I was told I have a rear main seal leak, but you cant see oil on the driveway or any where. Whats that mean?

Your right usually where a rear main leaks it's all over the ground and the whole underneith of the car. It may be leaking from somewhere elseI was told I have a rear main seal leak, but you cant see oil on the driveway or any where. Whats that mean?
A rear main will generally only leak while the engine is running and the oil is circulating.





Maybe someone was mistaken or misdiagnosed it?I was told I have a rear main seal leak, but you cant see oil on the driveway or any where. Whats that mean?
Well the only thing for sure is that you were low on oil. The rest is his opinion.





The rear main is located at the back of the engine and seals the crankshaft to the engine block. It is located between the flywheel and the engine. When it goes south, oil seeps thru the seal and is spun around on the flywheel. A lot of the oil is then thrown off while the car is moving but.....When the engine stops the oil usually runs down and drips off the flywheel and into the transmission housing cover.. from there it drips on the ground.





Ok.. given THAT background and the fact that the oil doesnt just disapear, I would question the oil guys diagnosis if you are not finding any oil spots.





But check him... park the car hot and slip a piece of cardboard under it. Check the cardboard the next day for drips..





Meantime check your oil very frequently. If you drive the car without oil, a leaky rear main is the least of the problems you are going to face.





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look under your car is there any signs of fresh oil? if not some one is blowing smoke up you a!!,if your concerned take it to a recommended shop or dealer to get it checked out.and don,t tell them what the first guy told you.let them tell you what is or is not wrong
That means you don't need to worry about it in my opinion. All oil seals leak to some extent, it's just a matter of how bad they're leaking!
When oil leaks it leaks on the ground.


So where does he say it is going? and who is he? Cause he is not making any sense to me.
well would you listen to the eye doctor if he told you that you needed foot surgery, no. well than you shouldn't believe everything that a man who does nothing all day but change oil tell you whats wrong with your engine. It could be the rear main but there is a hundred places that could be leaking oil. You should take it to a qualified auto shop and ask them to give you a second opinion.
Ok,


For starters, and your sanity, you need to get down under the car and take a peek yourself.


You say rear main seal 鈥?; but on what. The motor, transmission or drive line.





On the motor, you need to look upwards and see if there is dampness (wet oil) between the motor and transmission.


On the transmission, again , get under and look at the end of the transmission and where the driveshaft connects. Look for wetness.





On the driveline follow the driveshaft to the rear axle and look for the round gear box (shaped like a pumpkin 鈥?hence the name pumpkin gears) and again look for wetness.





Oh, you have no clue what I鈥檓 talking about!


Take your car to someone that you know (who has some knowledge of autos). Ask them to check out the underside for you. Just mention to them that you saw a few drops of oil on the ground where you parked in a lot, (not your driveway) and am concerned. If they get under and say they see wetness or dampness, take it to a repair shop.





Motor - rear main seal replacement can go into a few hundred dollars.


Transmission seals 鈥?again depending on the make and model of auto can hit a few hundred.


Rear driveline - seal is the cheapest, just around a hundred.





Seals when they fail, can just leak under movement of the auto. Therefore, you may not see oil leaking on the ground. It gets blown under the car as you drive. There by, as I stated above, someone needs to get under the auto and check it out for wetness.





Good luck.