How to replace the rear main seal. Should i get a "rope" seal or something else, i've heard of other types, and how does this install?
If you have to ask, you probably need "prfessional" help. That is, installing a rear main seal is a specific operation, common to most engines. The "rope" seal in the Pontiac complicates it some, but not much.
Depending on which car you have, the engine may or may not need to "come out" to replace the seal. Doing it "in the car" is a real adventure under the best of conditions.
All the mains need to be "loosened". The rear main cap must be removed, and some "slack" created for the upper half (crank is lowered a bit). Peel the old seal out. Clean the groove (VERY important). Follow the instructions that come with the seal for install. "Forming" it is a an exercise in dexterity.
In factory blocks, we always use the GraphTite rope seal. It's light-years ahead of the old rope seals provided in most gasket sets. Most Pontiac vendors sell it.
Jim
I think you should pull the engine and take the crank completely out then use a "Best Gaskets" graphite rope seal. Just my opinion.
Al.
Apparently V-8 seal replacement is much harder that OHC. Only had to remove rear main cap and rotate out the old. Oh course, getting to the main cap was 99% of the work.
i replaced mine a couple of years ago , i tried to use chinese fingers to reemove the old rope seal, but it was falling apart & could not remove it with that tool. i ended up pulling the crank shaft out of the engine & removing the old rear seal. i replaced it with a VITON seal.