LS Rear Main Seal Warning! Don't Do This!

[Tyrel_]

I just had my rear main seal replaced and it was still leaking, so they replaced the oil pan gasket and it's leaking worse. They told me now it's probably a crankshaft creep issue, but I think I just need to do it myself and make sure I follow the correct steps. Thanks for sharing

[falcorthewonderdog]

Kent More tools makes a dowel kit that you install as guides to install the rear cover. If your doing the oil pan gasket you do it first and finish with the rear cover and rear main seal. Not reading the instructions in the manual or just winging it will cause problems. Follow the correct assembly procedure and youll never have an issue. Pan first read cover and seal and final assembly.

Retired GMC / Chevy/ Cadillac tech 30 years in the service bay.

[RussellBooth]

I watched a video where Chris Bruno replaced the rear main oil seal in his LS6 powered Chevrolet Camaro before I replaced it in my 2002 model Holden VY SS Commodore which runs the 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine which is Australian built.

I bought the seal & carrier gasket 8 years ago because its easier to fit the seal when you're lying on your back at home & replacing the rear main oil seal because it's easier to take it off the engine then fit the new seal on a work bench.

The gasket was also brittle as well & it's also a leak point on these engines, I just fitted the seal plate & sealed the mating surfaces on the oil pan gasket with RTV silicone sealant then I fitted the 8 millimetre bolts finger tight then I rotated the crankshaft a couple of times to centralise the oil seal then I tightened up the 2 long 7 millimetre bolts up after torquing the 8 millimetre bolts.

It hasn't leaked since & I have also replaced the oil pan gasket since I needed to remove the oil pan to do a timing chain replacement in the engine, I loosely tightened the oil pan to transmission bolts up so they were just finger tight first prior to torquing down the 8 & 7 millimetre oil pan bolts about 6 years ago then after I torqued them up I tightened those oil pan to transmission bolts.

The engine hasn't leaked for about 6 years but I did have to replace the valve rocker cover seals again this year because they were leaking oil 5-6 years after I replaced them, the bolt seals just go hard & brittle !

[jeyzDfoo]

I wish I watched this BEFORE doing my oil pan 😫

Thanks for making this video - it helps to know what I did wrong!

[seanlevoy]

A couple of years ago I changed my oil pump, oil pan gasket etc. This is a major consideration for both the front and back covers. Great video.

[RC-zmir]

Dude you just saved me from having to drop this trans twice! Thank you so much great info man!

[victorjbarker]

Thanks for the tip. The gm dealership did my oil pan gasket, oil pick up tube seal and did this exact mistake. Plus they broke my previously working oil level sensor. My rear main leaks like crazy afterwards.

[pcmedic]

If you have to do the rear main seal, do yourself a favor and purchase a new kit that contains the rear cover, seal and gasket for about 35.00 There are fine threads in the rear cover where the 2 long bolts come up through the back of the oil pan. If the threads are starting to fail in the aluminum you will not be able to pull the oil pan to mate with the rear cover and you will get a leak, but it will not be the rear main seal There are also several seal housing alignment tools out there for about 25.00 to 40.00 well worth doing the job ONCE!

[mikeypooh]

I’m rebuilding my engine right now and this information comes at a good time.

[SilveradoLT]

Stumbled upon this....your intro in this video has me rolling on the floor laughing 😂. Probably the combo of the sarcasm and the tone of your voice. Thanks for the laugh. Good advice too! I had no idea there was an alignment tool for the seal.

[octane_matty]

Thanks for the advice
- recent member of the doing it twice club

[oliverrodriguez]

Great advice, too bad I found this video after I made that exact mistake, now I gotta do a rear main seal in a 4 wheel drive.

[dmna]

Amazing how a lot of this trouble could be avoided if chevy/GM had just used 2 doweled bolts to hold the plate in just the right spot. Just like Honda did on their timing covers, just the 2 at the bottom.

[edgarcruz]

Couldn’t explain it better than that. Thanks

[supersoldier]

On the Corvette you will be pulling out the rear sub frame, rear end, transmission and torque tube to get to that rear main seal and a clutch or flywheel depending on if it’s a manual or auto car. 👌🏻

[robertkowalczyk]

I was wondering why mine still leaks, very informative and sad video.

[areuaware]

And the leak is not the main seal as most people believe, it is leaking from the rear main housing gasket around the pressurized oil passage.
Always leaks on the right hand side because that is the direction of the oil flow and the most pressure.

[mexicanamerican]

The inner gasket around the plate and the actual seal itself needs to be replaced and put liquid gasket around.

[tempest]

It sounds like GM made life a lot harder for it's customers by omitting the alignment pin. A pair of alignment pins should be easy enough to add if you can find two safe places to drill into the block.

[joetrevino]

Ive had trouble with the Chevy 5.3 rear main seals. If you just buy the seal you will get these problems. But if you buy a new plate it's much easier. They sell them in a set, guess that's the fix.