly to get together to work on our Broncos. If you are interested just let me know.

 

[Beater 77]

Other way around, older engines have the two piece and newer ones have the one piece.

 

[leelandaiche]

You should join the Deep South Early Bronco Club. Our meetings are mostly to get together to work on our Broncos. If you are interested just let me know.

yea i talked to a couple of you guys and they are supposed to be sending me an email about the club. i would love to join and meet up with you guys. im sure yall will teach me a good bit. and if any of yall know how to do that and have the time, we could change it on a weekend. it sucks bc i just got my bronco and i havent really been able to enjoy it bc its throwing oil and smoking a whole lot. i just cant wait till i get this oil BULL takin care of so i can enjoy it! plus im a lil short on funds now (got a house note now!) and cant really afford to drop that kind of money at one time on that at the moment!

 

[leelandaiche]

Other way around, older engines have the two piece and newer ones have the one piece.

dont quote me on this but i BELIEVE it is the one piece. i had one of my dads buddys look at it and he said that we would have to take the transfer case and the transmission out to change it. hes worked on pretty much any kind of car, boat, truck, 4x4, go cart, motorcycle, and atv you can think of in his day! hes a pretty trustworthy person but he said he just dont have the time to do that at the moment.

 

[needabronco]

I just did one, and I would honestly say that next time I will pull my motor so I can flip it upside down. It really isn't hard it's just a PITA.

 

[leelandaiche]

thats all ive been hearing! definately gunna be a PITA. its gotta be done though. ive just been riding around the city and scared to go too far. im ready to ride! without all the smoke and oil splatters everywhere of course!

 

[Bilgamesh]

I recently did mine, a '74, and it is a two piece. I think yours is a two-piece as well, and will not require removing anything but the oil pan and the main bearing cap. It took me about 30 minutes to get the oil pan off, 30 minutes to get the old seal out and put the new one in, 30 minutes to clean off the old gasket sealer from the pan and surrounding area, and 30 minutes to reassemble. I know those numbers sound too pat, but they are meant only to convey a general sense of the task. I would not anticipate it would take more than 2 hours from start to finish, and no special tools. If you are interested in trying it, just do a search, there are a number of good threads archived.

 

[leelandaiche]

I recently did mine, a '74, and it is a two piece. I think yours is a two-piece as well, and will not require removing anything but the oil pan and the main bearing cap. It took me about 30 minutes to get the oil pan off, 30 minutes to get the old seal out and put the new one in, 30 minutes to clean off the old gasket sealer from the pan and surrounding area, and 30 minutes to reassemble. I know those numbers sound too pat, but they are meant only to convey a general sense of the task. I would not anticipate it would take more than 2 hours from start to finish, and no special tools. If you are interested in trying it, just do a search, there are a number of good threads archived.

i appreciate it man, i will do that... unfortunatly now, im not fully convinced that it is the rear main seal now! its all splattering on the passenger side but i saw that it is all over the fender well on the passenger side also. its right by the dipstick! i think it might be coming from it. it only leaks when i am going down the road but when i idle it dont leak. i saw a thread not too long ago about a dipstick oil leak. im gunna go back and try to find it and research it. if anyone has anymore ideas or wants to come take a look... feel free! thanks for the help so far!

 

[Bilgamesh]

Yes, check out my thread the oil leak at the dipstick: http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105689

I wish I had good news for you, but it is highly likely you have too much blow-by, i.e worn rings, and need to plan for a rebuild. You might be able to stop that leak, but it is probable you will spring others at the crankcase shortly afterward. PCV valves are cheap; Try a new one. If that doesn't fix it, get your sights set on a rebuild or a new engine. - Good Luck!

 

[leelandaiche]

well i checked the pcv valve and that looked brand new. and the engine went through a rebuild maybe a couple years ago. im glad you wished me good luck bc im gunna need it trying to find out what the hell is going on! i sure hope it isnt that bad! bc ill be working plenty of OT to pay for that!

 

[Baja71]

How are your valve cover gaskets? Oil dripping from the rear of the valve covers can look like a rear main seal leak.

 

[leelandaiche]

How are your valve cover gaskets? Oil dripping from the rear of the valve covers can look like a rear main seal leak.

changed it already... when i first saw the oil leak and saw the smoke that is what i found. and sure enough, that was leaking... only on passenger side. once i took care of that is when i realized it was something else. but i did take care of that one!

 

[Bilgamesh]

Just FYI, my original leaks were at the valve covers and the rear main. Once I got those sealed, the dipstick started leaking/spraying. The pressure has to get out, so the leaking will continue from somewhere. Optimism is good, but don't spend alot of time and money on workarounds. I researched the hell out of this problem, removed the pan, plastered on silicone, resealed the housing around the dipstick, tried o-rings etc. In the end, I had to face the reality that the engine was worn. There is no telling what was done on the rebuild, if it was a good job, the rings ever seated properly etc. If you are not willing/able to dig into it yourself, I encourage you to get it to a mechanic for diagnosis asap so you don't waste alot of time and money. I do wish you good luck, and I totally sympathize with hoping there is another way. - Best Regards

 

[leelandaiche]

yea well i may have gotten screwed when i bought this bronco i guess. it sounds like the same thing going on definatly. it just sucks bc i JUST got the thing and now chances are i have to do an engine rebuild. the worse thing about it is i have no damn money now! im gunna have to get someone to take a good look at it. well i appreciate the help guys. ill let yall know if i find anything else out.

 

[Bilgamesh]

I doubt you got screwed. It is a 30 year old truck and going to need some work. You might notice from reading the posts that just about everyone on this board is working on his Bronco in some way. I doubt many of them look at it as having gotten screwed. Most enjoy the entire experience of Bronco ownership. However, I can tell you it is not for the faint of heart. There are going to be moments of frustration like you are having now, and there are going to be moments of satisfaction with your accomplishment and performance and admiration from the envious. Your disappointment will pass and you will learn from the experience, but it is probably time to do some soul searching. You need to decide whether you are up to the challenges that come with these things periodically.

Your Bronco is sharp looking, much more so than mine. Get it running well and enjoy! - Good Luck!

 

[mp]

I doubt you got screwed. It is a 30 year old truck and going to need some work. You might notice from reading the posts that just about everyone on this board is working on his Bronco in some way. I doubt many of them look at it as having gotten screwed. Most enjoy the entire experience of Bronco ownership. However, I can tell you it is not for the faint of heart. There are going to be moments of frustration like you are having now, and there are going to be moments of satisfaction with your accomplishment and performance and admiration from the envious. Your disappointment will pass and you will learn from the experience, but it is probably time to do some soul searching. You need to decide whether you are up to the challenges that come with these things periodically.

Your Bronco is sharp looking, much more so than mine. Get it running well and enjoy! - Good Luck!

I think he was told it had a fresh rebuild, so I would be a little pissed too.....

 

[Bilgamesh]

I think he was told it had a fresh rebuild, so I would be a little pissed too.....

Here is what I read:

...and the engine went through a rebuild maybe a couple years ago...

Its pretty vague at best.

Of course he is disappointed, but in reality the likelihood is that the P/O had recurring leaks, got tired of messing with it and decided it was time to sell before he had to dig into the engine. Maybe he knew the engine would have to be rebuilt, maybe he didn't. Either way, my only intention is to convey the fact that any 30 year old vehicle is sold as-is and will require work. If he is on limited funds, and limited DIY skills/interest, he is probably in the wrong vehicle. No offense is intended whatsoever, just a reality check. - Best Regards.