Topic: Your not going to believe this! :-(

['78 LadyBird]

Well, let see.  I brought my car in Tues. for the rear main seal to be changed.
I tried a new place, which was recommended to me, because my regular mechanics didn't want to touch it.

Ok, so I dropped it off Tues.
I went down to check on it, and I got these sad faces.  I was like WHAT  NOW?!

1st, the mechanic that was supposed to work on it, walked out on them.  Great, I thought!

2nd, the 3" exhaust was blocking the transmission........GREAT, I thought!

3rd, went last night at 7pm and now they tell me that they can't find the rear main seal........WONDERFUL, I thought!!

I told them, worst case, call Ames............they were like "who", what's that?  
I was like, OMG, where have I brought my car to now!


They did not call me last night to tell me if they found the part or not.  So, now my car sits on their lift, transmission dropped, the new shifter cable that Frank just put in, dangling........and the two front tires are off!

The reason for the tires being off, is because I told them, they better give me the two front tires so that my husband has something to do on this long weekend.  He is in the process of resurfacing them by hand.
THANKS Hitman for the tips on doing it!

I emailed AMES to see if they can overnight the part, and now waiting for their response.

Nothing ever goes easily for me eh??  LOL


Just thought you'd like to read this!!
Oh, this is Frank installing new speakers.

[kjkjkcjkcj]

he looks comfy. sorry to hear about the big problem. rear main seal is a big job in itself.

[rkellerjr]

If you don't have luck with Ames, Mr. P-body, on this forum, got mine for me, he'll know a place.

[79T/Aman]

Can't blame anyone for not knowing who Ames is, if you are not into restoring/building old Pontiacs you would never know of them, the trans cable hanging is not going to hurt it, 3" exhaust will almost alway be in the way of something, all that is petty stuff the thing I would worry about is, do they know what a rope seal is !? I would ask them if they know if your engine has a rope seal, yes that is a trick question, the answer is yes it does, you can't replace a rope seal without dropping the crank or using a trick tool that is hard to use and if not done by an experienced mechanic it will leak and you would have spent hundreds for nothing, to be honest you will have a hard time these days finding a mechanic with the knowhow to replace a rope seal let alone have the correct tool.
BTW I would change the pan gasket that may be your leak mid 70's had a poor design that Pontiac changed after 2 years, but again the mechanic will not know this and you will most likelly end up with another leak

[pointman]

WOW! You are having a time with the '79! It will be worth it in the end, the journey might be tough but you'll get through it! I feel for Frank, I remember being in that position doing the speakers-took me 3 weeks to walk upright again!  Good luck! Happy Holidays!

[turbota400]

Sorry to hear the luck.  It'll all work out.  That speaker installation looks all to familiar.  Merry Christmas!!

[Mr. P-Body]

   Are we 100% certain it IS the rear main seal? The vast majority of Pontiac oil leaks come from the pan, not the seal. A "rope" gets a bad rap due to complete misunderstanding of how well it works. Ropes are VERY good for sealing as long as they're properly installed.

   DCI Motorsports in Mogadore, Ohio, sells the GraphTite rope, simply the best seal available for a "stock" block.  BOP Engineering sells the Viton seal. The Viton seal would be easier to install IN THE CAR. They've been known to leakj in stock blocks, due to the lack of "close tolerance" machining for the seal groove.

   Best of luck. Unfortunately, not much expertise regarding the older engines exists in "general repair" these days.  Get Jim Hand's book "How To Build Max-performance Pontiac V8s", published by SA Designs. LOTS of questions for the uninformed answered in there.

Jim

[turbota400]

Jim's book was like my bible when I put mine together.

[rad400]

Money pit money pit money pit. That is what these cars can be.

['78 LadyBird]

Where do I find this Jim book?

['78 LadyBird]

Ok, just found the book on Amazon.  I ordered it.  I hope it is a good one!


Oh, and I wasn't blaming anyone for not knowing.  I just found it very odd being that they had a 1969 Z28, an 80's Formula Firebird, and a GTO sitting in the garage being worked on.

Gosh, I hope it's not that rope thing.  They will not be back till Monday, so I guess I will have to call and confirm this with them.
I'm not worried about the shift cable..........that seemed to be an easy fix.  Well, I say that, but hubby says it wasn't.  What do I know! lol

[72blackbird]

I can understand why most mechanics don't even want to touch a rear main seal in a Pontiac- unless you've done it more than once it's easy to do incorrectly and is almost a guaranteed comeback repair.

Jim also makes an excellent observation about oil leaks on Pontiacs- at least half of the time it's the rear section of the oil pan gasket that is the cause of the leak. This is also another Pontiac-specific item that's easy to install incorrectly and will occaisionally even bite an experienced mechanic in the butt.

Alot of mechanics would consider pulling an engine too much work just to service the rear main seal, but for me I find it much easier mounting the engine on a stand and dealing with the rods and crank in a comfortable position instead of overhead on a lift or on my back. The trans and exhaust stay in place (secured with wire) and the rope seal can be installed properly with the crank out of the engine- alot easier than doing it in-car. The graphite rope seal is also very nice to install and makes for a rear main seal repair that's reliable and long lasting.

Geno

['78 LadyBird]

Thank you everyone for your input.  I will call them first thing Monday morning and ask them if the leak is coming from the pan. 
That is correct, right?