Generation IV External Engine - rear main seal install

i built a forged stroked ls3 for my blown 05 vette. problem is rear main seal is leaking(second time). i have the complete gm j tool kit for these motors so i am using the rear cover install tool and the rear main seal installer tool as well. i thought i had it fixed as it started and ran with no leaks but when we came back from eating to finish it up there was a little puddle on the floor. so i started it agian and it was dripping of course.....sounded bad ass though...open lg headers...lol... any way is there a trick or somthing to this

May have to install the seal backwards if the seal youre using is a reverse-lip style, especially for FI.

make sure you have enough crankcase ventilation,maybe as simple as that.

cheers dave.

it is a reverse seal...ie the inner lip slants towards the rear of car. so y are saying try installing it with slanted lip leaning towards crank? as for crank case vent....i have a not changed anything besides adding a catch can. should i give unplugging the drivers side valve cover and runnng itinto the catch can as well? or is there another place i should try. i am really sick of tearing it apart and rebuilding it. cant start the car to check it til the drivetrain all the way back in the car cause car needs to see trans hooked into the harness....

I have put these new "reverse lip" style seals in backwards in all FI cars, and I have found that is the only way to get them to not leak.

thanks code...that works!!!!!! 3 tries before your help saved the day lol

If your ventilation is good,like the other guy said, buy a new complete rear cover with a seal from GM !!Thats how they sell em nowfrom GM. My buddy Jay is so fuc%#ng stuborn :bang:he re did his seal 3 times before finally taking my advice and buying a new rear cover for his INCON TT 408!! Sure enough , it stopped LOL:D Gm even has a write up for the mechanics on what and where to apply silicon if the rear cover is ever leaking or ever removed for any reoson !! When i had my latest engine built ,I took no chances LOL:D I bought a new cover from the door .There cheap as shit, Im pretty sure there the same price as a seal is! $20 to $30 bucks max !!

OK, I hope this helps, My buddy was actually changing his rear cover today when i stopped down to visit my ride were working on, long behold he say look at that old rear cover over there and tell me whats wrong with it? I looked and said It looks like someone took a grinding wheel and ground off the bottom part or the bumps LOL Because his forged stroked 402 has forged main caps you have to slightly cut a 1/16 off the bumps with a cutting wheel or the rear cover wont go on because the mains stick out that much !!Well,who ever built his engine the first time cut the bumps completly off and slapped some sealer up in there and called it a day LOLCheck the rear bottom of your cover the next time shes off my man !!

Is there an aftermarket Seal that someone makes that isnt the reverse style? We are trying to get some old inventory out of GM but isnt going to well we are having the same problems with the reverse lip seal they leak almost immediately. Does installing them in backwards work.

They seem to work just fone for me and I have done a number of them. Hope this helps.

If your ventilation is good,like the other guy said, buy a new complete rear cover with a seal from GM !!Thats how they sell em nowfrom GM. My buddy Jay is so fuc%#ng stuborn :bang:he re did his seal 3 times before finally taking my advice and buying a new rear cover for his INCON TT 408!! Sure enough , it stopped LOL:D Gm even has a write up for the mechanics on what and where to apply silicon if the rear cover is ever leaking or ever removed for any reoson !! When i had my latest engine built ,I took no chances LOL:D I bought a new cover from the door .There cheap as shit, Im pretty sure there the same price as a seal is! $20 to $30 bucks max !!

Do you have the P/N for the Rear Main Cover + Seal? Thanks in advance!:chug:

Do you have the P/N for the Rear Main Cover + Seal? Thanks in advance!:chug:


GMPP #12614813. INcludes rear cover with crank seal installed and includes rear cover bolts.

Im having same issue as OP. I built a forged stroked ls3, and was on the fence of wether or not to use this new style seal after reading about leaking issues. I had a high mileage original seal in the car originally so I figured a new seal had to at least be better than the old seal. I was wrong, lol.

This new seal has leaked from day 1. I have good ventilation, have a breather on the oil fil neck, etc. Discouraging after a complete new build, but lucky for me I have an automatic. Otherwise that would suck to have on my clutch, etc.

I am a Chevrolet tech. and when the new design seal came out i installed several and each eventually leaked, the reason was i installed them flush with rear seal cover. Turns out they need to be bottomed out in the cover, i have used the proper Kent moore tool but prefer to self center seal and torque in place.

GMPP #12614813. INcludes rear cover with crank seal installed and includes rear cover bolts.
I called SD, and they said that part numbere wasn't valid?

I am doing a fi build shortly. So when did the new seals come out? Is it ok to just use my 99 back cover with seal in it again. The car has only 12,000 miles on it.
Should I put in the seal backwards like some of you have said or put it in like others have said. Worred now don't want to mess up my nice twin disc clutch.

So the old seals didn't have a problem with fi?

If your ventilation is good,like the other guy said, buy a new complete rear cover with a seal from GM !!Thats how they sell em nowfrom GM. My buddy Jay is so fuc%#ng stuborn :bang:he re did his seal 3 times before finally taking my advice and buying a new rear cover for his INCON TT 408!! Sure enough , it stopped LOL:D Gm even has a write up for the mechanics on what and where to apply silicon if the rear cover is ever leaking or ever removed for any reoson !! When i had my latest engine built ,I took no chances LOL:D I bought a new cover from the door .There cheap as shit, Im pretty sure there the same price as a seal is! $20 to $30 bucks max !!

Do you know where i can get this write up?

Do you know where i can get this write up?

anyone?????

I called SD, and they said that part numbere wasn't valid?



http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/cart.cfm?CFID=4402789&CFTOKEN=92504535

GM Parts Direct has the "updated" part number. I have not verified PN with GM Parts.

Rear Block Cover (12614813)

http://www.karlperformanceparts.com/ProdImages/12614813lg.gif

• Includes seals and bolts
• For all stock LS engine blocks (will not work on LSX block P/N 19166454)

When installing the new style seal with the revearse lip do you install it bottomed out like lswonderful said. Also is it possible to use two because I really want this to stop leaking. I had this apart three times last weak.

Does anyone know the bolt sequence of the rear cover?

i got a new seal......and the directions said that on the seal there are the words " this side out" i cant find those words anywhere on the seal........HELP

Im gonna bump this because those words are not on my seal either.

DOH!!!! I wonder if this is my problem....When I return from Iraq I have to pull the engine/trans back out just to replace the stupid seal!! Mine leaks like crazy though..It's a steady stream coming out on startup...

http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/catalog/images/12585671.gif




This is a pic of the old style seal. Click to see full image. This is a 98-02 seal and is different then the one I have in my engine which has a tendency to weep oil. Infact over 50% of LS2s/LS3s I work on leak out the rear main. Rarely I tune one that isn't leaking. Pitty they don't use the older style seal. I believe the rear cover plate is definately not the issue. A new gasket and some silicon it troublesome spots(from factory they have no sealant). I normalyy put a pit of loctite master gasket on the outer surface of the seal, just a light smear.And I clean the cover with thinners to get all oil residue off. They definately leak out the seal. I have replaced mine twice, Both have "this side out" on them in very small writing. It is weaping again not enough to drip oil on the ground but I can see it coming from the bottom of the bellhousing, more concerned about the clutch.

I will try going inside out with it, see how it looks then and use a feeler gauge to self centre.

Does anyone have a pic of the new seal? And p/n see if the new reverse lip matches up with the ones we have at our local dealer.

Cheers

Joel

Bump im about to do my rear main seal and purchased one from. GM. This new design has the letters "this side out.." and appears to be thinner. I have it in place flushed with the outer lip of the rear cover but there is a gap inbetween the seal and aluminum surface.. Does it have to sit all the way back against the innder lip of the rear cover or just flushed with the the outer lip of the rear cover surface.

The felpro ones were thicker and completely filled in the area.
The original oem one had a thick metal lip that also filled in the complete area of the rear cover.

Also how much rtv is required to add onto the lower portion of the rear cover *where it meets the oil pan

what if you need a rear seal for a LSX block application? is there a part number for that?

anybody?