Hello all,
I am about to start fitting the crankshaft back into the block with new everything.
I am quite anxious at the prospect of doing the rear main seal…
Just opened the package containing the Payen gasket set and my first visual impression leaves me underwhelmed…
This does not scream of quality…
I am not building a race car but would love to have a leakfree engine that I won’t have to take apart again in my lifetime.
Am I cheaping out with this Payen set?
Thanks.
All looks like standard-grade Payen stuff.
That’s what’s on my ‘yet to be installed’ 3.4
This was deleted by Mitch
It’s in a british car, and it is supposed to leak a little 
Parts look fine to me and the best tip about the rope seal I ever heard was using the crankshaft itself. Not fun though any way you go at it…
Always ready to be corrected, Did I really say it wouldn’t work?
Alright, so Payen is ok, good to know. Note from the picture that the way one of the paper gasket is packaged means that it is already torn… 
For the rear main seal, it looks like this video has become the reference:
The oil filter housing trick is an interesting one and I have a spare crankshaft also. I will consider that project to be a workout 
How long are you intending to live Eric ? 
Peter B
I don’t remember just how I did mine. I must have gotten lucky as I didn’t go through all of this, and for some years, that seal has been quite dry. Now, having said that, I’ve just f@$&#d myself🙄
Hi Eric,
There is much confusion about the crank seals on the standard 3.4 liter Jag engine used on the XK-120, which I’m assuming you have, since the Payen set you bought has rope seal material in it. The front of the 3.4 L crankshaft employs a rope seal. You have no seal at the rear. Instead you have a scroll that is basically a screw thread cut into the crankshaft that is supposed to wind back the oil splashing around the rear area of your sump. When you stop the engine, especially if you are inclined backward, oil drips from this area and coats the back of the oil pan and eventually proceeds to coat the entire bottom of the bell housing, transmission, and bottom of your car. This is standard fare for the early Jags. The rope seal on the front eventually wears away and oil begins to seep from that area and coat the remainder of the oil pan and add to the flow of oil heading to the rear of your car. This is why so many Jag frames survived, encrusted with oil and goo. 
We have discussed on the XK Forum the installation of a real lip seal on the front of the crankshaft, search the archives. We have also had discussion of the installation of a real rear seal and what is entailed. I have retrofitted both to my engine, rebuild in 2016 and now have a leak free engine, well worth the attention to that detail IMHO>
Tom Brady
The only way you’ll get a leak free engine with the Payen gaskets is with a lot of silicone. I don’t like silicone.
Terry’s Jag has the full kit of Cometic gaskets for your engine for about $125, minus head gasket, and rear main. The only reason to not use the standard head gasket is if the head or block has been shaved. If you CC the chambers, then the Cometic can be ordered in different thicknesses. The only non Cometic gaskets on my engine are the oil filter housing (I didn’t like the way they cut it), and the rear sump strip (It was hard as a rock).
For the rear main, if you go with the rope you really must use the factory mandrel tool to set it otherwise it will leak. It will probably leak anyway. My rope seal started leaking at 12k and wasn’t a seal any longer by 20k. When mine was apart over the summer I had the crank cut to use the rubber lip seal adapter instead of rope.
Tom, my engine is a 4.2l XJ6 SII…
I intend to use RTV everywhere, unless not suitable!
Aaaasnd once more, I call bullshit…
RTV is juuuust fine, if used properly.
And I know I didn’t.
