[DeTomaso] Replacing seals on ZF

[Mad Dog Antenucci]

Jack,
  Are you on crack?! ;-]>
  I said "slow leak on back seal on the ZF"...Bwahahahaha....
  Thanks
   
  md

JDeRyke at aol.com wrote:
  In a message dated 9/29/06 1:05:33 PM, teampantera at yahoo.com writes:

<< I have a slow leak out the back seal on the ZF Anyone replaced the rear or 
bottom gaskets/seals on the ZF? Any first hand advise/lessons learned will 
be appreciated. >>

The rear mains can be done with the engine in the car, but its unpleasant due 
to oil dripping in your face from the exposed guts of the engine. To do this, 
the car must be jacked up high enough for you to remove the pan. Unless 
things have changed for you considerably since we last met, with your tummy, jack 
the car up a little extra.... All the main caps should be loosened so the 
crank will drop a little & create enough clearance to move the old seal. The 
rear main is removed & the lower seal half is right there. Use a non-metallic 
'pusher'- plastic or wood works well- to tap the upper main seal half around 
the crank far enough to grab it with a Vice-grip pliers & pull it the rest of 
the way out. A screwdriver or steel punch risks nicking the crank journal while 
driving the upper seal out. The new lubricated seal-half taps in the same 
way. I put new seals in staggered so 1/4" or so is sticking out of one end of the 
block. The cap seal then gets a opposite 'stagger'. This keeps a joint from 
being made right at the block surface- a seal added perfectly flat to the 
block & main cap risks creating a seep-leak at that point. 

Good luck-and see the story in the Sept POCA News on one of your buddies with 
a stroker crank and his adventures in rear-main-seal leakage. Three seal 
changes and the thing still leaked a bit above 4000 rpm. Turned out to be a 
SLIGHTLY undersized crank seal surface, requiring a whole new stroker crankshaft! 
Good luck- J Deryke



Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
  The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com