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Oil leak. My head gasket?

F

fizassist

NAXJA Member #1052
Location
Los Alamos, NM
Hi. I've had my '95 XJ (4.0 HO) for about a month now, and I'm trying to get it in tip-top condition. It had an oil leak somewhere around the filter area, and the sending unit was a goner. I replaced the filter adapter o-rings and the sending unit, then degreased the whole area well. The new sending unit works great, but I still have a small leak. After driving 50 highway miles, the base of the dipstick tube is wet, as are some other areas:

P8211420.JPG


Above sending unit:

P8211421.JPG


Head gasket?

P8211422.JPG


The oil filter adapter region is dry as a bone:

P8211423.JPG


It looks to me like it's seeping out under the head; am I reading that right? It's dry above there; the valve cover gasket isn't leaking.

Thanks for the input!
fiz
 
I would check other areas more than likely if the head gasket was leaking you would be losing water and you would be starting to over heat the engine.Is this oil leak something you just noticed or was dry when you bought it? It could be that the valve cover gasket was leaking (very common) and the previous owner replaced it. I have seen stranger things but I highly doubt its the head gasket.good luck.
 
BigDadys94xj said:
I would check other areas more than likely if the head gasket was leaking you would be losing water and you would be starting to over heat the engine.Is this oil leak something you just noticed or was dry when you bought it? It could be that the valve cover gasket was leaking (very common) and the previous owner replaced it. I have seen stranger things but I highly doubt its the head gasket.good luck.
Click to expand...

There is no indication of oil/coolant mixing. (I'm not losing coolant, there's no steam in the exhaust, the oil isn't bubly.) Isn't it still possible to have oil seeping out the edge without losing coolant? I'm strongly leaning toward the head gasket because the whole head/block interface looks like it is seeping on that side. Everything above that (including the valve cover - head interface) is bone dry.
 
I had one experience with an XJ where a dealer neglected to include the gasket under the distributor when reinstalling it. It was very had to tell where the oil was coming from.
 
I have seen cases where especially on the right side of the block and head where oil will leak from the lifter pushrod valley area without it affecting the compression or cooling system. Nothing hard about doing the head gasket especially since the valve train adjustments is so easy. Another thing you could try is a oil dye and a black light to pinpoint the leak exactally.

Wingnut
 
jkmhb said:
I had one experience with an XJ where a dealer neglected to include the gasket under the distributor when reinstalling it. It was very had to tell where the oil was coming from.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...that actually sounds like a likely candidate. A leak right behind the distributor would fit the bill quite well. I'll have to check that out; thanks!

If that's not it, I'll get some dye.
 
BajaXJ92 said:
Get back to us and let me know what you find.

I'm kinda interested in the source of the oil.....
Click to expand...

I think jkmhb hit the nail on the head. I took the distributor out and it definitely looked like the source of the leak (uniform saturation around the gasket). The gasket was really crumbly, so I scraped it off and used some "Ultra Copper" gasket RTV to replace it. It's drying as we speak; I'll degrease it tomorrow morning and report back on how things go!
 
Good news: That definitely stopped the lower leak. The distributor base is dry as a bone.

Bad news: The head gasket is definitely leaking. The whole head/block interface is seeping oil on the passenger side. It doesn't seem to be bad; I'll probably just let it go for now if I'm not having to add too much oil. I want to put a 4.6 in within the next year, anyway :D

Thanks again, guys!

BTW, my oil pressure gauge is reading 60 on start, 40 on idle after warmed up, and no more than 60 under load.
 
A little bit of oil "sweat" on the passenger side of the block is normal so don't fret about it. The oil galleries are on that side of the head/block so a little bit of seepage past the head gasket is not unusual and nothing to worry about.
_________________________________________________________________
1992 XJ Laredo 4-dr - 4.6L I6 HO Stroker - 176k miles - AX15, NP231, D35c, D30
Estimated 263hp/323lbft, best 1/4 mile [email protected] before stroker install
Websites - Jeep 4.0 Performance, 4.6L Stroker Build-Up, Dino's Jeep Tricks
 
Not sure if this is a "to do" per the motorheads but mine was leaking (95 XJ) alot so I retorqued the head, STOPPED! :D

hinkley
 
You should also check the CCV tube. (Constant Crankcase Ventilation) This is Jeeps version of the PCV. It is quite common for it to become plugged. This causes higher than normal crankcase pressures and will cause leakage and more blow-by into the air intake.
It is the tube that comes out of the rear-most hole in the valve cover and goes to the intake.
 
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