450sl Rear Main Seal
 

A mechanic recently told me that the rear main seal on my 1980 450sl needs to be replaced soon to keep the oil pressure going to the cam shafts from falling. The pressure gauge indicates "3" when driving and between "1" and "2" during idle. Since I see no oil drips on the driveway, is this mechanic pulling my leg and looking for an extra grand, or could this be more than a potential nuisance problem? Thanks

I wonder if he is blowing smoke?? If the rear main seal leaks enough that you lose oil pressure to the cam shaft (enough to cause harm) you would be pouring ALOT of oil into that engine on a daily basis. You should be able to see some oil dripping somewhere if the rear main leaks.
If you replace it yourself figure at least 18 hours (I work pretty slow). Seal is cheap and easy to replace once you get to it :). Replace the front seal on the tranny while you are in there (if it is an automatic).

i vote smoke up the aarse. Pressure guage reads right and no physical signs... I recently had mine replaced because there was a small leak and I was rebuilding my tranny. Otherwise my mechanic, how is pretty pragmatic, said leave it alone. However, my wide has a perchant for clean garage floors so guess who won?