Upper half of rear main seal

[mj_duell]

Hi Guys,
I have a 428FE with a bad rear main seal. I am now on my second set of new rear main seals just trying to put the upper half round in. I removed the main cap and pushed the old one out without issue. Every time I push the new one in it stops about half way in and then will only go in if you push really hard. This destroys the outside of the seal and it still will not go all the way in. Any ideas? Should I loosen the reat of the main caps? I really would not like to do that. I have oiled up the seals and I made sure everything is clean.



--Mike

[byron w]

MIKE, YOU DO HAVE TO LOOSEN THE REST OF THE MAIN CAPS. DO A LITTLE THEN TRY. LOOSEN NO MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO, LITTLE AT A TIME. HARD JOB, GOOD LUCK.
BYRON W.

[mj_duell]

Thanks Byron,
I am nervous about doing that. I assume everything will line up when I tighten them back up? Oh, what pattern is used and how many ft/lbs do I re-tighten the cap bolts too?



--Mike

[byron w]

MIKE, I ALWAYS STARTED IN THE CENTER, THEN THE NEXT FRONT, THEN THE NEXT REAR AND SO ON. I HOPE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR
ENOUGH. ALSO, I DO NOT KNOE IF YOU HAVE ARP OR STOCK FORD BOLTS. IF ARP CALL AND ASK THEM. IF FORD, HOW OLD ARE THE BOLTS? YOU CAN CHANGE THEM BUT I WOULD HATE TO. I WOULD GO WITH THE STOCK FORD SPEC IN THE MIDDLE OF MIN AND MAX. IF YOU DONT HAVE A SHOP MANUAL POST AND I WILL FIND OUT FOR YOU.
GOOD LUCK, YOU WILL BE FINE
BYRON

[mj_duell]

Hi Byron,
I understand the pattern to use from what you said. I have ARP bolts. I will try to look up the torque specs at ARP.

Thanks for all the help.




--Mike

[byron w]

MIKE, I THINK YOU WILL BE FINE, JUST TAKE YOUR TIME.
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME
BYRON

[mj_duell]

Well, it wasn't the rear main seal after all. After replacing the seal it still leaks at the same rate and looks to be coming from higher up on the block. This would seem to indicate one of the plugs is leaking so I have taken out the toploader and will start on removing the bellhousing on Sunday. Just for fun and to make my problem a little more difficult I have ordered a Lakewood blow proof bellhousing to replace the old one. The housing alignment should be enough to cause at least one small mental melt down. I hope my stock fork and pivot will work. Any suggestions on making sure the plugs are sealed? I know the cam plug goes in so it faces out not in like a freeze plug. I am going to try to take as many pictures of this fix as I can so future members can learn from my pain .



--Mike

[byron w]

Mike,
What block do you have? Do you know if the oil galley plugs in the back are pressed in or screw in? Post all you can and I am sure we will all do all we can to help get you through this.
Byron

[mj_duell]

Hi Byron,
I don't remember about the plugs and I still have to remove the fly wheel. Here is a picture of the back of the block before we installed the engine a couple of years ago.



I can't tell, I think they look pressed in.



--Mike

[FFR428]

The top two are threaded plugs and the bottom one pressed in. You can use some teflon sealer on the threaded plugs. Did you use any sealer on the lip of the cam plug before putting it in? You can use a little around the edge and also to seal it after it's installed. Also a good idea to be sure you have the correct cam plug. I like the Dorman brand. G.

[mj_duell]

Thanks FFR428,
I didn't build the engine so I am not sure about the sealer used. I will take your advice on sealing the screw in plugs and the cam plug. By the way, how does one remove the cam plug or the bottom oil galley plug? Also where should I shop for a Dorman cam plug?



--Mike

[byron w]

Hi Mike,
FFR is correct on the top two bieng threaded and the bottom one pressed. I have a small slide pull hammer that I use for the pressed ones and allen wrench for the threaded one. BUT I have never had to replace them in the car after the engine was built. Hopefully you will find a simpler fix. Maybe just one of the threaded one is loose. Keep us posted!!!
Byron W.

[mj_duell]

Just for fun, here is how I made my engine spring a leak. Kind of smal video, but not bad:

Watkins Glen (June 6,7 2005)

http://www.cfwars.com/racingstuff/114-1450_MVI.AVI
http://www.cfwars.com/racingstuff/114-1451_MVI.AVI
http://www.cfwars.com/racingstuff/114-1452_MVI.AVI



--Mike

[Excaliber]

Intake manifold leaking oil and running out the back?

[byron w]

Mike, Enjoyed the video !!! Excaliber just might be on to something with the intake manifold idea. Take a telescoping mirror and look behind there. You can get one at any parts store.
If you were running real hard you could have built up enough pressure to push out the rear gasket. Also, since I am thinking about using the same cam you are, I would love to hear it idle after you get it back togther. Keep us posted.
Byron W.

[mj_duell]

Hi Guys,
I checked the rear intake and it seems O.K.. I will post information and pictures of my progress. Byron, I'll get you a sound file of the cam at idle and running when I get done. The lope is really mean yet the cam is streetable enough that it's not a hassle. Scary as hell the first time you get on it!



--Mike

[FFR428]

Any good parts house should carry Dorman plugs. As far as removing the cam plug I do it from the front of the block using long socket extensions with a good size socket on the end throught the cam bores. A few good whacks and the plug should pop out. Just be careful of the cam bearings. You can wrap a rag around the extensions to prevent bearing damage if your not replacing them. I've never had much luck trying to remove the cam plug from the outside of the block. May be someone has a good trick to do so. I'd be interested to see myself. G.

[mj_duell]

I really don't have a choice, I have to do the removal from outside of the back of the block. This entire operation is being done with the engine in the Cobra. I ahve pleanty of working room with the tranny and bellhousing removed. Maybe a slide hammer could be used. It would only require a small hole in the cam plug. Also, does anyone know if you reuse the stock dowel pins when using a Lakewood bellhousing or do I need to buy offset units?



--Mike

[c6ae]

You can remove the cam plug using a sheet metal screw...drill a small hole (about 1/8) off center in the plug, wind in a sheet metal screw until it hits the cam and it will jack the plug right out.
Yes for the Lakewood you will probably need the offset dowels, I haven't seen one yet that didn't need adjustment.

[mj_duell]

c6ae Thanks!
That does seem like a nice simple way to get the cam plug out. I figured I would need the off-set pins. Oh well....



--Mike