Rear Main Seal Going Bad? Help!!!!
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,956
Likes: 520
From: Da U.P.
Machining the flywheel won't make it contact the rear main seal. I've had rear main leaks before (truck has one now) and they don't stink, they just leave messes on the driveway. The clutch won't get hot enough to burn oil or else you'd have parked the car by now for it not moving. It sounds like the oil is dripping onto the exhaust and then burning. If the rear main were leaking badly enough to get onto the exhaust, you'd have puddles in your driveway and it wouldn't be only leaking when your foot goes down. My money is therefore on it not being the rear main, but higher up as others have suggested.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 1
From: Port Charlotte FL
Okay I've came to the conclusion that my pilot bearing is "going bad" from what I have read in other posts, vibration in shifter and all. Would this effect the rear main seal? Because it's funny whenever I get that vibration in the shifter at 2000 rpms is the only time I smell the burning oil! I've inspected the pvc lines and all are in good condition, no leaks.
Racer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 378
Likes: 5
Wipe the underside where the oil filter is really good. A had a burning whiff once in a while after high speeds on my 2000. It was traced to an o ring near the oil filter housing and oil pressure sensor. Became a pressure leak being blown back onto the pipe. Only after highway speeds. Never found oil on driveway.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The pilot bearing is in the center of the crankshaft. The input shaft of the torque tube rides in it. If it bad, it will cause a vibration anytime there is a difference in speed of the engine and the torque tube prop shaft.
Don't see how a pilot Brg would make the rear main leak.
I can see how you could get ring flutter at 2000 rpms at light load or excessive gasses in the crankcase at that rpm and have it leak to atmosphere if your PCV system isn't working correctly.
Replace the PCV valve, Remove the PCV piping ends and block them off. Pressure the PCV plumbing and see if you have any leaks in the piping/fittings in places that you cant see. Should be air tight/no leaks.
If you had a bad rear main leak, you would probably see oil dripping out of the bell housing vents and on the bottom of where the bell housing meets the block.
Behind the pilot bearing is a WELSH PLUG that seals the end of the crank oil gallery. The center of the crank is hollow and full of pressurized oil. That welsh plug can leak if its gets damaged when someone tries to remove the pilot bearing. It seldom comes loose on its own and if it fails, will usually cause LOT of oil to leak out.
I would be looking for oil leaks in other common areas. Where do you see the most oil??
BC
Don't see how a pilot Brg would make the rear main leak.
I can see how you could get ring flutter at 2000 rpms at light load or excessive gasses in the crankcase at that rpm and have it leak to atmosphere if your PCV system isn't working correctly.
Replace the PCV valve, Remove the PCV piping ends and block them off. Pressure the PCV plumbing and see if you have any leaks in the piping/fittings in places that you cant see. Should be air tight/no leaks.
If you had a bad rear main leak, you would probably see oil dripping out of the bell housing vents and on the bottom of where the bell housing meets the block.
Behind the pilot bearing is a WELSH PLUG that seals the end of the crank oil gallery. The center of the crank is hollow and full of pressurized oil. That welsh plug can leak if its gets damaged when someone tries to remove the pilot bearing. It seldom comes loose on its own and if it fails, will usually cause LOT of oil to leak out.
I would be looking for oil leaks in other common areas. Where do you see the most oil??
BC
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 1
From: Port Charlotte FL
Funny part is I see no oil leaks anywhere, except a little wet in the one picture I posted. Where exactly is the pcv valve located? God i love this car to death, but the "simple things" are killing me. It's hard to believe it's a 97' and that i've owned it 8 years now. The other night I hit a lip where the pavement meets the an expansion joint on an overpass and the jolt caused the hvac lighting to stop working! Display still works though, but I already fixed that once. This really sucks.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The PCV "VALVE" is located in a rubber housing and it is connected to a manifold fitting on the passengers side just behind the throttle body. Here is the ZO6 version but yours is very simular. Its connected to the engine with a grounding strap. The rubber housing is well known to rot and crack:
The ZO6 version connects to the valve valley cover plate with a short U tube.
Yours runs down the right side of the manifold around the back of the engine and connect to a cross over fitting on the rear of the drivers side head.
The ZO6 version connects to the valve valley cover plate with a short U tube.
Yours runs down the right side of the manifold around the back of the engine and connect to a cross over fitting on the rear of the drivers side head.
Last edited by Bill Curlee; Jan 31, 2013 at 08:03 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 1
From: Port Charlotte FL
Thank you, thats the hose I pull to seafoam the intake manifold so I will double check that connection! I usually use a funnel to pour it into the intake manifold, is there any way to seafoam the pcv system as well or "clean it out"?
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Racer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 378
Likes: 5
No sorry, Leo did it for me. We were chasing down the same symptoms that is going on here when we found it.