Took the car in for service as the B16 maintenance reminder came on and the service advisor mentioned that the rear main seal is leaking. Unsure as to how bad of a leak this is and have asked for some pictures of this. The good news is that it'll be taken care of by the powertrain warranty as the car only has approx. 46,6xx miles on it.

How concerning is a rear main seal leak at this mileage? I'd understand if this was with 100k+ miles on the car, but combined with the oil consumption and now this rear main seal leak, is this cause for concern?

 

Rear seal is like a 10$ part but $$$ Labor to get to it. Weird for it to fail so quickly. I'd almost wonder if someone cleaned all the pre-lube off the seal before installing it or something.

 

Odd to hear that the 4G TL 6MT has RMS issues. This leak is prevalent on Porsche 996/997s; cheap part to replace, but labor cost is high. Not really a serious issue, more of a nuisance, and this issue can reoccur.

OP did you see any oil drips on your garage floor?

 

Agreed that it should not be leaking at this mileage...first I've heard about this in the 4th gen and I've worked with these cars for the past 8 years. Part is cheap, labor is super high. Many times with high mileage 4 cylinder vehicles I've seen over the years, (Integras, Civics, Preludes) the client usually ends up replacing the clutch while they're in there because of the labor involved...

-greg

 

Other than age and improper installation at the factory, what could potentially cause the rear main seal to fail? Asked the service advisor to take some pics & it doesn't look like it was a major leak. They've replaced the part and hopefully I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow.

With regards to the garage floor, there is a small stained area which I failed to notice earlier since I'm the only one driving the 6MT.

 

I have seen a post (don't have time to search for it) where the leak was actually the speed sensor which is located near the rear of the block. A MUCH easier and less expensive repair.