I have a 96 Infiniti i30 with auto trans that has a rear main seal leaking. How hard is it to do? Do you really have to take the oil pan off? Any tricks to help me out? Anything is appreciated. After I do this one I'm going to have to do it on my 2000 maxima 5 speed.

 

Upper oil pan has to be removed.

Make sure that it's the rear main and not the half moon seal directly below it. Rear main seals rarely go bad on our cars. Half moons go bad all the time and get mistaken for a rear main leak.

 

So is that part of the oil pan gasket?

 

Laugh if you want, but my buddys max rms was leaking bad and he used AT-205 Reseal from amazon...i wouldnt believe how it worked if i didnt see it!!!
its a polymer you put in the oil and or tranny fluid or both!! i wouldnt believe it if i didnt see it..even stopped spark plug tubes from leakin...matter of fact he still puts a little in every other oil change and some in for tranny drain and fills...i bet if you would put 1 bottle in it would stop....if not 90% at least, 12 bux from amazon may save u alot of work!! worth a try..my buddy did it 2 yrs ago and i think like 30k miles ago..he learned about it from that scotty kilmer dude on youtube...that guy swears by it!!! check some of his videos on cars that leak oil!!!

 

Yes it's part of the upper pan.

I'm laughing at every fix in a bottle.
Fix it right.

 

Totally agree

 

Here are a couple of "front half moon" pictures before and after change. The rear half moon mounts to the block instead of the timing cover.

You can see old the older half moon below that is deteriorating. Any oil additive capable of filling the gaps around a deteriorating half moon would most likely restrict oil flow and result in serious engine problems.

 

My buddys still laughing, its worth a try, go read the reviews on amazon

heres another lauph, the 1st review on amazon this mornin:

Had oil leaking from rear main seal in '03 Maxima and got 5 estimates to replace in the $700 to $950 price range. $42 part and the rest was labor. One mechanic suggested I try AT 205 first so I stopped by his shop and bought a bottle. I don't like using any engine additives but he said he used it in one of his high mileage personal cars with good results. Poured it in and over night the leak was gone. That was 3 weeks ago and no more oil spot in the driveway.

But i do agree, if you plan on drivin your already 17 yr old car another 5 to 10 yrs...fix it!

 

AT 205 is interesting stuff. It has the consistency of water so it will not clog up anything. It doesn't swell up the rubber, it puts the pliability back into it. I put it in my GF's 21 y/o Camry because it had a RMS leak and she didn't want to spend $900 to fix it. I doesn't leak anymore after 9 months. Before I added it to the oil, I put a piece of her 21 y/o heater hose in a jar of it. It didn't swell, crumble or deteriorate, it did become pliable again. It evaporates out of the oil after about 2 weeks. I agree with Fakie. It is most likely the oil pan seals. The only reason I tried the AT 205 was because it wasn't my car. Im such a rat, but the stuff did work.

 

So is it true that it's the half moons on both engines? The 96 i30 and my 2000 maxima?

 

Close visual inspection is the only way to know for sure, but it's more likely it's the half moon than the RMS unless the car has been driven while way overfilled with oil.
I hear that causes the RMS to go.

 

FWIW...i just replaced my clutch and the RMS was leaking bad, all over the rear of the engine.

 

I dont know how many miles you have on the car, i was simply suggesting that stuff cuz lets face it, sooner or later it comes a time when they gotta go (unless money and fixin time is no issue)...

in case anyone has a leaky seal on a floor jack..it works perfect on them too!

But i will admit, i would love for u to try it and report back, especially if its the half moon seal...like to know if it works good on them too
good luck with watever you choose!