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im sorry but another rear main thread

chedisme

chedisme

NAXJA Member
Location
middletown, NY
My rear main was leaking. I put it off for a while then finally had my mechanic fix it.

he did the pull the tranny method. I know he didn't have to, I asked him why he didn't just pull the pan and do it that way. he just said he just likes doing it that way.

so about a week after I got it back it started leaking even worse.

I brought it back to him he said he thought it was leaking from the rear of the oil pan. he fixed it.

a day of two later it was dripping a little, but not much so I let it go.

then I went to rausch the other day 200mi there wheeled and 200mi back and over the course of the day I lost about 6 quarts!(topped off every few hours)

I called him and he said maybe my pan is bent(I do have a medium size dent in the bottom) and that is keeping it from sealing right.

so far he has done all of this for free, that's the only thing that's keeping me from hating him. and finding someone else.

my question is does this make sense?

oh and its leaking from between the engine and tranny.

thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
wow! I don't know anyone that has tried to replace the rear main seal be removing the tranny! The usual method is, of course, drop the axle to full droop, drop the pan, remove the rear bearing cap, tap out the seal, install in reverse, including a new oil pan gasket. Free or not, he's not really doing you any favors.
 
i did mine in the garage by dropping the pan and popping the old dry one out< not a drop has leaked out. I would call bullshit on his method, that isnt right.
 
yea i guess I will.

I dont get it Iv gone through 4 mechanics since I could drive. and had to leave them all cause they all have tried to f*** me. Im so fed up with this crap.
 
The best way to keep from getting screwed by a shady mechanic is to do it yourself. My XJ has only seen the inside of a mechanics shop twice since I've had it...6 years...I just refuse to pay $80-90 an hour. As an extra bonus, I learn about my Jeep (and my other cars) and HOW things work. I'm not an ace mechanic, an engineer or a gearhead but I can read and look at pictures and I can join NAXJA. Worlds of knowledge.

There is no "remove the tranny" method for a 4.0 RMS unless you already have it out. That's just crap!!
 
X2 on what Paradise said.

Aside from having the windshield and driver door glass replaced, my XJ hasn't seen a mechanic since I bought it. My MJ has not seen a mechanic other than me, though it needs a new windshield pretty badly.

I didn't realize you were leaking oil as badly as I am, I went through ~5 quarts of oil in the 660 miles I drove to get to RC and back! Every time I stopped I got a pretty badass cloud of smoke and generally had my hand on the fire extinguisher. I'm leaking this badly due to a clogged/messed up CCV system and a rear main that is really leaky (at 208k I expected no less.)
 
I do most of my work my self but latly Ive been working 8 hours a day and going to school for another 4hours on top of that so I really dont have the time.

plus Im the handyest(if thats a word) person I know, so If I run into trouble I dont have anyone to ask for help. well any one that can actually physically help. then I have to get it towed somewhere and get really F***ed.

Ive read the rear main threads and am pretty confident I could do it.
so should I just do It again? I did just get laid off so I have the time.

thanks guys
 
That must be very frustrating, but I say you need a new mechanic that will do it right, or you need to take a day off from work and do it yourself. Removing the tranny is a big red flag to me. Unless he's using spackle, I don't know how that would work.
 
Don't overlook the fact that your oil pan may not be sealing tightly. An oil leak pretty much anywhere on the 4.0 motor tends to find its way to the back of the motor and appear to be a rear main seal problem. I replaced the rear main seal, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, & oil filter adapter o-rings before I finally got rid of my oil leak woes.

Let's say that the mechanic hypothetically fixed the rear main, giving him the benefit of the doubt... there are still plenty of other places you could be leaking from. I don't mean to give you more work, but you may not want to be too focused on only one possible problem for this issue. Good luck.
 
Yea the only oil is on the plate on the front of the tranny. it mainly leaks when hot and is very temperamental. some time it leaks alot, spritzes oil, some times I cant make it leak more then a few drops.

it really seams to be coming from where the rear of the oil pan meets the bell housing.

im just going to do the rear main again my self tomorrow.
 
It's entirely possible that the XJ was the only 1998 model that had a two piece rear main. All the other stuff off the top of my head of that vintage was indeed a one piece. That's why you do your homework before you bid a job out.
 
Holy shit... 6 quarts in a day?

Is that even possible?

Yeah, take a day off, pull the pan, do it.
 
oh... it's quite possible :roflmao:

My MJ doesn't mark its territory right now... it fences it off and then carpet bombs it. You can literally see the outline of the engine, transmission, tranny crossmember, and frame rails on the pavement by where the oil drips land after I park for a few minutes.
 
kastein said:
My MJ doesn't mark its territory right now... it fences it off and then carpet bombs it. You can literally see the outline of the engine, transmission, tranny crossmember, and frame rails on the pavement by where the oil drips land after I park for a few minutes.
Click to expand...



hahaha
 
so I think I found the problem.

there was some build up on the bearing cap in the slot the lower seal goes in. I cleaned it out. But I had to go to class before I could start any of the reassembling.

so we will see if it makes a difference. thanks for your help guys and for encouraging me to do it my self.

and good news as of tomorrow Im no longer laid off. so It was a good day.
 
chedisme said:
and good news as of tomorrow Im no longer laid off. so It was a good day.
Click to expand...

Great. Now you'll have more money to blow towards the endless supply of parts all XJs inevitably require. Congrats :)
 
jeeperguy21 said:
Great. Now you'll have more money to blow towards the endless supply of parts all XJs inevitably require. Congrats :)
Click to expand...
But not the endless free time required to do anything with it :roflmao:

I find that job/jeep/money = "the money to build a jeep, the time to do it - choose one."

- Ken "slowly accumulating a huge pile of jeep parts" Stein
 
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