Back to the MD rear main seal retainer

I looked at sanding mine down a bit today and it looks like a no go. If I sand any off, the oil slinger on the crank will be out past the felt seal.
These are the options I see.
- Do double gaskets actually work?
- Can I RTV the snot out of it?
- Rumor has it the gas and diesels are the same. Can I take the 400/450 gas top and put it on my white metal bottom? Will bad things happen if you combine the two?
- I'm going to the machine shop to see if they can bend it straight (like mentioned in the previous thread)
- I found two 400/450 retainers, but both need to be shipped to me. Should I just man up and buy them? I remember somebody saying they can warp, too. How often/What are my chances these are bad, too?
Thanks for your time. This thing really has me nervous.

if you need the part and found one then no problem, pretty obvious you need it.

if you need the part and found one then no problem, pretty obvious you need it.

(quoted from post at 21:55:39 01/25/11) if you need the part and found one then no problem, pretty obvious you need it.

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I would just really like to see it before I pay $40 for it and then have it be junk.

if you go with the cast iron retainers with neoprene
seals, you will need to have the crank modified.
The cranks for the felt seal have a spiral cut in
the sealing surface to allow oil to wick the felt,
and the neoprene sealed cranks are ground smooth on
the rear sealing surface.

Are all cast iron retainers for the neoprene seal? That would sure change stuff.
Supposedly you can just knock the edges off the oil slinger on the crank and run the neoprene seal. Not sure if that is 100% true.
I found an MD retainer this morning. It is a private guy and he will have time to let me take it off and check it out tomorrow. We'll see how that one looks.

When IH started selling the neoprene seal kits with retainers for early 400D back to MD there was instructions in the kit for dulling the groves in the early crankshafts. MD saw by me with the late retainers just look as if the sharp edges on the groves are removed.
If you look at the latest parts books out for a MD and want the retainers. It says order another part #. That was the neoprene kit. It doesn't say this in the parts book, but a memo was sent, instructing parts departments to sell the top half of the new stock MD diecast seal retainers left over for service parts on gasoline engines. Since the top half is the same part number.
Yes the gasoline engines are diecast, pot metal or whatever retainers. Only place to get the iron neoprene retainers is from a diesel engine equiped that way or old stock if its around.
Strange lucky or unlucky all three MD tractors I had at one time were previously equiped with the changeover kit. Neoprene seals are usualy high cost when you can find.

So they don't make the neoprene seal kit anymore?

Hopefully that rear main that I am going to look at tomorrow will have the felt seal.

At what point does the RTV get too thick that it can't hold anymore :lol:

(quoted from post at 14:47:27 01/26/11)
At what point does the RTV get too thick that it can't hold anymore :lol:

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Usually about the time the stuff frags off and plugs up the oil pump intake.

Met a guy with a TD18 that had seen a farmer overhaul. Toasted the bottom end within an hour. Way too much RTV on the pan gasket.

(quoted from post at 16:26:17 02/01/11)

(quoted from post at 14:47:27 01/26/11)
At what point does the RTV get too thick that it can't hold anymore :lol:

Click to expand...

Usually about the time the stuff frags off and plugs up the oil pump intake.

Met a guy with a TD18 that had seen a farmer overhaul. Toasted the bottom end within an hour. Way too much RTV on the pan gasket.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I found an upgraded one and ran the felt seal in it. However, I did use gasket eliminator to dress the gasket. Hmm, I sure hope I didn't do that!

(quoted from post at 17:58:32 02/01/11)

(quoted from post at 16:26:17 02/01/11)

(quoted from post at 14:47:27 01/26/11)
At what point does the RTV get too thick that it can't hold anymore :lol:

Click to expand...

Usually about the time the stuff frags off and plugs up the oil pump intake.

Met a guy with a TD18 that had seen a farmer overhaul. Toasted the bottom end within an hour. Way too much RTV on the pan gasket.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I found an upgraded one and ran the felt seal in it. However, I did use gasket eliminator to dress the gasket. Hmm, I sure hope I didn't do that!

Click to expand...

Cool. I don't know what that guy was thinking. An 18 pan is huge, but he used 3 tubes of RTV.
The felts work fine, but tend to separate at the seams. I've seen 1/8 inch gaps. And they still weren't leaking much. Go figure.

It's the magic swirly in the crank :lol: Mine didn't leak that much either even with a super warped retainer.