epriv Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Contrary to "There is no thing as a stupid question", here's one.....what is this? (in the circle). More stupid questions to follow once I find out. Thanks, Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black River Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 That's the bell housing. It houses the flywheel and torque converter and connects the trans to the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epriv Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 Thanks. Any reason why I would be leaking motor oil out of the notch punched in the center (white box in picture)? It is definitely motor oil and not trans fluid. It does not leak when the car is on a level surface, only on an incline. I suspect the oil pan gasket is faulty causing oil to leak into the bell housing, then exiting through the hole. (this is not my car but a stock picture I found on the internet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsgun Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I think it's possible the rear main seal for the motor is leaking. I'm facing the same problem. It only leaks when the car is running? Generally (very generally), leaking while sitting is gaskets, and leaking while running is seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 The bell housing is the top front part of the transmission, and is part of the aluminum case of the transmission. the part you have circled unbolts from the transmission and is called a flywheel cover. Flywheel covers always have a hole in the bottom of them to allow motor oil to escape if there is a rear main seal leaking oil or the rear pan gasket seal leaking oil in to the cover. To diagnose your leak you need to remove the flywheel cover, then you can see where the leak is coming from. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 You said this is not your engine but if you're going to replace rear (or front) seals, research the use of neoprene V6 Buick rear seals and V8 Buick big block front seals to replace the OE rope seals. Those part numbers are in the tech tips on the ROA website. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I have the "Modern" seals in stock along with the instructions & nec. sealers to install them. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offdensen Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) Should only be 4 bolts or so that hold the cover on. No prep works needs to be done before removing it, just take it off and get a flashlight. Is that a 3rd gen rivi? Edited June 27, 2017 by offdensen (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) It looks like the car has been sitting a while. If it was mine I would try to put 200-300 miles on it and see if the rope sucks up a little fresh oil and seals. If not, dive in and fix it. There are a lot of problems one can find on a car that has been sitting a long time that clear up with some driving. Once I picked up a friend's car and put a fast 100 miles on it. I brought it back the next day and he, absolutely, would not believe I hadn't worked on it, didn't touch a thing. On the tradition of the stupid question comment. Make it a point to distinguish between stupid and ignorant. Once you are fully comfortable with them you will find there really are very few stupid questions. Very few. Bernie And try not to leave cars parked on grass. Edited June 27, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 54 minutes ago, offdensen said: Should only be 4 bolts or so that hold the cover on. No prep works needs to be done before removing it, just take it off and get a flashlight. Is that a 3rd gen rivi? No gaskets either; it's just a dust cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivRider Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 If your leak isn't too bad try Lucas oil stabilizer,I have Lucas in every fluid in all my cars,I just last weekend pulled my '72 Riv out of the barn for first time in four years,my bad,needs lots more exercise.She had leaked a little oil and a lot of trans fluid,changed both and added Lucas and about 250 miles over the last week and not a drop on the floor.When I first got this car 26 years ago,there was a whine in the rear,changed that to straight Lucas,as indicated on bottle,and the whine never returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Do you need to pull engine and crank to install later model seals mentioned above? Or can you just pull trans and install seal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 To install a rear seal, you don't need to pull the transmission, but because of the way the crossmember goes under the pan, you need to lift the engine to remove the pan. You might as well pull the engine and replace the seals. You can replace the rear rope seal with a neoprene seal without removing the crank. Tom T. and other nailhead rebuilders might know some tricks, but that's their livelihood. Adding a little oil every once in a while is a whole lot less expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 10 hours ago, offdensen said: Should only be 4 bolts or so that hold the cover on. No prep works needs to be done before removing it, just take it off and get a flashlight. Is that a 3rd gen rivi? . . . looks like a 'used' 2nd generation Riviera, and they all leak a little oil from the rear seal. As long as it is not too severe - just keep driving it ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Thanks for the responses. Mine not bad just embarrassing. Parked in a friends pristine garage one night after a 3 hour drive and it marked it's territory. Just a few drops but enough that his wife pointed it out to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Just carry a cheap plastic trip pan and a coffee can of oil dry with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 (edited) Kind of made me wonder about V8Speedshop.com. Just thinkin', you know. Bernie Edited June 28, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 In reality it's actually easier to install the modern seal than it is to remove the rope seal. ONLY need to remove the rear cap. NOT nec. to loosen the other mains. I've done so many in the car I've lost count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 On 6/27/2017 at 9:34 AM, telriv said: I have the "Modern" seals in stock along with the instructions & nec. sealers to install them. Tom T. Mr. Tom, Do you sell these seals? If so, for which engines? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epriv Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 Thanks everyone. It's a 70, 455, 74k. Since the leak is not bad, rather than lifting the engine I'll live with it until at least I have the engine rebuilt. Not fiscally prudent to replace the seals if it's just a minor leak. The oil level never seems to go down anyway. Funny thing is, it only drips when it's on an incline. It doesn't drip when the car is running or not when it's on a level plane. Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 The 455 already has the modern seals in it. If it only leaks when parked on an incline, I'd look at the oil pan gasket rather than the main seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Bars Leaks makes a bottle of magic potion that you pour in your oil, and it softens the rubber on the rear main seal so it will seal again. Give the stuff a try....we've fixed several cars with leaking neopreme rear main seals in our shop by using this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 3 hours ago, epriv said: Thanks everyone. It's a 70, 455, 74k. Since the leak is not bad, rather than lifting the engine I'll live with it until at least I have the engine rebuilt. Not fiscally prudent to replace the seals if it's just a minor leak. The oil level never seems to go down anyway. Funny thing is, it only drips when it's on an incline. It doesn't drip when the car is running or not when it's on a level plane. Mitch Check to be sure the crankcase is not overfilled. Often seals are intended to do their job against a spinning shaft like a crankshaft but are not designed to seal against oil leakage in a static situation such as would occur if the crankcase is overfilled and oil is pooled against the seal with the crank in a stationary position. This would likely not apply to the old school rope seal, I`m not sure because I have never encountered such a situation in an old car. I have encountered such a situation in more modern truck applications where the seal is a lip seal and the lip is designed with features/contours which actually encourage the flow of oil away from the dry side of the seal. This requires the sealed surface to be spinning. Long ago I serviced a truck/tractor in which the fleet mechanic installed a new rear main seal TWICE (BIG job and a real PITA) with the same result...a puddle of oil under the truck after being parked for several hours. I check the crankcase level and found at some point the wrong dipstick had been installed and the driver was overfilling the crankcase. Much easier to do on a large diesel engine as it requires 44 quarts to be up to the full mark...so what`s 10 extra quarts? In spite of being new, the seal would not hold back oil because it was not designed to seal in a static circumstance where the oil was pooled against it. After correcting the oil level the rear main stayed bone dry...apologies in advance for rambling, Tom Mooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epriv Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 Tom, funny you should mention that, I had just changed the oil a few days prior to noticing the leak (it always dripped a small amount). It was noticeably faster just after I changed the oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 PWB, For ALL "Nailheads". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 telriv, Are the new style seals for 425 nail one or two piece? Trying to visualize how to do with engine in car. Do you do this with the transmission in our out of car? Thanks in advance for any help. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Two piece. The transmission has nothing to do with main seal replacement. Replacement is done by removing the rear main bearing cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Trans. in car. 2 piece seal. Tom T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Thanks guys, now how do I get one. 64, 425 nail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) On 6/28/2017 at 6:49 PM, telriv said: PWB, For ALL "Nailheads". Tom, I`m not up to speed with acronyms...what does PWB mean? Tom Ooops, didnt see that PWB posted, got it Edited June 30, 2017 by 1965rivgs (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 4 hours ago, ronnie27 said: Thanks guys, now how do I get one. 64, 425 nail. Contact Tom. Look for a thread from Jolly-John selling an ROA license plate frame. Tom's contact info is in that thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Will do, Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telriv Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Ronnie, A check or Postal Money Order made out to myself for $30.00. Includes shipping in the 48 states. Along with instructions & the sealer I use & a tool to help installation. Will send a tracking number when shipped. Tom Telesco 12 Cook St. Norwalk, Ct. 06853-1601 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie27 Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Got it Tom, it will be one the way soon. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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