Clipper47 Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 I am looking for advice regarding the use of a "Sneaky Pete" rear main seal removal tool. I am replacing the main and rod bearings on my Packard and with the engine in the car. The rear main seal which is a wick or rope seal does weep a bit and I am thinking now would be a good time to change it. The manual I have advises to remove the transmission and lower the crankshaft 1/2" to slide a new upper seal in place but does not mention using any specific tool. The Slim Jim instructions say nothing about removing the trans and seem to imply that the upper seal can be removed without lowering the crank. Any advice based on personal experience with this tool would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketDude Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I have no experience with that engine, and I figured someone else would jump in here, but since they haven't, I'll go for it. I have used that tool on rope rear main seals on many occasions, just not on your brand.. It consists of a thick wire with really course threads on one end, and a loop on the other end. it's about 10 inches long. You screw the threaded end in the end of the rope seal as far as you can, and then slowly turn the crank as you pull the rod and seal out by the loop on the end. If you don't turn the crank, the seal won't move..! To re-install, you grease the crapolla out of the new seal and put it in the sneaky pete, which is just Chinese fingers on the end of a wire. Grab the end, and pull it through as you again turn the crank slowly, obviously in the same direction your pulling..! Cut it off flush and put on a little dab of silicone on the joint. I've never heard them called Slim Jim, only Sneaky Pete. I'm sure we are talking about the same thing. Never had to lower the crank. That would be a major production. Don't know why you would need to jerk the trans if you can get at the rear main, but like I said, I haven't worked on that engine Good luck and have fun..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipper47 Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 OOPs, Yes Sneaky Pete is the brand name! Thanks for that bit of insight. I'll change my post.I might give it a try as I know I can remove the old seal quite easily but I am primarily concerned with getting the new one in and have heard that it can be difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Albert Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 The rope seal should not be a problem getting dave, Kanters sells them , and an auto supply , like auto zone should be able to get it too, just need to know the rope size mostly, as they are trimmed to suit anyway.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipper47 Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 I have a new rope seal. The part number is for a 49 Chevrolet but it looks the same size as the Packard lower portion I removed. I pressed the Chev one into the lower groove and it looks right. Were rope seals pretty much one standard thickness in the US car industry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketDude Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Some more thoughts I had while bored out of my skull sitting in a doctor's waiting room for hours today. One, if it is just seeping a little, that might be not too bad, as rope seals were seldom perfect. The severity of the leak would determine if you want to jump in to that project. The second thought is, if the rope is seeping, it would most likely be seeping on the bottom half, since that is where the weight and pressure would be. You might just want to skip the scary top half, and go for the bottom half. If you looked at the old seal before you removed it from the cap, you should be able to tell if that is the seep area. Just tossing out a couple more options for you to think about.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipper47 Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 RocketDude. Those are my thoughts also. The weeping is very small. I have the engine oil pan off to replace bearings and thought it might be a good idea but if I screw up that upper seal it might be a nightmare getting a new one in. I think that replacing the lower portion will be OK. Seldom a good idea to fix something that ain't broken as they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coley Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 If you do put a new upper half in (which I would do), be sure to not cut it off flush with the block, but leave an 1/8" or so on each end. Using a plastic tool (you make one up that is the size of a pencil or smaller), push this 1/8" up until it is flush with the block and then put a dab of sealer on the end and put the lower cap on and torque it on.No need to lower the crank (or remove the trans to allow the crank to drop a bit). Pushing it up packs it a bit and helps prevent seeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 No need for a "sneaky Pete" type tool. Just use a piece of 14 gauge copper wire pushed through the end 1/2" of the rope seal. Have someone turn crank as you pull rope through. The new seals seem to be made of Kevlar or other "can't cut" material. A knife or razor blade can't cut them. A scissor will if you get the seal well back in the blades and work it through. This can't be done with the seal in place under the crank. What will work is to cut it off with a dremal abrasive wheel but be sure to put a thin shield between the seal and crank or you will nick the crank for sure. A feeler gauge works good.After all that, the seal will most likely still leak because pulling it through the groove stretchs it out and you can't possibly "pack" it to compress it between the crank and block. If it's just a seep or drip learn to love it. It will keep the leaks from your tranny and steering box company.......Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_pete324rock Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 just my two cents....Having gone thru this not so long ago-'tis still fresh in my mind.If nothing else and it is easy to do-at least take a look at the condition of the seal. Mine (rope) was turned(not flush) and a little chewed up and amazingly didn't leak as bad as the condition of the seal warranted.My sneaky pete was made with a throttle cable wire which is strong and yet flexible-I sharpened the end with a grinder-very important-and used it to "stab" the old seal.At the non-sharpened end of the wire I made a knot with pliers.Once thru the seal,grapped it with locking pliers to yank it thru-took several attemps to get it all out-but very easy.Be very careful not to nick that crank journal-by all means!If I had taken the cap off and seem that the top was okay-I would have left it because I couldn't imagine being able to pack that seal up in there with it being any better than a used seal that was once put in with the crank out.Luckily my choice was made with a replacement 2 piece rubber seal-the proper thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Guy Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 Years ago I bought a tool that was nothing more than a piece of thick wall tubing with a plunger in it that fit the bore. You place a piece of stiff wire in the tool, and placed it against the block with the wire between the block and the seal. You then drove the wire behind the seal and it pushed the seal into contact with the crank. I always put in two wires and then pulled the seal from the main cap and laid in three or four pieces of thick cord. this tightened up the bottom. This system will dry up the leak unless the seal is really bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_pete324rock Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I would also like to mention that I've seen on the web somewhere where a guy suggests using wires behind the upper seal in the groove to put more tension on the seal against the crank - not tried this but I suppose it could work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now