Rear main seal, 100 Series, 4.5 petrol

[Paul]

Hi all.

I did some searching but couldn't find what I was after.

Could any of you please tell me if the rear main seal on the 4.5 petrol in a 02 Cruiser is retained by a cover plate or is it a drop the sump job?

I'm just trying to get a feel for how deep I'll have to go.

And... any idea how heavy the 5 speed is? Is it a reasonable one person lift???

Thanks,

Paul.

[Kiint]

From old memory (its been over 10 years since I was in the mechanics game) a cruiser box is definately not a one man lift unless you are good with juggling a jack at the same time. I would definately recommend against it unless you have a jack that perfectly cradles the box without you needing to balance it ... even then I would advise against it without at least a couple of others to help keep it straight.

As for the seal, I think most modern japanese engines have a cover plate that the sump bolts to, so at the very least you will be taking out 4 or so bolts from the rear of the sump which could also damage the sump gasket, especially if it has become brittle.

I would go into it hoping not to drop the sump, but keeping in mind that it could become necessary (i.e. make sure you have money for oil and a sump gasket as well as the time to drop it if bad comes to worse).

*edit* I should note ... have you been in there with degreaser etc to make absolutely certain its the rear main and not the sump bolts that need a touch up or the rocker cover etc?

[Willy Hilux]

It's not worth doing as you'll never stop cruisers real main from leaking.