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Main seal question

S

seabass1858

NAXJA Forum User
Location
hanover, pennsylvania
How hard is it to change out a rear main seal/front in a cherokee, is there a write up, and should i change out the oil pump while im at it?





95xj sport
4.0l
aw4, np242
aussie d30, 35c limited slip soon to be 8.25 superior
190,000 miles
 
There should be a couple write ups. There are also some over at cherokeeforum as well.
And it might be a good idea to change the pump since you will have the pan off anyways.
If you are mechanically inclined and have some time, then reasonable to do.
 
Also, make sure you torque all of the rod and main caps, they come loose over time.
 
getting the top half of the rear main seal out can be tough. also when putting the new top half back in, be careful not to tear the seal.

replacing the rear main is not a hard job for the mechanically inclined. i would not say its an easy job. its time consuming and can be messy.

IIRC, rod and main caps get torqued to 80ftlbs.

i recommend a 1 piece oil pan seal and buy 2 rear mains in case you tear the top half. dont forget to apply rtv to the ears of the seal.
 
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101118

If it's never been off, the pan can be very difficult to remove from the block. Try not to bend the lip.

Once the pan is off, it can drive you crazy trying to get it out, especially if you're jeep's not lifted. Place a jack under the axle, and lift until the LCAs are ~parallel with the ground (jeep should be on stands by now).The pan won't come out until you get frustrated and give up; then it'll fall on your face. Any oil left should end up in your nose, ear, or running down your neck.

If you can't get the top half of the RMS out, loosen the next set of cap bolts a bit. Don't forget to torque those down.
 
1990heepxj said:
its pretty easy to do only tricky part really is getting the dang oil pan out past the oil pickup
Click to expand...

That's odd. I had no trouble with the oil pickup at all. I did go through two upper seals before I installed it right, however. Kujito has it right, but I forgot to loosen the remaining bearing caps on the first attempt.
 
Big key for getting the top of the RMS in without tearing it is--aerosol silicone lubricant.
 
should i do a main and rod bearing job while i have everything apart, or should i leave well enough alone. i already am gonna do the oil pump and pick up with a milling 20% more volume than stock.
 
seabass1858 said:
should i do a main and rod bearing job while i have everything apart, or should i leave well enough alone. i already am gonna do the oil pump and pick up with a milling 20% more volume than stock.
Click to expand...

check for scoring and plastigauge the bearings to see if they are with in tolerance(spec).
 
well i guess its not easy for all, i did mine in less then 2 hrs and havent had a single issue with it since(3 months). and mine went right past the oil pick up being that im on a 5in lift but i was guessing he may be on less lift but ya never know.
 
joe_peters said:
Big key for getting the top of the RMS in without tearing it is--aerosol silicone lubricant.
Click to expand...

Or dish soap. Also, the newer RMS come with a little plastic card sort of thing that you insert between the block and the seal when you slide the seal in so you won't tear it on the block.
 
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