cliffhanger2486

I just bought a 90' Mustang GT, obviously with the 5.0. It's in beautiful condition with only 70 K on it. It has an oil leak, and im told it just needs rear main seal and valve covers. I was told by a mechanic thatit would be about $500 of work, and that it needed to be done immediately or I would blow the engine. Sounds fishy to me, as the car has been fine. Im used to my Jeep, which I still have for the winter. Does anyone know if this work should be cheaper, and whether or not it is so important to be done right now? Also, I don'thave a lot of cash to throw around, but is there any inexpensive mods such as shift kits/etc. that I can do for more HP and better performance? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

PRO50SC

Well, the rear main prolly pays about 3-4 hours and about 2-3 for the valve covers. He's in the ball park but still a lil high plus depending on the labor rate/hour. My rear main has leaked for years. It depends on the severity of the leak as to how soon it should be fixed.

cliffhanger2486

alright thanks for the info. One person said it was an oil pan, but I knew it was worse than that when I put it up on the lift to take a look. The leak is moderate, so I'm not sure how severe the problem is. All i know is that I've had fords in my family for years, and they've always leaked oil no matter what. But thanks for the info. take care.

NYMustang50

I would suggest that you do the valve covers your self. You can do the rear main seal your self its not that hard but it involves more work. including pulling the transmission out and if its a stick then its the clutch and bell housing and fly wheel if its a auto then its a little easier. Mines leaking right now. Its been leaking for a few years. Im fixing mine maybe in 2 weeks because im looking to sell the car. But I did my valve covers when I first got the car which was 3 years ago and that was one of the first things i did on it. Its not that hard really doing the valve covers and it will save you some green in your pocket.

cliffhanger2486

I'm not very adept in doing that kind of complicated work, as this is my first sports car. I love cars, but I'm lost when it comes to doing engine work. I have a lot of friends who can help me with it, so at least I wont have to pony up all the cash for a mechanic I would normally have to pay. Thanks for the info.

mjr46

if you have never done it then sure let a qualified tech do it as for the rear main ...you can replace it and 3 months later it'll leak again... I yank my tranny so often,,,,,,hmmmm wonder why[sm=nxsmile.gif]??? that it never really gets a chance to leak but when it does I just let the seal leak unless it's puddling on the floor.

cliffhanger2486

So you figure I can let it go for now, and then get to it when I got the extra cash?

ALMOST STOCK

As long as you keep aneye on your oil (dipstick reading) to make sure your not to low on oil you don't need to replace it. It's just the longer you wait the more mess you'll need to cleanup once you've got the oil leak stopped.

cliffhanger2486

The first owner of my car only had it for 4 months, and couldn't afford the payments(according to the second owner), and the second owner(who I bought it from), has had it for 16 years, garaged in winter and very well cared for. They said that the first owner must have put the sunroof in. 90' Mustangs didn't have stock sunroofs did they? Must have been post-market, am I right?

cliffhanger2486

The first owner of my car only had it for 4 months, and couldn't afford the payments(according to the second owner), and the second owner(who I bought it from), has had it for 16 years, garaged in winter and very well cared for. They said that the first owner must have put the sunroof in. 90' Mustangs didn't have stock sunroofs did they? Must have been post-market, am I right?