So Ive always had a pretty bad oil leak coming from the rear main seal, but Ive been avoiding the replacement of it because of the cost to have it done. Today i filled my car with a few quarts of oil and after driving 20 miles on the highway the oil light came on and it started ticking and running rough so i pulled off the road and parked at my dads tire kingdom and shut the car off. when i got out of the car it smelled like burning plastic and i walked to the back of the car there was flames shooting from my exhaust and my stillen kit was gettin roasted! Apparently when i was on the highway something hit my rear stillen lip and knocked it loose and caused it to rest on my muffler, setting the lip on fire! Soo Luckily i found a flower pot and a facet on the side of the building and put out the fire haha /: My oil leak saved my azz haha the damage isnt too bad but the paint is ruined around the burnt area.

So after all this BS my question is where can i get a good quality rear main seal without going through nissan ?

 

Glad to hear the damage wasn't as bad as it could've been, however:

Its not really THAT much at Nissan. If its something that costs so much to have replaced, why would you not want to put something thats quality in there? I've made mistakes by throwing in aftermarket stuff that has caused nothing but headaches and trouble. Just spend the extra bucks is all I can say.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1612_1615.html

Seal:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_sear....php?keywords=[12279]+\(j30&cPath=1610_1611_1612_1615

Sear Retainer:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/12296-r...4-p-41540.html

Someone please confirm these are the correct part numbers for the rear main seal and bracket.

 

for seals i prefer to go with oem

 

Is this the same seal behind the crankshaft? I too have neglected to change this seal, because of all the other maintenance issues, which are not too bad for a car this old just a little annoying at times. When I get ready to do the timing belt, I will do the water pump, and that seal all in one.

 

its the seal behind the flywheel

 

Yeah its not that i didnt want to buy the seal cuz i know it doesnt cost that much... but the reason i neglected replacing it is because the tranny has to come out, as im sure yall know, and the labor for the job is like 300 bucks /: but thanks for those links. Ill prolly just go OEM like you said.

 

why dont you try it yourself

 

For things like engine seals, the best way to not have to spend that $300 AGAIN is to buy OEM. pay less for the seal and do the labor twice, or pay a few bucks more for the seal and do it once...

Things like brake pads and rotors and things like that, no big deal- buy wherever. Oil pumps, engine seals, etc- buy OEM.

 

I would try it my self if i could but i dont have quite the experience or the equipment.

 

all you need is a jack and hand tools

 

I don't think you need to replace the retainer, just pop the old seal out of it and press the new one in.

 

I broke a retainer once, but that was a big oops.. using too big of a hammer and not enough patience to insert the new seal.
I've probably changed 15 of those seals in the last 10 years, and only broken one (and it was on a 4 gen... They pretty much call for replacement on theirs)

 

hi i have a maxima 99 auto a couple of months ago i get on the highway i drove for about 5 miles and i got a "service engine soon",because of past experiences i decide to come back home driving local so i made it back,i decided to drive to work only locally,exactly after 2 weeks the light went off,yet i kept driving only local,i got a oil change a couple of days ago the guy told me i have "a minor oil leak" and he put on the receipt "rear main seal",i saw something on the web ,is called WHITE SHEPPERD rear main sealer,just pour it with the oil and drive the car for 2 days,is this any good?

 

I would not use this ghetto tactic. Pouring some 'magical fix' in your oil...it's telling you it's doing something to your oils consistency.

 

1. please post in the right forum.
2. don't mess with any of that stop leak crap. it doesn't solve the problem and causes many more. Time to fix it right.
3. your check engine light has nothing to do with a minor oil leak.