Replacing the rear main seal on side oiler

steve meltzer · #1 (**permalink**) 06-06-2018, 08:46 AM

Tom, thanx again for your insight. think i'll just pull the engine, tho' i can cuss with the best of 'em.....one ex-wife + a stint in military school makes me pretty &^%$()_+_^ profecient! s

patrickt · #2 (**permalink**) 06-06-2018, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve meltzer

Tom, thanx again for your insight. think i'll just pull the engine, tho' i can cuss with the best of 'em.....one ex-wife + a stint in military school makes me pretty &^%$()_+_^ profecient! s

Uhhh, I dunno... that diaper's lookin' better by the minute.

jkg2101 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-06-2018, 02:56 PM

i have a front sump road race pan, i think it is moroso, but not the extra long pan that original cobras used (with full length sump I think). The rear half of my pan is shallow. There was no problem removing this around the cross member,

accessing the oil pan bolts should be do-able for any pan - the front ones are tricky due to the wide sump, but not a big challenge.

i cant speak for the full length pans that might be deeper in the rear?
but assuming the pan can come off, the rear seal is much easier to do in the car than removing engine.

steve meltzer · #4 (**permalink**) 06-06-2018, 09:56 PM

I have an Aviad pan: more shallow at the rear. full length. I've had a change of heart and think i'll try to do this in situ on Sunday. Have a good pro mechanic to help, who thinks we can do it. more later. s

steve meltzer · #5 (**permalink**) 06-10-2018, 04:37 PM

OK, with a professional mechanic, who's never seen a Kirkham, we got the pan off and the rear main seal replaced without moving a %*&^#$@ thing! The hardest part was getting the oil pickup back in with the pan held on at the rear by only 2 longer bolts than you would normally use. Once the oil pickup is in place, we replaced the long bolts with the stock pan bolts and bolted her back up. Haven't run the car to see if we were successful, but it sure looks good for the moment. Didn't move the tranny or engine or nuttin'! Way out of my skill range, but it is done. I had all of the pan bolts out, except for three buggers, which he got out and successfully replaced (and no he doesn't have the hands of a five year old!) s

patrickt · #6 (**permalink**) 06-10-2018, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve meltzer

Haven't run the car to see if we were successful, but it sure looks good for the moment....

Well, that sounds encouraging, but you know you have to fire it up, drive it, and then find no puddles under the car before you can declare that car to be in partial remission.

steve meltzer · #7 (**permalink**) 06-10-2018, 06:02 PM

agreed! as does the mechanic who didn't want to be paid until it was dry. probably will be mid to late week before i get the carb back on and cleaned up on the bottom. I took the carb off to put the engine removal hook in place, but we never needed it. or at least I don't think we needed it! thanx for your encouragement.s