440 rear main seal... thoughts

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flathead31coupe said:
I was just hoping it came with instructions lol
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Yeah I'm not sure if it's throw and go deal or if you actually have special procedures to use on that particular product I just know it's a fix-it for that problem area, unfortunately I've never used one myself so I can't help you however they're open in the morning I just give them a phone call about 9:00 or 10:00!
 
flathead31coupe said:
Thanks
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No Problem! They're pretty good about stuff over there. I've called and talked to them people more than once, I mean they get pretty busy, but they will spend a few minutes with you, to get you straightened out Perhaps they can email you something, or they could just give you some verbal instructions real quick...
 
Google it. I have seen YouTube video on this. Did it come with the alignment studs?

Seemed simple enough. Check Mopar Action on you tube!
 
If me, put the alignment pins in, prep the seals with a tad of silicon behind, roll in the block side if needed With light oil on the crank side. Make sure the lip on the half rounds is facing inward, put a light coat of silicon over the 4 side rings and lightly push it home. Pop out the pins and insert the bolts and torque to factory specs.
 
1969383S said:
If me, put the alignment pins in, prep the seals with a tad of silicon behind, roll in the block side if needed With light oil on the crank side. Make sure the lip on the half rounds is facing inward, put a light coat of silicon over the 4 side rings and lightly push it home. Pop out the pins and insert the bolts and torque to factory specs.
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That sounds like a Proper Procedure!
 
Here are a few pics of the retainer inside seals. In the bottom of the retainer there are holes drill down which each of the eighth inch seal goes into the hole then folds up around the retainer. The side seals are square.

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I found this after reading it. It makes sense with the pictures. Just wondering if a little ultra gray on the sides in the bottom would be necessary or wouldn't hurt?

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Did you compare the crush distance of the block side to the seal cover side of the seal?
I forgot which aftermarket brand I was given to use, but there was a significant difference. About 0.030" from memory. Which means one side of the seal is crushed more than 0.030" than the other side, instead of being centered. I ended up using the factory seal cover which was more consistent. Pretty doesn't always mean good.....
 
For what it’s worth I cured my big block rear main leak by using seal P/N 10806G from fast fish auto parts. Also used the stock seal retainer.
 
The seal comes with pretty good instructions as well and I used the Right Stuff brand sealer on the sides.

It looks like some blocks and certain seal retainer combos don’t properly align and are slightly offset in relation to the seal grove when centered on the block. A slight side to side offset is sometimes required and using the solid side seals forces the housing to be centered in the block and can push the seal off to the side and cause a leak. Just using RTV of some sort on the sides allows the seal retainer to self center if needed as the gap between the block and retainer can be slightly wider on one side if needed.

I checked the alignment on my block before installing the seal and it was slightly off but when pushed to one side it aligned perfectly.

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I used the FF seal also. Good product. The point I was getting at in post #39 is that you want to try & get even pressure all around the seal. These are not like rope seals that conform to any shape. Obviously if the rubber seal is compressed in one area more than it should be, it will wear out quicker.
 
I’ve only built one 440 so take this for what it’s worth!! I STRUGGLED to get seal to seal. Did it three times in the car, it sucked. I finally paid up for the Fast Fish seal and NO leaks.
I think everything that has been mentioned in this thread will work for a specific block/retainer but variations in manufacturing cause the issues.
Hughes Engines has a very involved procedure and some have had success with it.
I know how you feel!!
 
Well I went to put the new Mancini retainer kit in and the retainer fit worse than the factory one. Was hitting on something so I re-cleaned and reinstalled the old one. Clock the seal and let it find its own place. Locked it down. We'll see lol
 
It sure is a lot of work. Pull that engine out. You can't get the pan out with it in the car. So I'm either going to run with what I have or I'm going to order the fast fish one piece seal and go that route before I go any further and the rebuild.
 
The Mancini retainer didn't sit well with that slinger That's on the back of that crank in the picture... It pushed the retainer back to where part of it stuck out the back of the block and the first little o-ring wouldn't have much ceiling surface. It just didn't look right

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