The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1950 3100 Rear main seal leak

I have a rear main seal leak and am wondering what there is for options to use a leak stop before I have to tear it apart and fix correctly . I see there are many kinds of leak seal on the market what works the best? It's not a horrible leak yet but want to stay ahead of it. Thanks

Engine oil stop leak products fit into the category of "P.T. Barnum Specials". "There's a sucker born every minute!" They're just a good way to transfer money from your pocket to the seller's. If you don't want to go to the trouble to install a Best Gasket seal, cut a slice of the stainless steel strip that holds the rubber into a windshield wiper blade and tap it into the groove in the block above the upper rope seal.
Jerry

What a good suggestion, Jerry.

If you're going that far, isn't there a 'sneaky Pete' tool that is a piece of steel wire with a T handle, which (in theory at least) allows a guy to pull a new rope seal up into that cavity?

Great suggestion on the steel strip, too.

Good luck pulling a rope seal in with that tool. Way too tight, IMO. I replaced the seal in my engine, but had to lift the crank (engine was on a stand upside down) a bit to even have a chance of getting the top half in place. It's getting torn down now for another reason and I'll likely get it machined for a full circle lip seal.

It's a good truck I got from my grandpa, the leaking seal is sure annoying, just never know if a snake oil product would work. I don't have the time to tear it apart and get a new seal in it. So I'll have to with time get the engine pulled and do it properly. Any idea what it costs for a mechanic to do this? With decent rates?

Check with some of the local nursing homes- - - -any mechanic who knows how to install a rope seal and do it without creating a worse leak will probably be as old as me- - - -or maybe a lot older. I'm only 78, and I doubt if anyone younger than me has much experience with rope seals. They were going out of style 60 years ago when I started getting paid to tinker with these old engines. Even with my arthritic fingers and a pretty advanced case of neuropathy, I could probably install a rope seal before lunch, in a properly equipped shop. I'd charge you around $500.00 to do that, at today's journeyman mechanic labor rates, and I'd be earning every penny.
Jerry

Adding oil now and then is a lot cheaper unless you have absolute faith in the person doing the work. With antique cars, I try to leave well enough alone. No need to open large cans of worms if you don't absolutely have to.

Back in the late '80s we had to put a trans in our 57 6400. Since it was out, we did an in-frame freshen and pulled the head, pulled the pistons for rings and bearings and installed a new rope seal. Used a sneaky pete tool. Loosened the crank caps, pulled the old one and got the new one in place. Used a small screwdriver to seat the new seal as good as we could and cut the excess 1/16" proud. Pushed the excess into place and replaced the lower cap. No leaks.

The original rope seals had a lot of asbestos in them. Conventional wisdom says that if you get within half a mile of anything with asbestos in it, all your children will be born naked, so the seals available today use some sort of vegetable fiber. They're worse than useless, with an extremely limited lifespan. Best Gasket makes the only seal worth the effort to install, and you must follow their instructions EXACTLY!
Jerry

If it's not drowning the clutch you could just let it leak. They all leak some, neoprene or rope. I remember seeing trucks of this vintage sitting in dealer showrooms with drip pans under them.

X2 on the stainless windshield wiper strip trick. I learned this in high school and the only hint I'll give you is Hotrod Jerry graduated about 3 years before me. Here is a hint: Use the bottom cap to measure the length of your wiper strip. I've also seen guys bevel the end and insert it with the bevel facing the rope seal. Tap gently. Good luck!