My brother bought a very nice original 1958 Edsel Citation. The rear main seal is leaking to the tune of a quart per 200 miles....not good. His go-to mechanic suggested and then added some Lucas Oil Additive saying it has helped in a number of similar cases. Obviously less money than replacing the seal. What do you all think of this "treatment"? Is there a time factor for the Lucas Oil Additive to get the seal to stop the leak ? BTW, from what I've read, this is a 410 cu-in engine aka E400. Does it use the rope seal like many other Ford products of that era? There's a site that shows what to do for a TBird 352 rear seal replacement. Is this engine about the same as regarding the procedure and replacement part? If not, where would one go to get a seal kit for the Edsel ? thanks, gatz
Cure-all additives rarely address the underlying cause. And Edsel stands for: (with credit given to Jim Forbes). Every Day Something Else Leaks In fact, search out Jim Forbes on here, aka squirrel. He's been into a '59 Edsel engine a couple of years back. Look up a rear main seal Look up this gasket set: FEL-PRO FS7895PT1. I saw something in it that looks like a rope seal.
The e400 is a 361 cu in FE Block. The 410 cu in was the e475. The 352 seal is the same and a pain in the ass. I've heard tall tales of FE rear mains that don't leak a drop, mine always seep a little. It uses a rope type seal, though there are rubber replacements, and straight seals that go on each side of the main cap. The side seals can be replaced without removing the main cap but your leak is probably from the crank seal itself. Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wellllll.... IN work we have used it several times and IT WORKED pretty good ( MODERN CARS )... but not ALL the time ...... When I was a pup in the mid 60's I worked at a foreign car garage and the owner SWORE by it .... It DID stop a LOT of them ...but again .. NOT all ..... and it did take some mileage before it sealed ....... sometimes it too TWO to stop it .... A car of that vintage will be HARD to get stopped ..... They leaked from DAY ONE almost .....
Also that's a lot of oil, even for an FE rear main. I would make sure you don't have a leak from the camshaft plug on the back of the block. It will show like a rear main leak but it is above it. Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Also make sure that the PCV or crankcase venting system is working properly and not plugged up. The pressure build-up in the c/case can make a small leak seem a lot worse for rear main seals, valve cover gaskets, oil fill caps or anyplace else where it can push oil out of the crankcase.
I heard this has better results. https://www.amazon.com/ATP-AT-205-Re-Seal-Stops-Bottle/dp/B000NVW1LM/?tag=iloveengineer-20
sometimes the gasket at the rear of the intake will go bad and resemble a rear main leak. if it indeed the rear main. something else besides the seal will likely need to be addressed before its fixed. loose bearings. Excessive blow by from bad rings or worn cyls can cause leaks. Retro fit a PCV and it might help. All motor honey type additives usually do is clog up oil passages and possibly plug up the intake screen on the oil pump.
Good idea to see if the road draft tube is clear. If a car sits, mice like to build little nests wherever they can. My SBC... true mouse motor... I had the exhaust manifolds capped, but one came in-capped. I had seed pods everywhere, in the exhaust and intake manifold, in the valley too.
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