Rear main seal faulty after 6 hrs?

[7228sedan]

Long story short, I installed a re-man long block this summer Mark IV 454.
The boat went in the water 2nd week of August. I followed all of the typical break in procedures for a fresh build flat tappet cam just prior to the launch.

After she went in, I put 5 hours on it or so prior to opening it up for a short burst. After the carb issue was worked out, I got it up to 4400 RPM at WOT for a few minutes to make sure she wouldn't blow up . 21 knots, the best the old girl ever ran.
Upon getting back to the dock I notice a small puddle of oil in the bilge. The seam between the block and the bell housing is weeping oil. I removed the rubber access cap to inspect the flywheel and coupling. everything is wet with oil.

As this is a 2 piece rear main, the pan and main cap need to come off to replace.
Has anyone ever had this happen on a motor this young?

 

[Lepke]

I've seen it on new and rebuilt engines. Not any I've done. It depends on the guy installing the seal. I grease the journal where the seal rubs so it doesn't get hot before the oil shows up. Both rope and modern seals. If the block was done with cheap labor in some discount rebuild factory...

 

[7228sedan]

I just had her hauled this week... I'll pull the motor after the holidays and take a look. Going to change the oil pan seal and the rear main to rule both out.

 

[missinginaction]

Don't forget to let us know how this works out 7228. I'm considering an engine rebuild or long block replacement. Any advice you have after you troubleshoot this would be appreciated. Hope it all works out.

 

[7228sedan]

Oh I won't... once I can get the yard to haul the boat into their shop I'll be pulling the motor back out. As I can't confirm if it truly is the rear main or the oil pan, I'll be replacing both. I don't want to do this a 3rd time

 

[7228sedan]

So I finally got the motor pulled and the pan dropped, cap removed etc. Here's what I found, no wonder it was leaking... I polished it up in place with some oiled 1,000 grit and an old belt. Here's to not pulling this motor for a second time!

 

[baeckmo]

Oops, thanx for sharing!

 

[missinginaction]

Thanks for updating this 7728. How the heck did that get so rusty though? I'm sure you would have noticed it but I'm not sure if you did the seal personally. I've never had a problem with a leaky rear main but I've always worried about it. Thanks for sharing. MIA

 

[7228sedan]

I purchased this long block assembled with the seal in place...
It appeared almost as though it was never machined. Either that or the assembled motor was sitting prior to my buying it where moisture got in there... The motor had no pan installed when I got it, I assumed that there would have been other indications of moisture elsewhere if it was a moisture/storage issue...

That's what I get for saving a buck and buying on ebay... oh well, live and learn.

 

[sdowney717]

I purchased this long block assembled with the seal in place...
It appeared almost as though it was never machined. Either that or the assembled motor was sitting prior to my buying it where moisture got in there... The motor had no pan installed when I got it, I assumed that there would have been other indications of moisture elsewhere if it was a moisture/storage issue...

That's what I get for saving a buck and buying on ebay... oh well, live and learn.

Honestly, it sat around and got rusted, that is what happened. People should grease and oil stuff like this at assembly.

 

[KeithO]

Once upon a time I worked for a resistance welding company, who made spot weld guns. They are either in an X or C configuration, and the X style guns have pneumatic cylinders that produce over 400lb of force and have a plate linkage with a pin in the end of the cylinder ram and another pin in the arm of the weld gun to transfer load.

We had an order that shipped to India from South Africa by sea. So 6-8 weeks on the water and who knows how many weeks before I show up at the M&M factory outside of Hyderabud (200km to the middle of no-where). Well, surprise surprise, many of the X type guns wont even move when you put air on them. Enough rust had developed betwen the pins, casting and plates to lock them up solid. I had to pound the pins out with a hammer and punch, polish them up, LUBE THEM, and re-install. Only about 120 weld guns like that to work through, IMMEDIATELY, what fun... It was so hot we drank about 8L of water a day and I only peed twice. If I worked late, one had to be careful walking out the main gate because homeless laborers would be sleeping in the dirt next to the road, right outside the gate. Give one a whole different perspective on what a "nobody" is in India...

So I think you are exactly right. Just a smear of oil or grease would have protected that surface. but without it, it made a good abrasive...

 

[Rumars]

Honestly, it sat around and got rusted, that is what happened. People should grease and oil stuff like this at assembly.

Seriously? You expect people to use the propper EP assembly lubes, propper torque lubricants, and fill the engine with a specially formulated break in oil when rebuilding? Maybe you even expect them to externally pressurize the oil system before starting the engine the first time?