Any tips for rear main seal install?

Just curious if there were any tips I need to know when installing a rear main seal on a BB mopar?

Both motors I have built had dribbled from the rear main. My current motor (493) is going to get the rear main replaced because I am sick of having oil spots in my garage and I dont want it to leak again.

A neat tip is to tilt it slightly so the ends meet in the slotted part ,not the part line.
I'd like to hear if there is a down side to this.

I laughed when I saw this thread, I'm doing my seal tonite and just got off the phone with DodgeTony as I was asking questions about it.

Who's rear main seal retainer are you using ?

My experience has been that most aftermarket retainers are poorly engineered and don't meet the original design requirements. If you look closly to the aftermarket retainers, they have a clearance cut for the oil slinger but absolutly no provisions for oil drainback between the seal and oil slinger. In some cases, the seal retainer is so close to the rear main cap, it almost touches and further reduces oil drainback and causes pressureized oil against the seal. The best fix for this is to mill out the material to allow oil drainback like the original retainers.
Another suggestion is to check clearance between your main cap fastners and seal retainer and if you are using rear studs than it will most likley interfer. This can also be clearanced with a grinding tool.
You may want to read up on this guy and what he found.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,51149.0.html
If you are using a stock retainer, than you will probably have good luck but check clearance between main bolts/studs and retainer.

I cut and pasted from another post so some of the info is the same from the previous post.

I have had leaking rear main seal and this is what I found.

1. The main studs often interfer with the seal cap. Make sure there is clearance between the top of the main studs and around the nut.

2. Some of these aftermarket caps are solid on the end facing the cap with the oil slinger clearance cut. The cap will mate flush with the main cap and not allow oil to drain from the slinger area. Oil pressurized from priming/running will overcome the seal and find its way on the floor if not allowed to vent. Note the open/profiled area in the factory seal retainer.

3 - If the crank was out of the engine, bolt the main cap and torque. Then bolt on the seal retainer with the seals and check alignment of the seal halfs. With the slop in the holes, it is possible for the halfs not to line up and sensitive with the rubber/neoprean knife edged seals. This is not an issue with a wide rope seal. With the seal cap slightly lose, you can line it up and scribe a line accross the top of the seal retainer and block to correctly assemble later with the crank in the block.

Thanks for the tips. I have one of the aftermarket rear seals, I think its INDY but I dont remember. I wont be using it.... POS in my mind. I have an extra stock one laying around that I will be using.

Thanks again

I'm considering tossing the vertical strips and filling the grooves with RTV. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks

Like RemCharger said try and rotate the seal so that the seal DOES NOT meet at the part line of the retainer. Also use just a dab of RTV on the ends of the seal. And one more thing coat the vertical strips in RTV.

Quote:

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I'm considering tossing the vertical strips and filling the grooves with RTV. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks

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I leave the vertical strips in and follow the instruction using the mineral spirits on them after the seal holder is tight, I use a small 5 cc syringe and squirt the mineral sprits down the srips on both sides of the seal holder. I let it dry over night and then silicone the whole back of the seal holder up from the oil pan rail to the block. I have found some of the main seals are installed backward, the sealing lips where installed towards the torque converter instead of installed towards the # 5 rear main bearing You want the crankcase pressure to try and blow the sealing lip tighter onto the crankshaft, not blow it open