I went to have an oil leak inspected & was told it was the rear main seal. Is this pretty much a death sentence for me, or can it be repaired & forgotten?

 

rear main seal is nothing. it can leak forever and not cause any harm as long as you keep an eye on the oil level.once replaced it will last another 100000 miles and start to leak again, no big deal. all chevys are common for this problem even after they are repaired. you should be ok until you have it replaced.just keep an eye on the oil level

 

The rear main seal went out on my Uncles WS6. Superdak05 is right... VERY common for GM vehicles. He was under warranty and the dealer replaced it. All it did was make excessive noise and caused him to add a little oil to the engine once everyother month. (little being a bottle would last a year)

 

here's what's happening: I've got oil leaking onto the exhaust pipe & when I come to a stop the oil pressure gauge dips to low & then right back up. So I'll still be alright?

 

i'm a 2nd gen 5.2 guy, so i hope i don't say something wrong on yours.

your dipping oil pressure and leaking rear main are 2 different, unrelated problems.

the dipping oil pressure. how much are we talking about here. oil pressure a little above 40 at rpm and a little below 40 at idle is normal. if its dipping to 0, and/or your warning light is coming on, then it needs to be fixed. it could be low oil level, clogged up oil filter, faulty oil pressure sending unit, loose wire, clogged up oil pump pickup screen, weak oil pump, gunked up engine, or worn out engine bearings. i'd say change your oil and filter and make sure its full (about 5 1/2 qts) and see if that helps. a clogged up filter really can affect it. if that doesn't help, replace sending unit. on my 01 - its on top rear of block, beside distributor towards passenger side. it that doesn't help, i'd do a 'gunk' brand engine flush, avail from walmart for about $3-4, follow directions, don't drive with it, then change oil and filter again. if that doesn't help, you might want to drop oil pan, clean the pickup screen, and replace the oil pump. melling hi-vol is a good choice.

rear main on mine is a 2 piece unit that can be replaced by dropping the oil pan, removing the rear cap, and then loosening the other mains, and gently tapping the seal out. unless its leaking real bad, or its really bothering you, this is not worth doing all by itself. but, if you do the oil pump above, then i'd do this too, and replace oil pan gasket, and then you have no more leaks, which is nice.

here's a how to. also some pics of my rear seal.
http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/rearmain.php
https://dodgeforum.com/m_735291/tm.htm

 

It's not leaking bad at all, maybe 2 drops at the most, but the oil pressure dipping low kinda gets to me. I don't wanna hurt my baby in any way... I changed the oil filter( I had put the other one on too tight & the seal came off ) I also notice that when I first crank it, it sounds like there's no oil in the motor, starts real rough then smooths out. Should I keep driving her?