Southern Comfort

I am going to be replacing the main bearing seals in my L98 this weekend. Any suggestions on making this easier? Should I replace front and rear? Any tips on pan removal and seal replacement? Anything else I should do while in there? any help appreciated.

Thanks

AGENT 86

I haven't dropped my pan on the vette yet so i can't offer any advice there.
But i will tell you to check your balancer for a groove caused by front seal.
If you can see or feel a groove on the balancer get a sleave for it.
Changing the seal and have it leak right away is hard on the brain.
For what it's worth,pull the timing cover off and install seal at work bench.
You may end up screwing up the seal trying to install with cover in place.
Good Luck !! :cheers:

Strick

I'd love to help you, but I have a LT-1 with the one piece oil pan gasket.

Anyway, good luck with it. :cheers:

LD85

The front main will be tough to reach, I am not sure but, you may need to get creative with your socket wrenches.

Take them on and off, if it were me, in the order it says to torque them down in the Haynes manual.

The rear is no problem, and I think they are dowled which will make it easier with regard to alignment.

Get the car as high as you can for more elbow room. The orange drive up car ramps, I have, are not high enough IMHO to help make the job easier.
Good luck! :thumbs:

Southern Comfort

Midnight Sat. Morning here. Just got done changing the seal. and that was the easy part. the oil pan was a bitch, and i think it was the culprit all along. But I changed the seal anyway.

Not sure about other years but the 85 oil cooler line runs directly under the pan and you can get the pan off without removing it.

But.....dont even try putting it back on. especially if you use the new one piece gasket.

Also if you read the book this is a simple procedure..... :bs

prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Had to put car on ultra ramps and then jack it up from there and put on jackstands to have the room to work.

Well thats my tale of wo. And its real dirty under there....lol :rofl:

jshope

Hey SoCo,

I have an '86 and I have a one piece rear main seal. Is that the part you replaced?

When I had my tranny out I replaced the clutch, and while I was in there, I replaced the rear main seal.

How did you replace yours without removing the tranny? Is yours a two piece, or am I not understanding your post correctly?

Jim

Southern Comfort

Mine was originally a 4 piece seal. Felpro now has a one peice replacement which does not require tranny removal Also I have an auto that may make a difference i dont know. :seeya

Sorry I did not read it right. My main bearing was a 2 piece. Just slid it in over the crank and pressed it into the bearing cap. Piece of cake

Getting the pan back on was the bitch


[Modified by Southern Comfort, 11:47 AM 6/14/2003]

CentralCoaster

Doh! I coulda helped you out. Yeah, the new 1-pc seal is thicker than the stock, by a long shot. It was kinda tricky, I swore I didn't have the end tabs seated, but it all went in.

I take it you're all done then? Did you just do the rear seal?

Southern Comfort

Yes, I just did the rear. Still have an oil drip from the front of the pan. Going to go in and retourque the front bolts on the pan. Its hard to know if it seated properly but as big and thick as it is I would think there would be no way the thing would even fit if it werent seated properly....this was much tougher than I expected (the pan that is). There should be some way to just turn the damn car upside down or on its side to work....that would be coooooool :steering: