Subject: Montero sport rear main seal
Question:

We have a 2000 Montero sport LS 2wd with the 3.0 V6. The rear main seal is starting to leak. Maybe 1 or 2 pea size drops a night. We are going on a 1500 mile trip soon. Should I get this fixed prior to traveling? Is there a chance the seal can blow out?
I can take another vehical but the Montero gets better gas mileage. Basicly I want to know is this serious for this make of vehical or can I just monitor the oil level and get it repaired later.

Thanks, Chris
Answer: Chris,
Your seal should not blow out, but a long road trip will increasing wear it down. You can probably wait until after your trip to get it replaced. The leak does not sound that seroius per your description, so you should be ok. If it is indeed the rear main seal, it is a long and usually expensive repair process.

If you do wait, I would highly recommend having at least 6 quarts of oil with you on this trip so you can top off any the oil that is lost if it gets too low.
Good luck!