Hello all …
Noticed a small oil leak coming from the engine yesterday. Jacked up the car and crawled around underneath and it “appears” that the oil may be coming from the rear of the engine. As far as I can see it’s not from the rear of the cam cover, which leads me to suspect the rear main seal.
Has anyone had to deal with that and can it be replaced with the engine in place and the transmission removed?
Dennis,
Have never done that job and can only refer you to section 12.21.20 of the factory service manual for a 4.0 litre engine which describes replacing the rear crankshaft oil seal in-situ - obviously with the transmission and flywheel removed.
Can the 3.6 litre engine be different since the oil seal (EAC4974) and its housing (EAC1864) are the same for both engines.
Another possible oil leak source is from the cover plate on the back of the cylinder head which blanks off the valve chamber oil.
Thanks Bryan …
I didn’t even consider that cover plate. If that’s the culprit and there’s enough room to access it that would be so much easier.
Tomorrow I’ll get my mirrors and get serious about trying to pinpoint the source of the leak.
Is your icon the family crest / coat of arms ?
Dennis,
Apparently so. But is yours yours? 
But I’m not so sure about our family motto "“Animo non astutia” , which translates as “By courage, not by craft”, That could be interpreted as something akin to that which is said about Yorkshire men - “Yorkshire born and bred - strong in’t arm and thick in’t head”,
However, I have it on good authority (well, from someone who took Latin at school) that in this case “craft” means '“deceit”.
I also would suggest looking at the rear cover plate.
As for the rear main seal, I’m not sure what the manual says, but I can’t imagine trying to do it with the engine still in the car. When I rebuilt my engine, it took some finesse even with the engine on a stand.
Brett …
Since I’ve never done this project before is there something that isn’t obvious ? It would seem that once you have the transmission and flywheel removed you’d have unobstructed access to the rear seal area.
I would be using a lift.
Sorry Grooveman. I somehow missed the part where you said the transmission would be removed.
If the transmission is removed, it should not be an issue if it is indeed the rear main seal. The finesse I mentioned is in reference to getting the seal over the back of the crankshaft, but beyond that, its pretty straightforward.