95stang5.0

Hey all i got a 95 stang 5.0 Auto, I took it to a dealer for tranny fluid leak because they flushed and changed the tranny fluid so i thought maybe it was leaking because of them. I also have an oil leak, i asked them where it was cooming from and they said the Rear Main Seal. And said around 500 to fix it.


No one wants to pay someone 500 dollars to change such a simple part. Do you guys have any experience with this. What would i have to do to get the job done if possible.. I dont have a lift, but my dad and grandpa would help me my grandpa was a mechanic for 40 years, on tractors and cars off and on, and my dad has learned stuff from him. So let me know what you all think.

roundman

first I would make damn sure the leak is coming from the rear main seal. remove the dust cover on the lower front of the bellhousing and look up into where the torque converter is and see if there is oil thrown around in here as this is where the oil will be if the rear main is leaking. if there is evidence of oil leaking inside the bellhousing, then you have two options. if the leak is small enough, ignore it and keep an eye on the oil level in the motor. if you want to fix it, you will need to drop the tranny after removing the nuts holding the torque converter to the flexplate to get proper access to the seal. this involves removing the exhaust pipes, driveshaft, tranny cooling lines, etc. and if a fairly big job to do without a lift, but it can be done if you don't mind getting dirtly. order a seal from the local Ford dealer before you get started so you have the right one for your model. the biggest problem I had was getting to the top two bolts on the bellhousing to loosen/tighten them, took about 24" of extensions and a universal socket to get them out. the dealer labor for this sounds high to me, maybe you could check around at some other local repair or transmission shops to see what they want to do it if you don't want to tackle it yourself.

95stang5.0

Ok thanks roundman.... any one else have experience with this stuff? Also, the first time i took it to the shop to have the tranny fluid changed they told me it was the oil pan gasket, now they tell me that it is the rear main seal, which do i belive?

92stanger

These are the most stupidest things to repair. But usually from what I have experienced is if there is a small puddle of oil than it is likely the rear main seal. If it just lookes like a couple of drops overnight then it is probley coming from the oil pan. Also turn on the car and look under the car, if it is leaking while on then it is more likely the rear main seal. If you turn off your car and immediatly right after a good amount of oil leaks, then it is also more likely the rear main seal. Rear mains on Fords are pretty tough though becuase they come as one piece (chevys come usaully in two) so maybe just maybe it just might only be your oil pan gasket. Remove the dust cover and clean the hell out of the area between the tranny and motor. You might be able to tell. Also check and make sure that your valve covers are not leaking from the back. The oil sometimes runs down the back of the motor making it seem that you rear main is leaking.

roundman

agree with ^^^^. if it is the pan gasket, the oil will not be slung all around inside the bellhousing, it will just be a trickle down the outside of the dust cover. also make sure it ain't the valve covers too. rear mains are tough seals on the 5.0 engine. I changed mine when I changed out my tranny at 108,000 miles and not a thing was wrong with it, so make damn sure this is what's leaking before you go to all the trouble to change it.