GeorgeCostanza Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Hi everyone, I am looking to purchase my first SM. It is a 1990 BSI build SM. Overall it looks good and based on every thing I have been reading most all the items I have checked look very good. I will be taking it into a shop for a pre purchase inspection. The engine has 3 race weekends on it. The engine was built by http://www.iscracing.net/index.html in Winter Haven, FL. The car has been sitting in a clean garage for 1.5 years since its last race. It ran for a while and every thing seemed fine. Of course, I will learn all details in the PPI. My question is the current owner stated they have had a problem with the rear main seal at the track. It was obvious from the oil residue on the rear end components and frame that the oil did blow back from the bottom of the engine at the last race (old oil present). While it was sitting there running today it put a 8" diameter puddle of oil on the driveway from the RMS (according to the owner). I am coming from the porsche racing crowd and in some models the RMS is a big problem. Are RMS typically a problem on 1990 SMs? Is there anything I should keep a special eye on with SMs that might not come out in the PPI? Thanks a lot, I am looking forward to meeting many of you on the track one day. Lindsey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dainbramage Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 They're not too big of an issue if you just replace it and do it right. I just did mine and replaced the oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket (1.6 is leaky on the back drivers side usually), and the cas o ring (back pass side of engine). After that you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just to trouble shoot a little I would just open the hood and run your finger along the CAS and see if you get alot of oil, if so you could be misdiagnosing the issue thinking its the RMS. O ring is only like a dollar. RMS means dropping the tranny and a few other things. Hope that helps. FYI, I'm about to have my 91' 1.6L up for sale in Tx. Fresh, literally ready to race on track tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ole Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 We just did this on a customer's car. We were replacing his clutch and I noticed a couple big men with huge cowboy hats hanging around the garage. They had funny accents and were asking about drilling rights on the engine it was leaking so much. While we had the trans out, we replaced the Rear Main, tilted the engine forward to allow more room behind the motor and replaced the Crank Angle Sensor Seal and the Valve Cover Gasket. Those are usually the main culprits. It is easier to get the CAS back in when the Valve Cover is off, which is why we did that gasket as well. Place a small amount of sealant on the corners where the cover goes over the cams and you should be golden. If anyone needs some extra oil, I have still have some under my fingernails..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeCostanza Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 Thanks for taking the time to reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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