Have you recently seen oil dripping from the back of your oil pan? Perhaps this is because of a rear main seal leak in your car. Unfortunately, it’s a bad thing to happen, as it causes a range of problems to the vehicle. The rear main seal is a kind of seal that is around the crankshaft at the back of the engine.
The crankshaft is also an engine that is held to the bottom of the engine block with the help of main caps at each of the bearings. Automakers bolt an oil pan over the crankshaft along with a seal in order to place it between the oil pan and the block.
Rear Main Seal Leak Symptoms
Before understanding how bad a rear seal leak is, first, you need to know the ways to identify the rear main seal leak. Surely, a replacement isn’t something you want to go for, thus, diagnosing the problem in time is better.
1. The first sign
Since the rear main seal is at the back where you cannot slide down to view it, take a different route. If you start losing oil but could not see a noticeable drip, you may be in the initial stage of leakage. Start your car for 15 minutes to see if there is any oil leak back of engine in a better way.
2. Valley pan and the cover gasket
For this step, you will get under the car with a flashlight, check the gasket cover thoroughly, and inspect for any type of leak. If your car has a rear main seal leak, you will see the oil dripping off either your engine oil pan or the front of your transmission called “the bell housing”. Missing the problem here could cost you more. With the rear main seal leak, initially, the issues will be substantially less troublesome to face than later. When the problem arises, much of the engine disassembles, leading to higher labor costs.
3. Inspection plate check
If your transmission has an inspection plate, you also can open the plate and check the engine oil on the back of your flywheel or flex plate. If you find any rear main seal leak in your car, have rear main seal repair today before it’s too late.
How Bad is a Rear Main Seal Leak?
The primary reason why the rear main seal leak is extremely dangerous is the nature of the seal. Its inside is in contact with the crankshaft and spins around hundreds of times in a minute. Also, this seal is adjacent to one of the crucial bearings of the engine, which must be constantly lubricated by oil.
Once the rear main seal begins to fail, the rotation of the crankshaft is disturbed and then the problem quickly becomes worse. It causes a problem to the engine more quickly as it allows a large amount of oil to leak. In addition to this, most engine oil leaks are not dangerous enough as they take weeks or months to reach that level. Your vehicle has a low oil pressure light which helps alter the problem, but by now, it may be too late to fix the problem. Keeping a few car repair tips in mind can be helpful too.
Low oil in the engine may be the fastest way to cause permanent damage to the engine. Further, it will uncover all the oil pump pick-up, causing oil to hinder the flow of the motor. This leaves bearings, camshaft, and valve functioning to move without lubrication.
With rear main seal leak, the problem can arise to multiple folds. The best way to deal is to take your car to the mechanic the moment you see a low oil level., they will give your car a “rear main seal leak fix”.
How To Stop The Rear Main Seal Leak?
The question that most people ask when they face a rear main seal leak is how to stop the rear main seal leak or how to replace a rear main seal without removing the transmission. Since the rear main seal leak is a very serious problem and it’s expensive to fix this problem, we recommend taking a look at your car first.
If you are a professional repairman, It’s properly an easy task for you. What you need to buy is the seal, priced around $13 to $35, and transmission fluid. Otherwise, we recommend you bring your car to the mechanic, these professional staff will identify the problem and fix your car at the price of around $600 – $900.
Watch the video below to see how to replace a rear main seal without removing the transmission.
Common Questions About Rear Main Seal Leak
1: If your main sealer is poured in at the oil change, can it be left in for 3500 miles or does it need to drain when the leak stops?
Answer: it is possible to be left in for the full 3500 miles (life of the oil).
2: I added the stop leave to my engine oil and ran it for the recommended 1-2 hours. As I drove I was getting a lot of smoke coming from the car is this normal or another problem?
Answer: The smoke is not normal for using oil stop leak. If the smoke is coming from your tailpipe, it is an indication that you’ve got a bigger problem like too much oil or internal damage to your engine. If the smoke is coming from your engine bay, it is an indication that you have a bigger leak and should consider replacing the seal or gasket to avoid a fire hazard.
3: I have a 2015 Chevy Silverado with 9,000 miles. How common is a leak?
Answer: A leak should not develop when the vehicle has been driven under 10,000 miles. We recommend checking with the dealership to replace the seal as the vehicle should still be under warranty.
4: I have serviced my car today. The mechanic said there was a rear main oil seal leak in the car. But I have not found any oil coming out in the rear side of the car. However, I found a very small amount of oil in front of the car. What does this mean? He also said there was a leak in the engine oil pan. Is it really dangerous?
Answer: Based on your description, it sounds like you are experiencing multiple leaks. You really need to fix it in the mechanic.
5: Now I saw one second-hand car plan to buy. But in these car oil leaks between the engine and transmission gear mechanic say it is sealed we can rectify these issues. its minor or major problem.
Answer: As long as the vehicle isn’t losing oil too quickly, you would be fine with some small repairs. But you should contact the mechanic and ask about the price for rear main seal repair and consider the cost of buying that secondhand car or not.
Final Word
Having rear main seal leak on the car is the problem that no one expect to experience but it will happen soon or late. What you can do is checking the seriousness of the leak and find a reasonable method for rear main seal leak fix. Meanwhile, keep update news from UsedCars.co.ke for new used cars for sale and repair tips.
