Rear main seal. Is it rope or normal

[AntonRX]

Hey
I have to do my rear main seal in my uni mid year break cause my mum hates oil leaking on driveway. I was wondering if the seal was a rope seal or is it just normal rubber round seal. Need to know cause i am gona do it myself and rope seals can be a bit tricky

Cheers

[Full Spectrum]

I can't tell you that mate sorry, But it's not easy unless things have changed from the day we blew our rear main seal in the old VB Commodore. Cheap part but a shit hard job, $20 i think the part was and the labour was about $500. I meet this mechanic that stuck something under the rear main and blocked it up $10.

Hang on this might help maybe?.. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HOLDEN-COMMOD...QQcmdZViewItem

[AntonRX]

cheers mate. That is a v6 one though sorry forgot to mention it is a V8
Yeah i realise the part is ogna be cheap. I am just hoping it is a normal rubber seal like the one you have shown in the ebay link and not a rope seal as i realise some old V8's do use rope seals.
Ill be doing the job myself and i have taken out engine before and done heaps of work as i work part time as an unqualified mechanic so i can use the hoist and stuff to take out gearbox so no labour charge for me

[samuels]

Hey
I have to do my rear main seal in my uni mid year break cause my mum hates oil leaking on driveway. I was wondering if the seal was a rope seal or is it just normal rubber round seal. Need to know cause i am gona do it myself and rope seals can be a bit tricky

Cheers

it's a rope seal ...if you have never done one before,it's quicker to take motor out and do it that way...
i couldn't tell you what the 5 litre uses for rear main...rope or normal seal.

[AntonRX]

uh so your saying the seal in my 91 VQ V8 is a rope seal? or if it is ill need to take engine out but you don't know if it is?

[AntonRX]

actually i just had a look in my how to rebuild hotrod V8 book and YAY its a rope seal NoOOOoo oh well might as well send the gearbox for a rebuild while i do it. Has anyone done it wiht th engine in the car? i think i should be able to get the sump of and i have a hoise so should make thigns a bit easier to get to.

[samuels]

uh so your saying the seal in my 91 VQ V8 is a rope seal? or if it is ill need to take engine out but you don't know if it is?

no i'm saying the V6's are rope seal,and yes it's easier to take motor out,as for the V8, i haven't had to do a rear main seal on a V8,so i can't tell you whether it's rope of standard seal

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Vn 5 litre is rope seal, i am 100% sure! You can do it in the car but it is probably easier to do out of the car on an engine stand. Are you replacing the whole seal or just the bottom half? If you want to do it in the car, just put a engine cradle across the guards, drop the k frame and pull the sump out. Then remove the rear bearing cap and replace the seal.

[Garth]

who knows, it all depends on the series of your vq, if it's a series1 vq, then rope, if it's a serie2, then normal rear main. engine number will tell you what series it is

and yes, it can be done with motor still in the car, but gearbox needs to be removed completely

[Blown V6 Hatch]

All 5 litres are rope seal, all the way up to vt s1.

[AntonRX]

yeah i know i have to take the gearbox out but i need to do that cause it needs rebuilding anyway.
So ill need to take the K frame off to take the sump off. Umm if i do the whole seal ill need to take the crank off as well yeah? pritty much if i am gona do the bottom one i need to do the top one no point doing just one as either of the two could be leaking. I am right in saying that?

[Boonz]

no the crank doesnt have to come out.... the rope can be forced around by a special tool called a "sneaky pete" but it is just as easy to pull the whole engine out as pulling the crossmember out is just as much rooting around

[samuels]

no the crank doesnt have to come out.... the rope can be forced around by a special tool called a "sneaky pete" but it is just as easy to pull the whole engine out as pulling the crossmember out is just as much rooting around

and it just as easy to just unbolt the crank,by the time you muck about with all the buggering around with that tool..

[Blown V6 Hatch]

and it just as easy to just unbolt the crank,by the time you muck about with all the buggering around with that tool..

True, i have seen people try to do it with a sneaky pete and stuffed it up. Sometimes with that tool they leak worse than the old seal! If doing the whole seal there is only one way to do it and that is to remove the crank and do it properly!

[Blown V6 Hatch]

no the crank doesnt have to come out.... the rope can be forced around by a special tool called a "sneaky pete" but it is just as easy to pull the whole engine out as pulling the crossmember out is just as much rooting around

Dropping the K frame is only a 2 hour job max. No rooting around with a hoist!

[AntonRX]

well i am defently taking the cranks of cause i might as well change the bearing while i am at it cause its not exspensive pplus wouldn't it sucks if i forced it around put i tback together and it leaked.
I wouldnt htink it would take two hours for K frame. either way think ill take out engine and gearbox get gearbox done and ill check my plugs soon before i do seal and see if they are burning oil may as well go full out if i am gona take engine out if its burning oil.

Are stock bearings fine to use? is there anything i should upgrade just incase for later on?