Taking the tires off will give you a little more room. I think removing the starter will make putting the pan back on easier, but make sure that the battery is disconnected. I'm hoping to finish up my RMS today, hopefully soaking the upper seal in oil did the trick, so you may want to try that.

 

this has turned into a disaster. The damn seal wont come out of the upper. How many bearing caps do I need to loosen for this thing to come out?

 

Using a chisel to get the rear main seal out, I hit the metal edge of where the seal is inserted. Theres a little scratch on the edge. Is this going to be a problem?

 

I think I only had to do one or two, but to reinstall I had to loosen all of them. So loosen, but not remove, all of them and it should come out.

 

loosen the bolts how much? Sould the bolts almost be falling out or just loosen them a little?

 

You may want to take a clear picture of what you are talking about and post it. It will make for a better answer from others.

 

I only had to loosen them until I could spin them with my finger. You'll know when they're "too" loose. They don't need to be super loose just enough for the crankshaft to sag a little. It's not a fun job, as I've learned, but you'll get it done.

 

I suppose I got lucky? I didn't loosen any other caps. Do note and be aware that there is a metal part in the seal which is what you want to drive, (without scratching the crank!....I was grateful to have a nice pair of angled needle nose to pull it out once I got 1/2 inch.

 

I chipped the edge/surface of the block where the upper seal is while trying to hammer it out. That gonna be a problem?

 

 

I sort of doubt that but if you can post up a pic for other members. Thinking the lip on the seal nice on the crank is the main game. Sealant and stuff might handle that chip we haven't seen. Sometimes it pays to be "authoritative". 100 tentative hits might not free it, where one well placed shot, thinking of a flat punch roughly the diameter of a 16 penny nail on that metal part in the seal. That said sometimes it's smart to just sleep on it....

 

 

do I need to take the bearing cap bolts out (the ones I loosened) and clean them dry before torquing them down when I reassemble?

 

the surface of this has a line on it. It's not scored , just a colored line I guess. Is it on it's way to being scored? What is the name of this piece? Should I replace it? Should I clean underneath it?

 

Do you have a picture?