Rear Main Seal Leaking (Slowly)

[ncsubowen]

Cleaned up under the car yesterday to confirm, and it's the rear main seal that's leaking. It's very slow and I'm only losing about 1/2 quart between oil changes, so I'm not particularly interested in dropping the transmission to fix it; however, I'm about to ship the car across the country and I'm sure they're going to be pissed if my car winds up on top and leaks oil onto another car.

So, my question is this - is there anything wrong with using a bead of RTV around the seal, on the outside? So long as I clean it up and let the stuff dry before they come pick up the car there shouldn't be an issue that I'm aware of, but I wanted to check with some more knowledgeable folks before I went and did it.

Thanks!

[AndrewBird]

You can't get to the seal without pulling the trans, so how are you going to put RTV around it?

[ncsubowen]

You can't get to the seal without pulling the trans, so how are you going to put RTV around it?

That is an excellent question and I'm apparently dumb. Other suggestions on how to keep oil from dripping while in transport?

[jeffnhiscars]

I may be mistaken on an M20 but the engines I'm familiar with don't leak from the RSM when the engine is not running

[jalopi]

If the car is loaded with the nose up it could still drip, as the oil'd be pooled towards the back of the pan.

Wrap a few thick cloths around the engine/trans mating surface or something before you drop the car off. Might be OK that way. Either that or tell the transport company that your car drips a slight amount of oil and to not put yours over another car.

[CarsSuck]

The mechanic who did the pre-purchase inspection on my car found the rear main seal to be leaking. It does indeed drip a little. It's been dripping for 10 years now, but It's not enough that I ever have to top off between oil changes. It will probably keep dripping until the engine gets rebuilt.