rear main seal

[sodaking663rd]

hi all. i have my car for sale and a guy came to look at it. he looked under the car and once he looked underneath the car he didn't seem interested any more with purchasing. i looked underneath after he left and noticed the rear main seal is oily...my mechanic told me this years ago and said it wasn't a big deal but just was letting me know.

i guess my question is, what problems does a leak of a rear main seal cause? i check my oil regularly and the level is always fine. it is not leaking much at all. is this indicative of abuse or just bad luck? i've heard these engines are infamous for the leak however. also, would you NOT buy a mustang if you saw it had this problem?

 

[GT40XStang9]

A leaky rear main can cause premature clutch failure.

 

[HISSIN50]

If that is the reason for someone to walk away from a car, it wasnt meant to be (he wasnt truly passionate about your car).

WHen buying a 5.0, one assumes the RMS leaks a little by default.

 

[Aaron]

Yup - mine leaked for 3-4 years before I fixed it about a week ago when I re-did my clutch. As long as your oil level isn't affected, I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep a watch on your oil level and you will be fine.

 

[The Shape]

If I looked under a 5.0 fox and the rear main WASN"T leaking I would be suprised. Mine has leaked the whole 5 years I have owned it. My rear main seal and intake leak combined don't leak enough for me to add more than half a quart in a 3 month period so I just ignore it.

As long as it isn't gushing oil I wouldn't even worry about it. If a rear main leak scared him off then 5.0 ownership probably isn't for him.

 

[89stangWhiz]

A leaky rear main can cause premature clutch failure.

+1
My clutch failed within the first year of owning my car. However, for all I know that was the original clutch and not totally because of the oil leak.

If I looked under a 5.0 fox and the rear main WASN"T leaking I would be suprised. Mine has leaked the whole 5 years I have owned it. My rear main seal and intake leak combined don't leak enough for me to add more than half a quart in a 3 month period so I just ignore it.

As long as it isn't gushing oil I wouldn't even worry about it. If a rear main leak scared him off then 5.0 ownership probably isn't for him.

Agreed.
Mine has leaked the whole time I have owned my car too (also a bit over 5 years). Never enough to worry about it.

 

[ALMOST STOCK]

Besides the clutch issue, I've always hated seeing 2-4 drops of oil in my driveway or a friend’s driveway when I’m leaving with the car, but that's just me.

 

[jason89gt]

COULD IT BE THE OIL PAN GASKET THAT IS WHERE MINE IS LEAKING FROM? THANKS JASON

 

[TRWXXA]

When a 5.0 stops leaking oil, you know that there is no oil in the motor.

 

[tunedin302]

Besides the clutch issue, I've always hated seeing 2-4 drops of oil in my driveway or a friend’s driveway when I’m leaving with the car, but that's just me.

+1 - it just personally drive me nuts to see my car leaving any type of fluid on the ground even if it does not cause a mechanical issue.

 

[bubba-dough]

Hummm....a used car that leaks some fluid.....that is just unheard of, lol. Any used car is gonna leak something unless its still on a fresh rebuild.
Really the guy must be looking for a used Mustang that doesn't exist.

 

[Strype]

When a 5.0 stops leaking oil, you know that there is no oil in the motor.

:Word:

 

[71swing]

Don't worry about it unless its effecting the clutch performance. You need to find a mustang lover to sell too. A year ago i sold a 89 hatch on consignment
This car had every mod you could think of, it was built for fun and speed. After i sold it and got my check the kid who bought it tried to viod the check and return it to the dealer that sold it for me, because it didn't have a heater.

I had removed the heater and air conditioner because it was pure performance car, But the kid didn't want to drive a car in the winter without a heater. I told the salesman to bad, cashed my check and told him good luck driving a rear wheel car with that horespower in six inches of snow.

It did make me mad that i spent all that time in building the car to go fast for some kid to drive it in the winter. Moral of the story is if it's not a mustang lover they don't understand what they are getting into.All they see is a cool looking car. AMEN.

 

[jete]

When a 5.0 stops leaking oil, you know that there is no oil in the motor. [/QUOTE
Every single 302 I have had has leaked... a econoline, 2 f150's, 2 mustangs, and a lincoln

 

[Mr. Rustypwnz]

WERD!!!

 

[Lash]

lol...this thread made me feel better about my leak.