It appears that the rear main seal is leaking in my 1996 Tracker. Would have been better had this happened two weeks earlier, when I had the transmission out. Oh well, that is the way it goes. The seal will be here Monday morning at the cost of $15.58.

The manual informs me that this seal is retained within a housing that bolts to the back of the block. So no easy fix from underneath. Looks like I will be pulling the transmission/tranfercase again, along with the pressure plate to gain access to this seal housing. Remove the seal housing (inspect rear of crank)  then press out old seal, and press in new seal. Reassemble all components. Pretty straight forward,right?

Having no previous experience with the rear main seal on one of these engines, correct me if I am wrong, or have overlooked something here. Although I am all too well aquainted with all other aspects of this job (transmission/transfercase removal).

Any help, or first hand experience with these seals would be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Nine Pine 

Rear main oil seal is easy, find a matching socket or something and press the seal in squarely. You'll also need to use some locktite on the flywheel bolts and I'm not sure if you need sealant in addition to the gasket.  Probably just the tacky stuff.  Maybe pickup a tool to hold the flywheel while you remove and install the bolts.

Are you sure your oil pan isn't leaking out the back? Check for that. It's not unheard of and could look like a rear main seal leak.

-Adam

also check the o-ring on the dist.  they are quite common and it runs downs in the same place sometimes

Adam,

Pretty sure it is not the rear of the oil pan (if only I could be so lucky). The manual says that sealant is not required, just a new gasket on the housing. My man at the auto parts store assured me that the seal comes with a new gasket for the seal housing . Thanks for the reply.

Ross,

The distributor o-ring is good to go. I replaced both o-rings (distributor, and distributor housing) when I had the transmission out a couple of weeks ago. The distributor housing was leaking pretty good at the time. Thanks for the reply.

They sell a better seal than the 15 dollar one if you plan on keeping it. call trail tough.