Leaky Rear Main Seal - 'Sneaky Pete'... Advice please!

[oz]

My newly rebuild 302 had oil dripping from the bell housing after I drove it so I assume that I have a leaky rear seal. When I put in the rubber seal I had trouble because after it was seated in the block and in the bearing cap it was too long… much too long. I tried to torque down the cap in hopes that it would conform but it actually held the cap away from the block. I took one side out and trimmed it with a Dremel cut-off wheel (because of the steel core). I put a dab of silicone at the ends of the seal and installed it… but now it leaks.

My buddy says I can change the seal (he said just install a rope seal) with a ‘Sneaky Pete… Has anyone done this job on their Mustang (in their garage)? What will I need to remove to gain clearance? I have an engine hoist so I can lift the engine out of the mounts to remove the oil pan. Will this be enough or will I need to remove the steering linkage?

Can anyone give me any advice about using a ‘Sneaky Pete’ to change the seal? Will it work to remove the rubber seal from the block? Will the sneaky pete only work to install a rope seal? Will the lack of spike in the bearing cap cause problems with a rope seal?

THANKS!

 

[allcarfan]

What the hell is a sneaky pete?

It may be easier to drop your trans rather than pull up your engine. It all depends on what you want to do.

 

[slapper]

It's a curved tool used to push out the upper half of a rear main seal.
Check and be sure the leak is not at the rear of the intake and running down the back of the engine(I only metion it because I have seen it before).

 

[jbrown]

i thought sneaky pete was a guy who had his car in a mm&ff issue?

 

[oz]

This is a Sneaky Pete... not sure if it works on getting the rubber seal out though...

http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductModelDetail.cfm?ProductModelId=2194

 

[1320stang]

I thought it was a hidden nitrous system?

 

[mustangdave]

Did you offset the seal so that the parting lines were not the same place as the caps?

 

[6Stang7]

Get some oil dye to make sure that it's the rear main. If it's not and you go through the work of replacing it, you'll be all day long.

 

[stephen4785]

A sneaky pete is a style of rope seal. You remove your old seal with some needle nose pliers then insert this curved tool in the seal guid.You attach the tool to s piece of rope seal then pull the tool so it pulls the rope seal over the crank.You do it so you dont have to drop the crank.It works pretty well as long as the tip of the rope seal you attach the curved tool to doesnt rip.Just apply some sealant to the back side of the rope seal to it slides a little easier and seals.

 

[oz]

Oil dye - where do I get that?

Yea, I offset the seal.

I removed the bolts that attach the metal plate at the bottom of the bellhousing and wedged a couple of screw drivers in it so I could see the front of the flywheel. I started the engine and let it run on fast idle for 15 minutes or so. A small trickle of oil started to run down the passenger side edge of the bell housing... I can't tell if it's internal to the housing or on the outside. I went up top and checked for leaks - sure enough, the breather had a drip on it. I squirted a few drops of oil on the valve cover to see where they went and they took a more direct path - back of the block, straight down the cover plate, dripped off the bottom of the bell housing. Perhaps when the engine is running and the flow is slow, it runs around the bellhousing? Not sure.... I would like to get some of that dye and put it on the valve cover to see if it follows the same path as the mystery leak.

The engine is newly rebuilt - do you think I need to add a second PCV until the rings seat so that I don't blow oil out the breather? I don't really thing the crank case is pressurized but the valve covers do not have baffles so the breather is exposed to oil splash.

Thanks!