Rear Main Seal Leak ID

[CustomWag]

hi all, i'm Rick's son...he's doing the rms at home with no internet, so he asked me to ask: he's got all the oil pan bolts out, but the oil pan won't come loose. He's smacked it with a rubber mallet, looks like blue rtv across the front. Any suggestions how to get it loose?
he thought it would be bad to drive a screwdriver between the pan and the block, but maybe that's the only way? Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated thx much, anxiously awaiting replies

[KaiserMan]

Smack it harder. If all the bolts are out that should be all it takes. I've had to hit pans pretty hard with a mallet to knock them loose.

[CustomWag]

should he stay with the mallet or can he switch to a BFH?

[mrtazwrench]

I'd stick with a mallet or deadblow, BFH would bend up the sheetmetal pan pretty easy.

[KaiserMan]

Originally Posted by mrtazwrench

I'd stick with a mallet or deadblow, BFH would bend up the sheetmetal pan pretty easy.

Ditto. What size amllet is he using? Maybe a larger onoe is order.

Could try a block of wood against the pan and hit that with a bfh. Shouldn't hurt the pan unless you hit it really hard.

[CustomWag]

ok, thx much. He's been whalin on it already, but he says he'll keep poundin away

[CustomWag]

one more question; now that the starter is off, and he's got a good view underneath, it looks like the passenger side valve cover is leaking pretty badly. he's curious if it's possible that a valve cover leak can get as bad as an rms leak? because he's losing massive amounts of oil

[Ristow]

yes they can! i've yet to have a "rear seal leak" actually be one!

the ends of the intake can dump copious amounts of oil too!

if it's a rms,the engine side of the flexplate will be covered in oil from the crank to the ring gear,and the inside of the bellhousing will have oil slung all over inside it.

is the starter nosecone FULL of oil?

[CustomWag]

no, the nose cone was clean and dry

[Ristow]

Originally Posted by CustomWag

no, the nose cone was clean and dry

well,a seal leak will leak oil past the seal,to the crank flange,and the spinning crank/flexplate will sling it out down the frontside of the flexplate,and off the end of the ringgear,getting oil all over in there.

sounds to me like it is not the rear seal.

[CustomWag]

my dad says thanks mike and all the rest of you guys, he's buttoning it back up, and gonna have another look-see later