Rear main seal estimates

[TheLincolnGreen]

Got a few estimates today and thought I would share the info.
2000 3.4 4WD
The estimates ranged from $689 to $998.
$60 in parts + cost of an oil change + 8 hours labor.
Also had one shop quote me a timing belt kit replacement. $1100. I was told this one first, so the Rear main repair seemed cheap at only $700....

 

[BoomerBob]

Why the oil change? Do they plan on doing it while the engine is running?

/s Sorry for the snark. I know shops charge a lot for their services because they have a high overhead; more so in some neighborhoods than others. Still; those are some high numbers for the area I live in. Obviously not there though.

 

[3bears]

I would think at least 5 hours to R&R tranny to get to rear seal and do all the clean up associated. Fluids and parts add to it. I can see 700 .

 

[mtbtim]

Have you considered doing the job yourself? We have a 3-Part Video series that will help you get the trans out of your way so you can get the flex plate off and the rear main seal swapped out.

Here's Part 1 to the Trans Replacement Series:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oZDSjlxl2Q4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>


To learn how to get the rear main seal out, you could consult the beginning of the video below:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mrSRBmFZ1wk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[The Cold War Kid]

Got a few estimates today and thought I would share the info.
2000 3.4 4WD
The estimates ranged from $689 to $998.
$60 in parts + cost of an oil change + 8 hours labor.
Also had one shop quote me a timing belt kit replacement. $1100. I was told this one first, so the Rear main repair seemed cheap at only $700....

How about $5?

Brake fluid swells rubber (neoprene).

Pour a SMALL can of brake fluid (dot 3) into your engine. Drive it a couple days, then change the oil. Given that the engine has a modern style seal, it's quite likely this will rejuvenate the seals (all of them, including valve seals) and fix the problem.

I've done this many times in my life. Never caused a problem and almost always worked. Do it. Don't do it. Just trying to help.

Now people will go nuts telling you this will ruin your engine, etc. etc. etc. It will not. But it will clean your engine, like few other things can.

 

[TheLincolnGreen]

How about $5?

Brake fluid swells rubber (neoprene).

Pour a SMALL can of brake fluid (dot 3) into your engine. Drive it a couple days, then change the oil. Given that the engine has a modern style seal, it's quite likely this will rejuvenate the seals (all of them, including valve seals) and fix the problem.

I've done this many times in my life. Never caused a problem and almost always worked. Do it. Don't do it. Just trying to help.

Now people will go nuts telling you this will ruin your engine, etc. etc. etc. It will not. But it will clean your engine, like few other things can.

I may try it. The issue I see is with the dried toyota seals. They are more like bakelite at this point, and I'm not confident that they will absorb anything.

As far as the quotes being high, I guess it's the area. All three are small shops known for being reasonable.

 

[jgue467]

How about $5?

Brake fluid swells rubber (neoprene).
Now people will go nuts telling you this will ruin your engine, etc. etc. etc. It will not. But it will clean your engine, like few other things can.

Old time mechanics used tranny fluid to reduce/eliminate a smoking engine, it can't hurt and just might help. They poured in a quart trans fluid to 5 quarts motor oil. :cowboy:

 

[BoomerBob]

Scotty Approved

FWIW: Scotty Kilmer highly recommends this product to swell seals and stop them from leaking.

https://smile.amazon.com/ATP-AT-205...keywords=seal+stop+leak&qid=1573609357&sr=8-1

I don't know how good this main seal stop leak is but Bar's a well known brand. They do constant testing and improvements to keep up with the latest technology.

https://smile.amazon.com/Bars-Leaks...keywords=seal+stop+leak&qid=1573609380&sr=8-3

 

[3bears]

I think some of the solutions listed above are only gonna buy time and not fix a thing for long term.
so put in juice, swell seal so it does not leak, pressure wash so all looks good, then sell
or put in juice to buy time, then get tools and parts , then fix it right

 

[photoleif]

just to throw some numbers your way... i got a marlincrawler clutch kit for $300 when they had a sale. from amazon i got a engine rebuild kit for $65 which came with a rear main seal, and a set of bando belts for $29. my mechanic and i dropped the transmission and did the clutch, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and rear main seal since it's *right there*, for $650. i separately got new belts, which we also changed out toward that labor total.

 

[LittleCaesar]

I have seen the ATP 205 used and it works, but takes at least 500 up to 2000 miles to start working. But is it a cheaper alternative than replacing the rear seal? Yep.

