Hey I was wondering if anyone has replaced a rear main seal and hard difficult it is to do. I'm thinking my rear main is leaking because there is a lot of oil on my oil pan and front part of my bell housing. Don't want to dive in and not know what I'm getting in to. Are there any other seals besides the main that I gotta replace while I'm in there?

The truck is a 2000 1500 2wd 5.3L with auto trans.

 

You have to drop the transmission and you can replace the seal.

 

Have to remove the flywheel as well, but no other seals that you need to deal with.

Have you ruled out the drain plug and/or oil filter as the problem?

 

put a finger inside the bottom of the bellhousing and see if you get oil on it. if so, you probably do have a rear main leak. if not, then you have a leak elsewhere.

 

Oil filter is clean and so is the drain plug. Are there problems with drain plugs stripping? I looked inside and it looks like its been helicoiled or is tht how they are? I've never seen the aluminum pans new before so I don't know.

So pry off the plug under the trans(it's like 1-1/2" or so) and if there's oil order a new main seal? Is this a common problem?

 

You can try looking through that hole, or take off the driver side inspection cover, the black plastic piece, and see if there is oil on the back of the flexplate.

I replaced mine and the rear cover gasket only because I did a trans swap and was already in there.

 

O wow I didn't even know there was an inspection plate besides that little metal cover under. Sweet thanks!

 

might wanna put a new seal in the tranny for the torque conv. just while youre there. because if your luck is like mine.... i would just change the rear main put everything back together and the seal in the tranny would start leaking. just a thought...

 

How hard it that to install? I don't have anything that deep to fit over the input shaft but I was thinking about it