Neebs' Dumb Rookie Build Supreme

[Neebs]

sounds like your clutch is slipping. how many miles are you running at the moment?

It's just over 90K now, but last year I did run an Autocross with it before I parked it. There was one point after my 3rd run where I had smoke coming out from under the hood, so that could have been from the clutch.

[xpbr2000]

you are able to smell a hot clutch. it has a certain burnt smell that is very recognizable.

[IDCamaro1994]

Clutch gets my vote.

[Neebs]

Woooow, it’s been over a year since my last post! Time has gone by quick, by progress on the Slomaro has not.
So I had the car on wheel cribs all through winter. I pulled the transmission and installed a new clutch kit as well as a new rear main seal and rear main housing gasket since I’ve had an oil leak back there for some time now. The car has been done and back on the road for a few months, but the damn oil leak is still there. I don’t know if I missed something, but I followed the directions precisely for the gasket and seal, so I’m a bit stumped. The leak is small, but it is leaking right onto the y-pipe still, so I can’t risk driving it. I’m going to have to get her up on the wheel cribs again and pull everything back out. Not looking forward to that.
I spoke to a mechanic that said he had a 3.8 Camaro before, and he told me there is a plate above the rear main housing that has a gasket? It all looked like solid engine block to me. Have any of you had to replace the rear main seal and housing gasket? If so, did you have any issues with further leaking?
Other than that, I hope you all have been good!

[xpbr2000]

he talking about the plate that seals the cam or balance shaft bearing.

I currently have been fighting a front main seal and its been a real pain to fix. i had a special seal i used that finally stopped it but it has come back.

the seal on teh back of the block is near the top of the block. it only seals the balance shaft adn maybe the cam shaft too. its a plate and flat gasket with a few bolts IIRC

[xpbr2000]

Annotation 2020-06-29 164106.jpg

[Neebs]

What number is it in that pic? 110 and 111 are the rear main housing and gasket. I already replaced that gasket, and the mechanic I spoke to said it was a plate beyond the rear main housing. Am I not seeing something in the pic?

[xpbr2000]

there is a rear main seal that is around the transmission shaft that presses into that plate

110 is housing, CR/SHF RR Oil Seal 24507386
111 is Gasket, CR/SHF RR OIL Seal 24507388

[xpbr2000]

i'm not sure there is another plate inside there. nothing other than the bearings. i've only had that plate off once and breifly to replace teh gasket.

[Neebs]

Ok cool, I didn’t think there was another plate in there. When you replaced that gasket, did you use any RTV along with the gasket? I’m wondering if I should have done that? And did you put any RTV or thread locker on the bolts for the rear main housing? I noticed they had some type of rubbery coating on the end of them, but I just bolted them back in as is. So maybe that is where my oil leak is coming from. When I redo it, I may replace the rear main housing and bolts, just for piece of mind.