[Guest]

I swapped out my rear main seal on my 66 289 Coupe because it had a slow leak. I replaced the original rope seal with a rubber seal from FELPRO and it still leaked. Everybody said that you HAVE to use a rope seal, so for a 3rd time I replaced the seal and put in a Rope Seal. Guess What, it still leaks!!!! Does the crank wear after awhile, I looked at it but it didn't look bad, is there a oversize seal to put in or do I have to grin and bear the leak until I can replace the crank?

Thank You

 

[Guest]

I can't speak from total experience, but I replaced my harmonic balancer for the reason of wear... after that it didn't leak any more.

-Scott

 

[Opentracker]

The crank should not be the problem. Did you offset the seal a little (1/4") so each
end was not at the parting line for the cap? Main leaks are no fun. Good luck!

 

[VictorII]

I never use rope. I use a two-piece steel reinforced neoprene seal leaving a little out of each end on the top side. The I use a very little high-temp silicone on each corner and bolt it all up. Then I run a bead of the same high-temp silicone around the back of the pan where is meets the flywheel cover. I have had excellent luck. Remember to juice up the top channel and the seal up really well with WD-40 and very gently tap the top half of the seal into place. A small punch will help so that you can drive your light blows against the steel reinforcement instead of the neoprene.

 

[MustangSteve]

If your car had the rope seal in it,there was a small pointed nail like thing in the main cap to hold the rope seal from spinning. It must be removed or ground out in order to install the neoprene seal. The neoprene is the best way to go. If your rear main bearing has a lot of slop in it, it might make the seal leak. Consider replacing the bearing. Also, be sure to...what the heck - go to my web site and look under the FAQ heading. I have an article there on how to correctly install a rear main seal. http://www.geocities.com/mustangsteve66/

Be advised that some of the assembly grease you install on the new seal will be spun off over the first hundred miles or so and will eventually quit being spun off. After that, the seal should stay dry.

MustangSteve