rear main seal question

rampage

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Rustville, MI
TDI
1998 Jetta
I did find a couple other threads on this, but not too many responses so I thought I'd ask it again:
I'm changing the rear main seal on my 1998 Jetta TDI. I understand from reading on here that they can either be the 'traditional' rubber/spring type, or they can be teflon/PTFE. My crank has a pretty decent groove in it from the old seal, so I read that a teflon replacement is the way to go. I got one from a local supply house, and it didn't look like rubber, and didn't have a spring. Only one problem (well, 2 problems) the 2 oil pan bolt holes in the bottom of the seal were much larger than the oil pan bolts that are supposed to go in them. Also, the holes for the 'shield' bolts (the shield that goes between the RMS and the flywheel,) it looked like the guy running the tap had a bad day, all the threads had flat tops and one of them would not even tighten up hand tight before slipping. (The oil pan bolt holes looked like they could have been a full size bigger, not a result of poor machining...)
So, I guess this is a 2 part question:
1. Has anyone ever gotten a rear main seal and had to use different sized oil pan bolts? My oil pan bolts look to be stock, they're the weird bolts that are both allen and metric 6 point socket drive... I couldn't imagine someone would helicoil all 20 of them anyway..
2. What's a good place to get a RMS from and how you can be sure it's Teflon and the bolt holes will be the right size? I see them priced from ~$20 (tdiparts) all they way up to ~$110, (impex, advertised as 'new design...) However, even the 'cheap' one on the impex site looks the same as what I got from the local place...

On a side note, I'm about getting fed up with the local VW parts place (I won't mention any names... :), The convenience of buying locally isn't worth the extra price if they can't even get stuff right... They also gave me the wrong trans output seals, so now I'm going on week 3 of driving the gas guzzler to work.
 

chittychittybangbang

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Location
TX
TDI
none
1. No. 2. The one I got from tdiparts was teflon, call and ask them.

I also got wrong trans output seals, most auto parts stores have the wrong part number for some reason so I don't think it's just your local VW parts place. Here are my notes on the RMS: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a3b4/clutch_rear_main.htm If you search my site you'll also find a transmission removal writeup which cautions about the trans output seals. I went to 2 stores and called a 3rd, they were all wrong.
 

DrewD

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
I'm sorry but I can't answer your direct questions but hopefully the following will help.

You may want to ask someone about using a Jiffy Sleeve/Speedi Sleeve on your engine if it is possible. I had replaced a front main seal on a Nissan and it leaked badly until I put a sleeve on it to remedy the groove that was on the shaft.
 

rampage

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Rustville, MI
TDI
1998 Jetta
chittychittybangbang said:
1. No. 2. The one I got from tdiparts was teflon, call and ask them.

I also got wrong trans output seals, most auto parts stores have the wrong part number for some reason so I don't think it's just your local VW parts place. Here are my notes on the RMS: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a3b4/clutch_rear_main.htm If you search my site you'll also find a transmission removal writeup which cautions about the trans output seals. I went to 2 stores and called a 3rd, they were all wrong.
ccbb -

Thanks for your great write-ups, I've already read many of them, I found your transmission removal page very helpfull. The (trans output) seal I got was 65mm OD, which according to someone else's post doesn't match the common 'wrong size' seal, which I thought they said was 60MM. The correct size (for my '98) is 62mm OD, as stated on your page. So maybe there's 2 common wrong size seals...

But, I'd have to say that Kroil is better than PB blaster. :)

Did you have any problems with odd sized threads on the rear main seal you got from tdiparts, or did the stock oil pan bolts go right in?
 
Last edited:

G60ING

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 5, 2001
Location
MD
TDI
No TDIs Currently, I have an R36 Corrado. I've had an ALH Corrado swap, AHU Corrado swap and 2003 TDI Jetta
Get the output flange seals for a 2000 TDI mk4 golf/jetta. The mk3/b4 uses a first generation 02J transmission but its still called a 02a
 
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