Kingdong

I cant believe I did it. Rebuilt my engine and installed it like I have a hundred times .The ls main seals look like they are backwards when installed properly .Had to pull my 4x4 tranny.....Bummer. OH well ..64 years and I finally made a mistake.

Kingdong

Looking at pictures on line . It looks like I did it right. I don't know .

Kingdong

Anyone have a picture of how the inside of the seal looks.

eb110americana

iTrader: (4)

Here is one from my LS3 crate before teardown. I don't have one from the inside of the cover, but this is how it should look from the outside.

eb110americana

iTrader: (4)

Here's a closer crop for detail.

KCS

iTrader: (20)

I'm pretty sure it says on the seal which side supposed to be out.

Kingdong

Thanks eb110 Looks like I had it right . I wonder if my rings ...not being seated , could cause that much blow by. A reverse seal seems stupid to me. Gonna put in another seal and run it while watching with the tranny off. I will also remove the oil fill cap to open up the crankcase. Thank you for the pix.

1FastBrick

iTrader: (16)

Did you lube the seal and the journal though after rebuilding the engine?

They can get burned if you install them on a dry surface.

Kingdong

Yes and it looked good coming out. I'm going to put a new one in and do it as directed as I did the first time. It really does not make sense to have a seal that would allow oil to pass under pressure. I can see why some put it in backwards on purpose. Damn thing has me stumped......Oil was flowing , not leaking.

Kingdong

KCS not on this one , but I did have it in the right way. I'm putting another one in and watching it run with the trans off.

1FastBrick

iTrader: (16)

Make sure the crank is not damaged in this area as well as possibly having an old ridge from material build up. hopefully you looked carefully at this area and there was no issue.

Hope all is well with the new seal. Otherwise something maybe out of alignment.

Kamaro

Its been over a year since I rebuilt my last LS motor, but I do remember that GM recommend not to lube the crackshaft oil seal and just put it on dry, as its designed to rely on the friction with the crankshaft seal area to be seated in correctly.

Kingdong

Thanks guys. just started it with new seal. It is actually pouring out of the top of the seal cover /housing. Ill take it off and let you know .

StorminMatt

It's my understanding that exactly the opposite is true - rear main seals NEED to be installed dry.

Kingdong

The second seal I purchased actually had a coating of what appeared to be grease on it.

1FastBrick

iTrader: (16)

That would be false.

Some seals come with Grease on them already for this very reason.

If you look in some gasket rebuild kits, they will tell you to lube the camshaft and crank seal prior to installing and to wipe off the excess after instal.

Same happens on a torque convertor if you install it dry. You will burn up the seal and it will leak.

Kingdong

Thank you for your reply's. The problem was a crappy aftermarket cover gasket. Bought a FELPRO and could instantly see the difference. Man I had to pull my 4x4 and tranny for that..SUCKS !!!!!

1FastBrick

iTrader: (16)

Well that sucks! At least you found the issue and it's resolved now. Thanks for posting up.

eb110americana

iTrader: (4)

Glad it was nothing major. Definitely a fine example of how a cheap part can wind up costing you a lot [of time].

bernarlitt

iTrader: (11)

The top of my seal looks just like yours at the top. Does mine look right?