I drive a 2017 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. with 180,000 miles. I purchased the car in February 2020 and it had 39,000 at the time. I noticed oil spots on the driveway where I park my car. My mechanic told me the rear engine seal went bad. He took me into the shop and showed me where the oil was leaking between the transmission and the engine. He told me it was a $34 part but nearly $900 in labor. I have two questions: 1. Is this rear oil seal a thing? 2. Do you recommend any oil treatments to keep the new seal from going bad? Thank you.
Thanks to everyone for their responses. I did get the rear seal replaced. Considering the high cost of used vehicles, holding on to a 2017 Camry until the wheels fall off isn't a bad choice.
Happy New Year!
Is this rear oil seal a thing?
Yes. Engine rear main seals are a real thing.
All engines have them. They keep the oil in, where the crankshaft comes out.
2. Do you recommend any oil treatments to keep the new seal from going bad?
My recommendation is this ...
You have a newish Toyota. It's only 5 years old so it probably looks nice. It still has many years of life in it, and probably some monetary value as well.
It's dripping oil onto your driveway. If it was a just a common light sweat, I would say ignore it. But drips aren't fun.
$934 is nothing. Just wait until you see how much new transmissions cost, or exhaust work , or even suspension work.
I would absolutely not hesitate to spend the $1k to get this car back into top shape. You could get another decade of reliable service, or sell it down the road for a decent chunk. Not fixing this you run the risk of ruining the engine. Not worth it.
What's $1k compared to a new car?
too late for treatments by this point
I just reread your question and you're talking about treating the NEW seal. So I'm guessing that means you're going ahead with the replacement. Ignore what I said 😳
I agree with the other answers. Frequent oil changes. It's not common for RMS to start dripping so I don't think you need to be overly concerned.
1.Yes
2.Frequent oil change.
1. Is this rear oil seal a thing?
Of course it is. How else would you seal the rear of the rotating crankshaft to keep oil in the engine?
2. Do you recommend any oil treatments to keep the new seal from going bad?
No. Just use a good quality oil changed, with the filter, every 5000 miles. Apparently the previous owner didn't do that.
You could give ATP AT-205 "Reseal" a try. It is designed to rejuvenate rubber seals that are hardened but otherwise undamaged. It may not work but it won't hurt anything, so nothing to lose.
Yes, the rear main seal is a thing. It does seems weird that a rear main seal would go bad after only 5 years. Alas, nothing is impossible.
Like others have said, if it is barely nothing, consider living with it. And making sure you have the right amount of oil. If it is gushing, consider changing it.
The reason it cost so much is because the transmission needs to be unbolted from the engine. And to remove the transmission, the axle(s) usually need to be removed. It takes more time to get to the actual part, than to change the part. So much needs to be removed.
