2-Piece Rear Main Seal Replacement??????

[DANTIP]

The rear main seal on my '72 402 leaks enough that it really bothers me. I looked in the service manual and the replacement procedure doesn't look terribly difficult. I have good mechanical skills but I don't do this for a living.

Question?????

Do I attempt to replace it or do I find a good shop and pay them to do it?? I'm not afraid to try it but I am also smart enough to learn when to hire a professional.

Dan

[dwcsr]

From the way you asked I would suggest you get a price on replacing it. If its to high then do it yourself.

If you do the job yourself I suggest you pull a few caps a see what the bearings look like. Generally a leaking seal is a sign of worn mains.

[yellowrallys]

I disagree on the worn mains. Anything is possible, but rear main seals are bad about leaking on big and small block Chevys. Might just be old. Whats the milage, etc. on the motor?

[Billla]

First, be SURE that it's the rear main seal vs. the cam plug or rear of the intake.

As for changing it yourself...it's not that big of a deal, but I'd say if you've never done it I'd probably give it a miss. It requires dropping the pan, pulling the rear main cap, making sure everything's clean and then installing the new seal and buttoning everything else, including re-torqing the rear cap. In some vehicles, it's not possible to drop the pan enough to get in without jacking the engine - I can't speak for yours.

Not sure if this helps

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Pulling the pan & getting it back with out winding up with with more oil leaks will be a tough job on a big block in a 72. Look under there & you will see. When you are putting the upper seal in, coat it with something really slick like STP. It will roll right in.

[70GMCer]

Like said above, fairly easy job. Just take your time. The hard part is getting the pan off. You will have to lift the engine up some. And get the Felpro 1 piece pan gasket when putting it back together.

[HoupPhotography]

Originally Posted by dwcsr

From the way you asked I would suggest you get a price on replacing it.

I agree,