Okay, this is pretty embarrassing. I suppose you can tell by my username that I am primarily a Chevy guy but recently I built an FE Ford 360 for a truck I am restoring. The engine runs like a top but I noticed that there was an increasingly steady drip at the rear main area. (4 speed manual behind it). After looking online I have come to the conclusion that I completely left out the rear main "side seals" when I built the engine. I remember being under the impression that they were in the gasket kit as extras for a different style seal, kinda like when you get the two-piece/one-piece/rope-style in a Chevy kit. Having firmly established that I am a dipshit...I now need to rectify this with as little disassembly as possible. I have seen people say to use Right Stuff sealant instead of the seals, I have seen people say just use the seals with no sealant, I have seen it said to use the seals with sealant on them. What are your opinions AND will I be able to do this from underneath by just removing the pan and inserting the seals from the bottom? Is The Right Stuff thick enough to stay where it belongs if I went that route and just filled-in with that from the bottom, or would it fall back out? Any advice will be appreciated.
I usually discard that seals and use Loctite Quick gasket 5980 instead. Doing that from the bottom sucks, but is doable. Oil pan and rear main cap has to be removed.
They are not that hard to install, and work really well when installed correctly, i.e. Read the friggin' instructions. kozlowski is right on, drop the pan and pull the rear main cap. Install the rubber seals, reinstall the rear main cap, and drive the "nails" into the seals. Reinstall pan.
If I remember this correctly, only the oil pan comes off, and if the oil pump or pick up is in the way that as well. I did this on a Nailhead, not a Y-Block. The rear main cap stays on, the seal actually goes between the block and the side of the main cap. The rubber "pins" are a pain in the ass when working upside down. Brake Klene well and dry off area. "Right Stuff" is THE product to use here, Cut a small bit off the tip of the applicator and then slide a flat washer down the tip, it will help seal the bottom of the block and main cap while you are pumping the right stuff down the cavity. Let this sit overnight if possible, and then button it back up. I hope your issue is with side seals, and not with the rope seal. Good luck with it!
Haven't done one of these for many years, but did many of the back in the day. After disassembly (pan off, rear main cap removed and both block and cap well cleaned) my preferred method to install these side seals.....a light coat of your favorite sealer on the mating surface of the cap, partially insert the main cap, maybe 2/3 of the way, then dab a bit of sealant on the tip of the side seal sticks and a light coating on the stick lengthwise. Insert the side seals all the way to block contact, then push the cap fully to the block, insert bolts are torque them. Reinstall the pan, etc.,....done. Ray
Back in the day when I was a mechanic in the Ford garage in town, I replaced lots of rear main seals in FE engines. I always installed the side sticks dry, and never had a leakage problem
lots off good advice presented here! If the truck is 4x4, removing and installing the pan will be the hardest part....oil dripping on you head during the entire process is also a bit of PIA. I have never been brave enough to use Great Stuff instead of the end seals, but I have heard good things about it.
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