Tiger rear main seal install

[michael-king]

Is there any advice re instal of the rear main seal? Follow the factory manual and support the crank?
Any install tips or tricks to make it easier to install and ensure it seats correctly?

 

[IvaTiger]

Is there any advice re instal of the rear main seal? Follow the factory manual and support the crank?
Any install tips or tricks to make it easier to install and ensure it seats correctly?

Personally I would recommend not re install but replacing with a new one , they are not expensive and too much of an oil leak if you don’t replace

 

[Austin Healer]

Is there any advice re instal of the rear main seal? Follow the factory manual and support the crank?
Any install tips or tricks to make it easier to install and ensure it seats correctly?

I have no idea how you are going to get the seal into the groove in the block with the crank still in the engine. The crank won't drop enough to do this unless you remove all of the main caps and the front balancer.

Are you sure it's leaking from the crank seal?? The flywheel bolts extend through the crankshaft and into the engine. It's not uncommon to get oil leaks here if you forget to use thread sealant. I have a Tiger here with the clutch disc stuck to the flywheel because of this.

another common leak is at the front and rear caps with the rubber insert for the pan gasket. I have found that the one piece pan gaskets don't seal worth a damn and have reverted to the cork sets. the rubber bits that fit into the timing cover and rear main cap can be a bear to install. there is a tab which fits into a recess that is too thick on the new gaskets and I have to trim these down a bit.

 

[spmdr]

I have had a LOT of problems with the

2 piece Rear Main seals for a LONG time!

MOST to ALL! Seals Don't fit Some Blocks.

The Seals are too big in Outside diameter.

And they hold the rear main cap from seating against

the block.

And this opens up the rear main Bearing clearance.

...Adding to the problem.

I check ALL rear main seals and end up

grinding the ends of the seal halfs, MOST

of the time.

With the seal half installed and one side

flush, you want to see about .030-.040" sticking

above the other side.

If you are assembling an engine, checking the rear main seal

is the first thing to do.

DW

 

[bernd_st]

Michael,

are you really sure it's the rear main seal ? I had lots of oil dripping from the bellhousing and suspected the rear seal too. However it wasn't the culprit. Oil ran down the entire block from the rear of carb manifold...

 

[Austin Healer]

Michael,

are you really sure it's the rear main seal ? I had lots of oil dripping from the bellhousing and suspected the rear seal too. However it wasn't the culprit. Oil ran down the entire block from the rear of carb manifold...

I've also seen them leak from the three threaded plugs on the back of the block by the rear cam journal.... I always use thread sealant on these plugs too.

 

[michael-king]

Personally I would recommend not re install but replacing with a new one , they are not expensive and too much of an oil leak if you don’t replace

It's missing a semicolon it was " Re: " 😉

 

[michael-king]

Thanks for all the heads-up guys... The car is my previously owned survivor. It's new owner has removed the engine for the first time in its life.. he's doing a careful clean and taking photos of the factory markings etc for Ron Fraser as he goes through.

He thought the rear main may have been weeping so he was going to do a deal replacement...I recalled people mentioning issues.. hence the thread

All info has been passed along

 

[pfreen]

I can attest that the rear seal can be replaced while the engine is in the car.
I rebuilt the engine with it out and replaced the rear seal with the included gasket set fel-pro split rear seal. It leaked like a sieve.
I replaced it twice with a standard and silicine fel pro seal. They still leaked.
I finally tried an SCE1364 silicone seal. I bought it from Summit Racing. It does not leak a bit. The lips of the seal are much more compliant than the two fel pro seals.
Btw, a rear seal leak can be confused with both valve cover leaks and intake manifold oil leak.
This is not a guarantee, but only my experience.