 

[DAWG NATION]

I feel your pain...
Just got the same bad news today (Rear Main Seal Leak). :mad2:
Even if i could afford it right now, not sure i want to spend more money on Big Bertha. She has 229K miles on the clock and who knows what else could go wrong.

I was looking at Lucas Stop Leak but i have seen a few people suggest the ATP AT 205 so i think i'm going to try the AT 205 solution for now and see what happens...

Good Luck!

 

[gamefreakgc]

Lots of good suggestions that can possibly do the job for cheap. It just feels such a rip off to spend $700 on an oil leak.

I've had good results with stop leak in my power steering system in the past.

 

[HiLife]

Another way you could possibly save is to ask a mechanic your comfortable with if is able to the job off the books. Do this only with shops/mechanics who has done work for your in the past cause no receipt is part of it.
Another way is to ask a auto trade school. Some teachers would be happy to throw the rear main seal job at the students.

 

[mtbtim]

OP, how bad is the oil leak anyway? If it's not that bad and you don't mind the oily mess, doing nothing is an option as well. Adding oil to your engine is pretty easy.

 

[VernySanders]

Honestly if you live in an area where it isnt 20 or 30 degrees for the next 4 months I'd just invest a Saturday into it. Wakeup at 6am worst case you finish at 6pm, learn a bunch, spend 700 dollars on brand new tools instead of making someone else's dreams come true and you get the same result.

But that's just me. Anytime something goes wrong with mine or my girlfriends car I go invest in the tools to fix it. Nice tools. Not crap ones.

 

[RotaryDreamz]

OP, how bad is the oil leak anyway? If it's not that bad and you don't mind the oily mess, doing nothing is an option as well. Adding oil to your engine is pretty easy.

This is exactly what I've been doing. Engine and transmission has over 330k mi on original. My leak is fairly small. I'm starting to suspect my flex plate has a small crack now due to the noise in the area. My plan is to drop in a JDM motor with new transmission. The truck still runs strong, takes me all over the place. Going to keep bandaiding it until it's time for a complete overhaul so I can do everything all at once. Even then, that could be another 100k mi more miles knowing how dependable these motors are.

 

[mtbtim]

Honestly if you live in an area where it isnt 20 or 30 degrees for the next 4 months I'd just invest a Saturday into it. Wakeup at 6am worst case you finish at 6pm, learn a bunch, spend 700 dollars on brand new tools instead of making someone else's dreams come true and you get the same result.

But that's just me. Anytime something goes wrong with mine or my girlfriends car I go invest in the tools to fix it. Nice tools. Not crap ones.

I subscribe to this as well. What do you consider nice tools? I've been buying most of my tools via Amazon. Some of the companies I've bought several tools from are Milwaukee, Dewalt, Gear Wrench and OTC. I will not buy Snap-on or Matco because the price point on them is way too high. I can get so much more for my money by staying clear of the Box Truck Brands. And, so far I've done very well with the tool manufacturers I've chosen. Tools are a great investment but I'd never suggest somebody mortgage their house or give up their first born for a tool box full of Snap-on or Matco tools.

 

[BoomerBob]

I subscribe to this as well. What do you consider nice tools? I've been buying most of my tools via Amazon. Some of the companies I've bought several tools from are Milwaukee, Dewalt, Gear Wrench and OTC. I will not buy Snap-on or Matco because the price point on them is way too high. I can get so much more for my money by staying clear of the Box Truck Brands. And, so far I've done very well with the tool manufacturers I've chosen. Tools are a great investment but I'd never suggest somebody mortgage their house or give up their first born for a tool box full of Snap-on or Matco tools.

This reminded me of this picture.

 

[brillo_76]

I subscribe to the theory if it its seriously broke don't fix it. A few leaks in the rust belt help keep my engine compartment from rusting out.

Bump a grade of oil up.. instead of 5W, use 10W.. Will locus stop or slow the leak down probably. However, if your in the north colder climate. Your engine may not start because your oil is way too thick and your starter cant turn it over.

From what I read, locus is only good if your engine is super extremely worn and if very cold of winter not good for your engine because it can starve your components from oil until it the block warms up thus speeding up wear instead of slowing it down.

Lots of old tricks of swelling seals, However, that is short lived. A seal can only last so long. But valid points as the seal is already worn. So at this point what does it truely matter.

OP what kind of oil do you use? Synthetic, conventional or blended?