88 Dakota Rear Seal

[GrassInPA]

Alright guys,

Here's the deal. My truck has been dripping oil for the past month or so. Not steady drips, but every so often. Maybe a quart or so of oil roughly every three weeks to a month. Anyway, I go over to my local garage today and they tell me that it's not the valve cover gaskets like I had thought all along. They said it's the rear seal between the engine and the transmission.

The main problem is.......is it worth fixing since the truck is has only 83,000 miles on it and my dad has owned it all 15 years of it's life? I use this truck for personal transportation right now and I don't have enough money to get another truck.

My three main questions are: how much of a pain is it to do, rough ideas how much it would cost, and I know nothing will fix it, but any ideas on how to keep it going until I can save for a new truck or at least the money to fix it?

If you guys/ladies have anymore questions, let me know. Your help is greatly appreciated. :)

[Grassmechanic]

I had a '87 Dakota with 275,000 miles on it and it still ran when I sold it, so I would think there is still a lot of life left in yours. A rear main seal is around $500 to replace, but much cheaper to do if you have some mechanical skills.

[The Dude]

What motor is it? Automatic or manual transmission? it really isnt too hard to do if you have the time and tools. Get a Haynes manual for it and see for yourself what all is involved. They are only like 15.00 at the parts store.