What is the recommendation as far as whether or not I should replace the rear main seal when I do my clutch replacement?

Dan

 

Replace it if it is leaking, otherwise leave it alone.

 

I would have bet that you would have said to replace it just for preventitive maintenance

 

I feel as though it is a very good idea to replace the rear main seal while it is out. For a extra $26 you will possibly be able to avoid a big headache down the road that will cost you another $300. I had mine replaced when my new Clutch was put in. BTW my dad just had his 94 Volvo 850's replaced because it was leaking and it cost him about $550{more expensive on a Volvo}.

 

Either way.

I did it when I had my clutch replaced on my other car. The guy at the shop was really cool and told me if I wanted to go pick up the part, he'd put it in with no additional labor charge (it's like a 5 minute job with the trannmission off).

However, you can look at it the other way. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. If it doesn't leak now, messing with it might cause it to leak later

-V

 

Replace versus leave alone... there is no "right answer" to this question. I favor the "leave alone" path for these reasons...

1) If it was a part which is a known trouble spot in the engine, I would say "replace". The rear main seal is not a known trouble spot on the VQ30DE.

2) It is easy and fast to replace the rear main seal if you already have the flywheel off. If you are doing a garden-variety clutch replacement you might not want to remove the flywheel. Some techs say "always resurface the flywheel when doing a clutch job." These are the same guys who say "always resurface the rotors when doing a brake job." I won't say they are wrong, but I prefer to use judgement. Look at the flywheel (or rotor) and decide what it needs.