I'm doing a clutch job on MY01 Civic LX. I have the transmission out already. I figured I'd replace the rear main seal at the same time. Does the oil pan have to come off to replace the seal, or can I just pry it out of there, insert some liquid sealant and put in a new gasket?

 

The oil pan doesn't need to come off. (from what I can tell)

 

it might have to. the main seals seal around the crank shaft and the block. if its not leaking i would leave it. because if the pan has to come off the you will also have to remove the main caps too.

 

The oil pan doesn't need to be removed in order to replace that seal.

Remove the old one, clean and dry the crankshaft oil seal housing, apply a small amount of multipurpose grease to the end of the crankshaft and the lip of the seal, install, wipe away the mess, call it a day.



If it isn't bad, I'd just leave it too. But I understand the whole "preventive maintenance" aspect.

 

Update: I was able to replace the seal without removing the oil pan. I took a flathead screwdriver and pried on the seal from the inside out. It took a good 5 minutes but it came out eventually. Tip for anyone else thinking about doing this: use gasket maker on the outside of the seal, and grease on the inside of the seal. Take the old gasket and place it on top of the new one, and hammer it in there. Your hammer should only hit the old gasket.