rear main seal oil leak
 

I have a 1983 380sl that has an oil leak near the rear of the engine. The MB mechanic thought it was originally the valve cover gaskets and they were replaced. This did not solve the problem, and now the diagnosis is rear main bearing seal. The car has 89,000 miles and runs well. the oil leaks are two drips about 10 inches apart and drip on the cross-over pipe which of course causes an odor as well as dripping on the driveway and garage.Can anyone give me some ideas? I suspect the rear main seal ia an expensive repair. I just bought the car in the beginning of June!!!!

Replacing a rear main oil seal involves a lot of labor, but few parts. For a DIYer with a free weekend this job wouldn't cost much at all. If you're not a DIYer find an experienced independant shop to do the job. I'm only guessing, but labor time is probably around ~8 hours. Since the transmission needs to be removed to replace the rear main seal, it's a good time to re-seal the front transmission pump. Good luck