Alright, I was installing my homemade discos tonight, and like a moron I didn't use wheel chocks--though the e-brake was on. I had a jackstand under the passenger side framerail, just behind the LCA mount, and a smallish jack with a block of wood under the axletube. I'm sure you see where this is going now. The car somehow slipped off the block/jack. Nothing looks broken/bent, but after I buttoned everything up and took it for a test drive to see how the new discos feel, I got back and there's a little splattering of oil on the pan. Very little, but my XJ's never leaked a drop of anything before. I feel badly asking this because it's my fault and because this really isn't too big a deal, but I want to know what I should be checking underneath. If anything, the block/jack slipped backwards possibly into the oil pan or I suppose it could've hit the tranny hard lines. I could see a fresh smudge on the pan about where they might have hit it, but that's it. Any ideas?
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Stupid mistake
- Thread starter Timber
- Start date
- Location
- Westminster, SoCal
Timber said:
Does the splattering of oil on the pan look like it could come from running through a puddle or something? What does the oil smell like/feel like? Was it reddish? brownish/blackish? Which way did the jackstand fall when it slipped?
Your best bet is to go through the underside with a rag and clean everything up and then first let it idle for a while in the driveway and see if anything drips. If nothing drips take it for a test drive and avoid all puddles and then take a look at how things look.
When I test drove it, I only went 5-6 miles. The oil looked/smelled fine; same with tranny fluid. The splatters were definitely oil. I should have been clearer about what fell. The jackstand stayed under the framerail behind the LCA; the axle slipped forward off the block/jack combo. I think the whole Jeep moved, but only enough for the axle to slip.
- Location
- Westminster, SoCal
Timber said:
OK, so the mysterious stain smeels like motor oil then? I think that you might have had a leak before and now you noticed it. In any case as I mentioned above: Clean it up, let it idle, check for leaks. THen drive it and check for leaks again.
Unless you had something come in contact with something else during the fall, I don't see how falling of a jack could have caused a leak.
Cool, thanks, Kejtar. It's been really wet here with all the recent snow melting, so it's been somewhat difficult to check properly, but it definitely is oil. Anyway, I'll be cleaning it up daily and checking nightly to see. It was probably too early to post about it, but the situation kind of wigged me out a little when the axle fell. It'd never happened to me before. I'll be a whole lot more careful from now on.
boise49ers
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Boise,Idaho
If it is in fact oil and it is hanging off the oil pan , it could be your oil filter adapter O-rings. It is at the most a $12 fix if you buy them from the Stealership. That is how you ensure you get the right ones. I am about to install my 3rd set in 2 years. I oiled mine before installing and they recommend you grease them first. That helps holding them in place too. If you need more information on this Feel free to PM me. As far as your rig slippin I did the same thing with my F-100 a couple of weeks ago on the rear. I had it chocked , but not good enough. It fell on the blocks I had underneath it though so I didn't do any damage. Brain farts , we all have them.
Good Luck !
Good Luck !
