oil seal, rear main, leaking, replacement, crankshaft too?!?!

hi,

oil seal, rear main, leaking. again!

my question is, am i going to need a new crankshaft to fix this problem?

was leaking a several weeks ago, usually do all my own work, didn't want to deal with this this time, took it to the dealer, $500 later ($20 parts) no leak. ok! great! couple weeks later it's dripping worse now than at it's WORST when i took it in. VERY disappointed! (!!!) ok, so, they told me they warranty their work, but i'm figuring this is what they do, they replace the seal the first time so they can sock you for $500 and when it, as it inevitably does, leaks again and you take it in all indignant, they tell you it's a different problem this time so they can sock you a second time for $2400 to fix the problem right they should've fixed the first time just so they can get that first $500 before they sock you with the real $2400. first time they told me it would be 2 days, it ended up, as i figured it was going to, taking 8 days.

so, my question is, am i going to need a new crankshaft to fix this problem?

(someone i know who's (grudgingly) correct most of the time told me when i told him about a rear main oil seal leak "ut oh, when you blow a rear main oil seal it damages the seat on the crankshaft and you've got to replace the crankshaft too!" i felt SICK to my stomach when he told me that), so, my question is, is that correct and factual information or is that bullshit? when i take this back to teh dealer for my "warranty" repair are they going to tell me this is a new problem not covered under their warranty and i need a new crankshaft (at over $2400 or whatever it's going to cost!)? to me the "new crankshaft" thing sounded like utter bullshit but anyhow it blew my mind and put a deep fear in me.

any at all other helpful info about leaky rear main oil seal. i mean, besides the stuck PCV valve? i read that here adn checked the PCV valve and it rattled like a sonofabitch and so the book said it's ok.

no idea about those, but i blew a rear main seal in my 79 bronco a while ago and i changed it a few weeks ago(i had to take the motor out to get the basepan off, that might be why your price was $500) and never had any problems with the crank shaft,, i think that might be BS but dont quote me on it.. there is a difference between a v6 and a big block v8 tho so i might be completely wrong, just trying to relate. im sure people here will know for sure

Ratteling a pcv don't make a whit of difference.. Take the thing OUT of the valve cover and drive it a while with the hole in the cover OPEN! If the rear main seal leak slows down or STOPS leaking completely you have found the problem.

How many miles are on that engine?

No the rear seal doesn't make the crankshaft go bad. Most time when it does get ground away it is from dirt that somehow got in there and wore a groove in the shaft.
I'm betting on blowby and the pcv isn't doing it's job. Although I have also seen mechanics put the seal in backwards.. If that happens it doesn't have a chance of not leaking again.
Big Jim

The place I used to work (MACK truck dealer) would install a metal sleeve and a new seal to fix a crankshaft if it had a groove wore into it. They were called SPEEDI SLEEVES we would smear a little silicone around the shaft then beat the sleeve on with the included installation tool that looked like a tuna fish can, install a new seal and put it back together, I never saw any of them come back leaking again, I never asked how much they cost but I would think that they would only be $10 or $15 more than a seal. Here is a link that tells about the SPEEDI SLEEVES

http://www.alliedbearings.com/mfg_prod/seals/cr_speedi/index.html

The dealer should have checked to see if the crankshaft was grooved and installed a SPEEDI SLEEVE if it was. Maybe the automotive dealers don't know about them or normally use them because they usually don't see high mileage cars as often as the semi dealers see high mileage trucks, and they usually have less wear on the shafts because of the lower mileage