Leaking fly wheel seal

[Tyler & Christian]

I am a very new newbie. The 57 truck I am buying has a leaky upper seal on the fly wheel. I hear it is a tough job to fix that seal, that the lower one is easy, but the upper one is difficult--I'll need some kind of a special tool that involves a waxed rope, three people, a hyena's bladder and a full moon...or something like that.

How tough is this really?

[55dude]

sounds like your about to enter 4' deep water in 2' high boots! take it to a mechanic and get estimate as that will tell you how big of pain it is to fix plus remember the shop has lift making the job more involved on your back. if you haven't purchased this truck you might want to look elsewhere, cheap isn't always that great deal!

[Tyler & Christian]

No, I haven't purchased it yet and it is going to my mechanic this evening for a thorough inspection tomorrow. But the idea is to get a classic truck for me and my son to fix up, not one in perfect condition to just drive. That said, I need to go into this with my eyes open. Any other advice about this job?

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by Tyler & Christian

I am a very new newbie. The 57 truck I am buying has a leaky upper seal on the fly wheel. I hear it is a tough job to fix that seal, that the lower one is easy, but the upper one is difficult--I'll need some kind of a special tool that involves a waxed rope, three people, a hyena's bladder and a full moon...or something like that.

How tough is this really?

Its only a problem when the hyena eat the wax rope.

The easy way is to loosen the mains and let the crank drop a 1/4 inch, remove the rear main and grab the upper rope seal with a needle nose pliers and pull it out. installing is easier because your not going to use a rope seal. You use a lip seal that slides back up in easily. Tighten up the mains except the rear one to set the seal. lay the lower in the rear main and apply some silicone sealer on the flat surface of the main. A very thin layer is all you need tighten up the main and then torque all the mains back to spec. Make sure you have the seal lip going the right way and upper and lower are going in the same direction

You can leave the flywheel and clutch in if you want but the trans should be pulled out.

Hard way is leave the mains tight and leave the trans in and use a new rope seal. This is the way most do it and that why they are say its a PIA to do cuz it is.

It has been my experience that if the rope seal is leaking its because the mains are worn out. So when you pull the rear main look to see if there is any copper showing on the bearing surface. Pull the 2nd or third main and check for the same thing. If you see copper they are worn beyond their service life.

[Tyler & Christian]

Thanks, Dave! Remember, i am a newbie to car stuff. Shorthand lingo is greek to me at this point. I take it from the context that the "mains" are the bolts that hold the oil pan to the bottom of the engine case?
tyler

[Rude Dude]

Originally Posted by Tyler & Christian

Thanks, Dave! Remember, i am a newbie to car stuff. Shorthand lingo is greek to me at this point. I take it from the context that the "mains" are the bolts that hold the oil pan to the bottom of the engine case?
tyler

No not oil pan mains are caps on crank

[Russell Ashley]

Tyler, the "mains" are the main bearings. These are the bearings that the crankshaft rides in.

To be totally honest, based on that question I would suggest that you look into having a mechanic do the job. We all have to start somewhere so maybe you could find a mechanic that would let you help. Just wouldn't want you to jump in over your head and then get discouraged and give up. It's a great father and son hobby so good luck with it. Post some pictures when you get it.
BTW, having a rear main seal replaced is not that expensive. If it's the truck you want and the engine is good otherwise, and the price is right, go for it.

[mylow53]

i've done it in a parking lot with simple tools on a 235. but make sure you do it right or you'll be needing one of 2 things, a quick way to clean up oil, or a new crankshaft
GT

[OrrieG]

Welcome. I'm with Russ on this one, last thing you need to do is mess up the crank and end up with a boat anchor. About the third time you have to pull and replace the oil pan because it didn't seal the mechanics price starts to look real good.

[tmoble]

What Russell and Orrie said. This is not a beginner job.