Rear main rope seal on crankshaft leaking after installation

Question

rope seal continues to leak after installation..i have installed many rope seals and have been successful in past ..any ideas what could be wrong ? the car is a 1908 Buick model 10 4 cyl... please spare me the ridiculous answers ..if you are a professional mechanic, or a Buick enthusiast with knowledge of vintage Buick auto engines, i could use some advise...thanks

Answer 1

I personally haven't done a rope seal in a long time. The one thing I can remember that I saw some people do wrong was to lay it in and then trim the ends flush with the edges of the block. The right way is to use a large round mallet and tap the seal down evenly in the groove until it is seated properly. If you did that then there isn't much I can contribute except to say I have seen some that took a couple of installations to get the leak stopped. Best of luck to you. The old ones are a challenge at times.

Answer 2

you just might have to pull the engine out of the car so you can get a clear good look at it.  If you've been as successful as you say you've been in the past, don't put the blame on yourself.  What else could it be.