Wondering if any one has had to deal with a rear main seal (engine) leak on an E-39 540i? My indy tells me they have seen quite a few of these and usually in much worse condition than mine. Based on the Bentley's repair manual the fix looks fairly involved. I was quoted almost $1K for the repair (about 12 hours of labor and $150-200 in parts. Fair/reasonable? If I go ahead with this repair (which I probably will since the leak will only get worse) is there anything else - repair/replace wise - I should get done while it's apart and in the air? Thanks.
Been there, done that... I replaced my rear main seal since I was in replacing the clutch. It's a straightforward DIY. Basically you have the opportunity to refresh most things that wear out between the guibo and the block... How much you replace is a function of your wallet and the # of miles. I did the tranny mounts, tranny seals, flywheel, throwout & pilot bearings, guide sleeve, clutch and pressure plates, slave cylinder & hose, rear main seals and heater hoses. Don't regret it. All the parts but the clutch/pressure plates had 130K miles on them. Rear seals fail when the wear on the crankshaft exceeds the ability of the lip to control the leak. Your mechanic should clean it up and then you're good to go.
