How to remove the rear main seal?
How to remove the rear main seal? I'm in the middle of a trans rebuild on my 99 T/A and have the trans out, clutch/flywheel off, just got the pilot bearing out (oddly enough i had no problems there, and no i didnt use the grease packing method either) and am replacing the rear main seal as preventative maintenance while I'm there. (Right now it looks perfectly fine with no leaks, but I've got 120k on the clock and I'd rather not do all this again in the near future) I did some searching on how to remove it and everyone seems to just say "remove and put in the new one". I must be missing something, because I can't get this thing out for the life of me. I'm tempted to remove the 12 bolts that hold the cover to the seal and pop it out that way, but I read in a different thread that it's hard to get re-aligned once you take that off. What's the easiest way to pop that seal out with that cover still on there? All I've seemed to accomplish is chiseling away some of the rubber material of the seal on the bottom access slit.
The easiest way (and least damaging to the ring seats) is to remove the rear cover. Alignment of the cover is best done with the oil pan removed. Take the time, do it right, so you won't have to get in there again for some time. Yes, I did it wrong, and had to remove the drivetrain from my old SS 3 more times just to get the rear seal aligned correctly.
OK, so if I remove the rear cover, will I need to replace it's gasket or can that be reused? If not, is that readily available from parts stores or will I need to make a trip to the dealer? About how much is it?
You "can" reuse the gasket, but they're about $20 at the dealer, less at autozone I believe. And please tell me you've got a manual for all this, right? If not, pick up a Haynes and start reading!
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I also had just changed the oil not too long ago and was hoping to not have to drop the pan since german castrol is expensive and impossible to find around here. LS1 Tech Stories
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Thats what I do.
I dont know what kind the OP bought but the Delco ones are alot nicer than the ones that come in the Felpro kits.
I'm pretty sure Kent Moore, GM etc make an actual rear main seal install/removal tool. The part number is J-41479. If you do the flathead screwdriver tactic just be very careful not to gouge the **** out of the block. It is aluminum to it very malleable. Sometimes those rear mains can be a real PITA.
