Changed the Clutch Now my 8 Month old RMS is leaking.

Anyone else ever had this problem?

I replaced my rear main seal in January and began driving the jeep in February of this year. I have had NO drips or leaks of any kind. I felt somewhat proud of myself for this since all of my previous Jeeps kept my driveway and Parking space at work with a permanent oil sheen.

A few weeks ago In late august I burnt up my clutch.

Pulled it in and did the work myself.

Now I have a small leak from the Rear main. It leaves a drip or two every time I finish driving.

Anyone else ever had this? and does it eventually settle in and stop leaking, or am I going to need to do the Rear Main again?

Thanks.

Just make sure it isn't oil from the rear of the valve cover. I have seen a lot of people go gung ho on fixing a RMS, only to find the oil was running down the back of the engine and looking EXACTLY like an RMS.

ha, mine did the same thing, right after i changed my clutch. i noticed my harmonic balancer was bad yesterday so i changed that and the leak seems to be almost gone.... wonder if the vibes were causing the leak? just did an oil change so it does have oil in it....

I'm with oldman on this. There's nothing you could do to a RMS while changing a clutch.


Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat.
I'd be looking up ABOVE first, and VERIFYING the source of the oil leak YOURSELF.
Everybody, who doesn't own or have to pay for or perform your vehicle repairs, loves to poke their noggin UNDER the Jeep and come out bearing the false bad news that your RMS is leaking.
Many mechanics, friends, and good old Uncle Bob seem to enjoy telling you it’s the rear main seal. Has a catastrophic ring to it, doesn’t it?
A simple leak at the back of the valve cover or other source could produce the same symptoms. You don’t need to be a mechanic to figure this out. If you have good eyesight and a dim flashlight, you’re good to go on your own. Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat.

Almost any oil leak on your 4.0 is gonna drip from the RMS area for two simple reasons.
First off, the engine sits nose-up and any oil will run back to the RMS area. Secondly, the RMS area is also the lowest point on the engine. Simple physics and the old plumber's adage apply here. "$hit flows downhill".

Valve cover gasket, oil pressure sending unit, oil filter adapter seals and distributor gasket, in that order, have to be eliminated as possibilities first.
Revised 9-15-2012

Vanimal said:

ha, mine did the same thing, right after i changed my clutch. i noticed my harmonic balancer was bad yesterday so i changed that and the leak seems to be almost gone.... wonder if the vibes were causing the leak? just did an oil change so it does have oil in it....

Click to expand...

Interesting.. I have been noticing a vibration when I accelerate. seems very engine like as it changes when I shift,
After replacing the clutch I started the jeep and the alternator was locked up. and I believe it may have caused the Harmonic balancer to twist or something because it only did a little damage to the belt.(not the extent that I expected)

I wonder if it was the belt and balance that Is causing this rather than the clutch.

cruiser54 said:

I'm with oldman on this. There's nothing you could do to a RMS while changing a clutch.


Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat.
I'd be looking up ABOVE first, and VERIFYING the source of the oil leak YOURSELF.
Everybody, who doesn't own or have to pay for or perform your vehicle repairs, loves to poke their noggin UNDER the Jeep and come out bearing the false bad news that your RMS is leaking.
Many mechanics, friends, and good old Uncle Bob seem to enjoy telling you it’s the rear main seal. Has a catastrophic ring to it, doesn’t it?
A simple leak at the back of the valve cover or other source could produce the same symptoms. You don’t need to be a mechanic to figure this out. If you have good eyesight and a dim flashlight, you’re good to go on your own. Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat.

Almost any oil leak on your 4.0 is gonna drip from the RMS area for two simple reasons.
First off, the engine sits nose-up and any oil will run back to the RMS area. Secondly, the RMS area is also the lowest point on the engine. Simple physics and the old plumber's adage apply here. "$hit flows downhill".

Valve cover gasket, oil pressure sending unit, oil filter adapter seals and distributor gasket, in that order, have to be eliminated as possibilities first.
Revised 9-15-2012

Click to expand...

Thanks, I have not checked the Valve cover gasket, but there is a direct line from the bottom of the engine by the bell housing to the drip,I have very little question where it's coming from, but I'll check those tonight to be sure.

I'm starting to wonder about the Harmonic balance..

FWIW, a bad harmonic balancer will not create a vibration which would cause a seal to leak. It's there to take away undetectable harmonics which are harmful to engien components over a very long time.

muduck18 said:

Thanks, I have not checked the Valve cover gasket, but there is a direct line from the bottom of the engine by the bell housing to the drip,I have very little question where it's coming from, but I'll check those tonight to be sure.

Click to expand...

That may be a very bad assumption. When the valve cover leaks, the oil runs down the back of the head & block, then right down the rear of the oil pan at the center. Too many people make the mistake of replacing the RMS and later the valve cover gasket. Take a white glove, or a white cloth and wipe the back of the head, just below the valve cover. If you come up with oil, order a valve cover gasket. After replacing the gasket, it will take a few days for all the oil to drip off the engine.

MoFo said:

That may be a very bad assumption. When the valve cover leaks, the oil runs down the back of the head & block, then right down the rear of the oil pan at the center. Too many people make the mistake of replacing the RMS and later the valve cover gasket. Take a white glove, or a white cloth and wipe the back of the head, just below the valve cover. If you come up with oil, order a valve cover gasket. After replacing the gasket, it will take a few days for all the oil to drip off the engine.

Click to expand...

I looked at it last night and I can't 100% rule the Valve Cover out. But I'm really pretty sure it's not it. There is no obvious signs of oil back there. and the "glove" test just shows a little residue.

I've dealt with valve cover leaks before and they've always gotten all over the place for me, especially with this much oil leaking. But like I said I can't rule it out.

I'm just mainly looking to know if anyone else has had the RMS go bad after a clutch change. But it sounds like that is somewhat rare.