Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

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njo
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Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

njo
This post was updated on .
85 F150 300 I6 2wd.
Just put a new clutch kit in. Didn’t replace rear main as it looked good and didn’t leak before. Now oils drips down from bellhousing. Any ideas? I was driving it briefly with thinned out oil with gas in it from fuel pump failure and it didn’t even leak then (this was prior to clutch failure and subsequent replacement of clutch). Obviously now I feel I should’ve replaced it. oil is dripping from between the bellhousing and inspection plate. It has to be the rear main. Maybe the oil pan gasket if I’m lucky. But it’s dripping like a leaky faucet. At least now pulling the tranny will be a quicker job for me. It just baffles me how it could leak so rapidly after no leaking before.

Any comments appreciated. Thanks
 
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

1986F150Six
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Did you use sealant on the flywheel bolts?
njo
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

njo
I used blue locktite on the flywheel bolts.
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

Ken Blythen
It's not leaking down from the rocker cover gasket?
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

Steve83
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In reply to this post by njo
It has to be the flywheel bolts.  Did you wash the holes out with brake cleaner & let (or shop-air blow) them dry before installing the threadlocked bolts?
njo
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

njo
Thank you all for the replies. I did not clean the screw holes for the flywheel bolts. I thought those bolt holes do no go through into the engine. The belhousing drips oil at least when the truck is idling. Seems like a lot of oil for it to be coming out that quickly. I will probably change the oil again since I need to flush it due to fuel pump failure (already replaced the fuel containinated oil with fresh oil, Internet says to flush the oil)
Thank you
njo
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

njo
Also, if it was the flywheel bolts leaking. Wouldn’t oil get in the clutch disc and cause it to slip? Only drove the truck around the neighborhood so I do not know if that’s the case yet. Clutch worked fine...
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

Gary Lewis
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If you drive the truck very far you'll saturate the clutch with oil.  So it is advisable to seal those bolts up ASAP.  And if you are going to do that with Loctite blue you will have to get those threads in the crank very clean.  I'd use a Q-Tip saturated in alcohol or brake cleaner to clean each one thoroughly.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

njo
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

njo
So I changed the oil again, had some gas in it. Now the seal isn’t leaking. Drove around for about 10 min and let it idle for 20. No more leak...
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Re: Rear main seal leak after clutch replacement

Gary Lewis
Administrator
That's strange.  But, if it works.....
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI