FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Fellas, my rear main has started to piss out at a hell of a rate. Just wondering, how easy is it on a scale of 1-10 to pull my gearbox out and do my rear main my self? She's a project in the shed. My dad passed away when I was 6 and I'm now 15, trying to get her registed.

Hi Jake
It is pot luck trying to successfully fit new seal without removing the engine. Ideally you should remove the sump and crank. Suggest you check compression and assess the general state of health while engine is in the car and running. If top end appears healthy then you could get away with doing the seals and maybe replacing crank and big end bearings. Even then rear seals are finicky to get right. Otherwise you're up for a big spend or find another motor that doesn't leak too much.
Cheers
Clay

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I'd say that's a massive Job for a 15 year old.


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The whole engine had been refurbished in terms of push rods, pistons, cam, rockers. I just don't have access to an engine crane and would make a worlds difference if I did. I just can't take her down the the shop because she doesn't have rego. Is it possible to just jack her up, drop the gearbox out and just replace it in car?

If you take the box out, sump off and loosen the bearing caps it is possible to remove the rear main cap, prise out the top of the seal and replace. Bolt every thing back torquing to specs job done.


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Do a google search on "Holden grey motor rear main seal" and read a thread on the FB EK forum. Fitting the rope type rear main seal is a tricky business and doing upside down while the engine is in the car is very difficult in my opinion.

Ken

Where you located Jake?

I've got engine crane, engine stand etc, if you're local you're welcome to use.

Cheers

I'm located in Newcastle van. My dad left the tools for me to be able to take the box and sump off. I've got the time to do it and it's not like she's going anywhere

Cheers, jake

Yes I'm a Kiwi living in NZ and have an FE 57 Sedan
Can any of you guys tell me if anybody makes new front Guards
or even makes them in Fibre glass.
I have from what I've been told,  the first model outside Aussie to be assembled in wellington NZ. 57 Fe which was  No 57 off the assembly line.
Here they are rear and this one is almost rust free, bar the front guards.
She's a 2 owner with matching No grey motor & done 58,000miles.
It sat in a shed for 19 years and was always shed stored in her life.
She had to stuck values which CRC fixed, put a battery in & new gas, turned her over
and started first pop.I drove her 600 Km's up to Hamilton and she never missed a beat and used no oil.
What a car, no diff whine, no gear box whine , just a dream to drive.
But now I've stripped her down and sand blasted her and found both guards full of dents and rust ! " bugger " Thus my question of new guards or Fibre glass ones

Jake,

I only just caught sight of this thread.

For your info, take a look at

http://forum.fefcholden.club/index.php?topic=25411.0 and http://forum.fefcholden.club/index.php?topic=25680.0

It sounds to me like the rear main bearing oil seal has spun in the groove.  But eliminate all other possible oil leaks first.

The only feasible way of tackling a leaking rear main seal is to take the engine and gearbox out of the car.  Then you'll have to take the gearbox, clutch and flywheel off, and mount the engine in a stand.  Next, remove the distributor and fuel pump, rocker assemblies, pushrods and cam followers.  Remove harmonic balancer (you'll need a puller), and timing cover.  You may have to remove the Woodruff key from the crankshaft to take off the oil slinger in front of the crank gear.  The camshaft will need to be removed, but the only socket which will go through the holes in timing gear is a 1/4" drive 7/16 AF socket.  Now you can remove the front engine mount plate.

Tip the motor upside down, remove the sump.  Remove the oil pump and delivery pipe.  Finally, remove the main bearing caps and the big-end caps (mark them 1 to 6!), and you can lift the crank out.

When it comes time to replace the crankshaft, cut twelve ~100 mm lengths of 8 mm clear PVC tubing and push them down over over the big-end bolts so you don't ding the crankpins.  Probably a good idea also to push the pistons and conrods up into the cylinders as far as they will go, lay the crank into place, and then pull each piston and conrod down to meet their crankpins as you go.

As the others have said, replacing a rear main oil seal is a big undertaking.  It'd be best to find someone who's done the job before and can guide you safely around all the traps (and there are many of those).

Best of luck,

Rob