Engine · important priority
Rear Main Seal Replacement Cost & Pricing
Replace the rear crankshaft seal that prevents oil from leaking out of the back of the engine. A leaking rear main seal leaves oil on the transmission bell housing or driveway and can contaminate the clutch disc on manual transmission vehicles.
Typical Rear Main Seal Replacement cost
$400–$1,880, with an average estimate of $950 before vehicle-specific adjustments.
What to expect
Difficulty: complex. Typical labor time: 4–12 hours.
Mechanic's tip
The rear main seal itself costs $10–30 — nearly the entire bill is labor since the transmission must be removed to access it. On vehicles with a manual transmission, this is a good time to replace the clutch since the transmission is already out. Confirm the leak is actually the rear main seal and not a valve cover or oil pan leak dripping back — misdiagnosis is common and very expensive here.