Over-filling the oil won't cause the rear main seal to blow. I have also
found that it is quicker to leave the engine in, and remove the tranny to
replace the seal.

TomC
tcarrington@relitech.com
http://volksweb.relitech.com
85 Vanagon Crew Cab
82 Westy diesel=>gas conversion
65 Notchback

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jesse Falsone [SMTP:falsonej@NICHOLS.COM]
> Sent: Monday, November 22, 1999 1:32 PM
> To:   vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject:      oil leak from rear main seal?
>
> My '83 AC Vanagon is leaking oil, presumably from the rear main seal
> from what I can see.  The leak is most prominent after prolonged
> operation, but it eventually stops when the engine cools.  The engine
> was rebuilt about 5 years ago (rear main replaced), but has only about
> 30K on the rebuild.  Regardless of the leak, it runs great.  My
> questions are:
>
> 1) Could a slight overfill of the crankcase oil have caused this?
>
> 2) Is there any reasonable way to remedy the problem without yanking the
> engine and replacing the seal?  RTV?
>
> Thanks
>
> Jesse Falsone
> Annapolis, MD