Rear seal oil leak

[Dwainideus]

I have an oil leak which appears to be coming from the rear of the engine (M-25XP).  It only shows after running the engine, and appears as a steady drip from the area on the back of the engine in the vicinity of the starter.  I assume this is probably a lip seal issue?  Question:  can the seal be replaced without removing the engine? 
I've searched the message board, tech wiki, and tech notes...just want to make sure...
1990 Catalina 34 1.5

[Ron Hill]

Dwain : "Can that rear oil seal be change without removing the engine"  the answer is NO (just like you expected!!)  I went thru that drill and wrote up my happenings in the Mainsheet tech notes.  The front seal is easily changed, but to get at that rear lip seal you'll have to remove the engine.  Look under "Removing the Engine".

I replaced that rear crankshaft lip seal and the race the seal rides on.  As it happened I finally removed the engine and took it to a Kubota dealer who did the job. 

A few thoughts

[KWKloeber]

Dwain
Make sure it's not the oil pressure switch above the butt-end of the starter leaking and running down the block to that drip spot.

Caveat: I presume you don't have an "A" or "B" engine (which have remote oil switches.)

[edit]:
Ooops I just noticed in the email that you have an XP (not A or B)

[Paulus]

Dwain,  You might check the valve cover casket.  A problem I had a few years back.
Paul

[Ron Hill]

Dwain : When you confirm that it is the rear lip seal, you should think about a new damper plate while the bell housing is off.

A thought

[Dwainideus]

Thanks to all for the input!
After much prodding and poking, I think it might be more of a coolant leak than an oil leak, or a combination of both.  I had just changed the oil, so it's really clean, making it difficult to differentiate from coolant. 
Yesterday I ran the engine at length trying to locate where the liquid is coming from.  Still appears to be dripping from the bell housing on the port side of the engine.  Can't see all the coolant hose connections to see if one of them might be leaking.
Anyone had a similar experience?
Thanks!

[Noah]

Thanks to all for the input!
After much prodding and poking, I think it might be more of a coolant leak than an oil leak, or a combination of both.  I had just changed the oil, so it's really clean ....Can't see all the coolant hose connections to see if one of them might be leaking.

Until you "confirm the integrity" of all hoses and clamps, I don't know what anyone here can recommend?

[KWKloeber]

On the port side you have only the:

   * 7/8" exhaust manifold-to-Hx inlet hose.

  * 5/8" Hx outlet to vented loop hose.

  * Exhaust flange gasket.

Hose locations and coolant flow diagram are in the manual on the wiki!

[Ron Hill]

Dwain : I sent you a reply directly.  Coolant tastes sweet vrs oil. 

A thought

[Dwainideus]

First of all, thanks to all for the input.  Second of all, I must admit to being a real dufus as it didn't turn out to be a "real" oil leak after all.

After spending many hours of wiping and looking for the source of the fluid that was pooling in the forward sloping area below the engine, I decided there has to be a better way.  I purchased a coolant tester and pressurized the cooling system with the engine off.  Didn't notice any fluid dripping until I started applying pressure to the coolant hoses.  When I moved the hose running from the coolant tank to the thermostat housing, I noticed a couple of drips of coolant followed by a drop in pressure on the coolant tester gauge.  Closer examination revealed that the clamp holding the hose to the thermostat housing was stripped and unable to be tightened securely enough.  When the engine reached operation temperature, the coolant system would pressurize, forcing the coolant from this hose juncture.   It would run down/underneath the coolant manifold of the backward sloping engine, into/around the bell housing, dripping down to the floor and then running forward, pooling under/in the front of the engine.

While I was chasing the above, I noticed the raw water pump appeared to be leaking a small amount of oil and water.  These two fluids dripped directly down in the front of the engine, combining with the coolant.  The three fluid combination was so similar to fresh engine oil that I was convinced it was.

Changed out the pump and ran the engine about two hours and no drips!

Sometimes the obvious isn't, hopefully my efforts/stupidity will keep someone else from going down this same path...

[KWKloeber]

The clamp holding the hose ... was stripped

[EDITED]

Dwain, please post that loudly.  Several times.

I've said before: Replacing the old-style, perforated clamps -- not reusing them even if they appear in good shape -- is the best option.  It isn't worth taking a chance on them.  Not only can the band get deformed over time (then the perforations strip out) but the screw assembly can also loosen and then they slip that way.

Plus, the perforations in the band reduces the strength to about half that of the ABA or AWAB brand clamps.


[edit]

PS - For small diameters (e.g., injector banjo lines) these
https://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/index.php?cPath=309_30
are a nice alternative to the embossed band clamps:
https://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/index.php?cPath=309_31

PPS - I have no relationship to Ultimate Garage, but Steve is a good guy and his prices are not "marine grade."

Here's another reasonable $ource:
https://hpsperformanceproducts.com/products/hps-emsc-stainless-steel-embossed-hose-clamps

[Ron Hill]

Darwin : CHECK the weep holes on your Raw water pump!!  CHECK the weep holes on your Raw water pump!!

They are there for a REASON !!!!!!

A thought