1995 Dodge Intrepid, auto 3.3L. I have an oil leak at the rear main seal. Is there anything I can do short of (having someone else) pull the tranny and replace the seal? Will a little silicone or something on the outside do the job or should I just keep filling it with oil and parking over a piece of cardboard?

9/13/2007 11:18:31 PM

no. sealing the area with silicone will just cause the oil to collect in the transmission bellhousing and it'll find a way out somewhere else eventually.

pretty much your only option is living with it or repairing it (which imo isn't really worth it on a 95 intrepid if it's just a drip).

you can try a slightly thicker oil, but if anything it'll probably just slow the leak, not stop it.

9/13/2007 11:41:09 PM

Thanks. It's a fairly slow leak. Nothing alarming. I add a little bit every 3 weeks or so. What are the chances that it will get worse over time?

9/13/2007 11:46:08 PM

yeah, i wouldn't worry about it then.

that's one of those things there's really no way of telling how it will progress over time. it could stay the same for another 5 years, or it could start dropping half a quart a day next week...

typically, it takes a while for them to get so bad you can't live with it though.

9/13/2007 11:51:27 PM

don't worry, itll surely overhead and blow a head gasket before the leak becomes a problem.

9/13/2007 11:56:42 PM

or the trans will take a dump.

9/13/2007 11:58:38 PM

Transmission was replaced ~20K ago, so I'm in the clear there for a while hopefully. We'll see. I just recently bought it dirt cheap. Took it to a mechanic and the only things wrong with it were the oil leak and the rear brakes/rotors. I replaced the brakes and rotors myself this weekend. It has a pretty nice sound system and viper alarm system. So if it breaks down tomorrow I can take out the stereo and alarm and almost recoup what I paid for the car.

9/14/2007 12:10:16 AM

How sure are you its a rear main? Sometimes if you don't look closely oil will leak down and look like a rear main. Could be something simple like a valve cover?

9/14/2007 1:36:24 AM

Quote :

"How sure are you its a rear main? Sometimes if you don't look closely oil will leak down and look like a rear main. Could be something simple like a valve cover"

not really common on those cars. and he did say he took it somewhere. it would be hard to miss a valve cover leak on an intrepid

9/14/2007 3:54:45 AM

if you don't plan on keeping it forever, then glob a shitload of jb weld over it. it'll stop leaking.

9/14/2007 9:19:06 AM