Oil leaks

I've got a 90 XJ w/a 4.0 and almost 187k. When I got it I noticed that the only oil leak was at the front of the valve cover right near the coolant hoses and since then I've noticed it getting progressively worse to the point now that it leaks out farther down the side of the valve cover and the breathers& the oil fill cap on top always have oil coming out from arround them. I've also noticed that my power steering pump is always covered in oil or sludge but it's not leaking, it's also on just the pump not the bracketry.

I believe that the front& rear mains were changed out at one point and probably the oil pan gasket as well so the rest of the engine is dry.

I'm going to change out the valve cover gasket and clean it out while I'm at it. What's a good way to clean out the valve cover and the snorkels inside? Will this cure the oil leaks from arround the breather hoses & fill cap? I'm going to change out the CCV tubes and the associated vacuum lines(I've had slight blow-by in the past). Does this have to be done right at the time when the valve cover is off or can I wait a thousand miles and do it then?

I'm going to get some pictures of the affected areas so you can see what I'm talking about.

Thanks

Do it once and do it right, keep a shop vac handy as well as a plastic scraper, work the vac and scraper together to keep any loose pieces of sludge from getting away and down into the oil return passages.

Here's what I see:









If I switch to synthetics that should keep stuff like this from happening in the future, right?

Once it gets everything cleaned out, if you do swap to syn keep an eye on the dipstick, once the oil gets too dark to read the dipstick change the filter then add a quart and it will get dark, fast, usually less then 500mi as it starts breaking the crud down.

i would ONLY recommend switching to synthetic if you've replaced pretty much everything. ESPECIALLY the rear main. as stated, it definitely breaks crud down. so much to the point that you can - and very likely will - develop MORE leaks elsewhere!

i switched to mobil 1 at around 100k miles or so. started leaking like a bastard. switched back to dino oil, and it sealed everything right up. personally, i would not recommend switching at your mileage.

Varies, switched both our used TJ's right after we got them, both 97's. Changed to mobil 1 oil and filters, not a leak out of either of them and those 2.5's had around 100K each on them. Like I said, it varies and the only way to find out is to try it. I'd do it just for the cleaning it would give the internals.

agreed. run some seafoam in it, run some synthetic for a while, and you are GUARANTEED a cleaner engine. just be prepared to switch back to dino if you start leaking.

Thanks for the input guys. Do you think it would be less dramatic if I switch over to synthetic gradually as in a quart more per oil change(5&1; 4&2 & so on...)?

So if I change out my valve cover gasket that should fix the current leaks pictured, right?

don't worry about doing it gradually. just do it all at once! what would be the point anyway??

new valve cover gasket should fix a lot of the gunk you're seeing. i think...

Start cleaning the outside before you tear the valve cover off. Use Castrol SuperClean. Spray it on, let it sit a couple of minutes and take a hot water hose and wash it off. Be careful not to get the TPS wet. Once you get the valve cover off, get a 5 gallon bucket and put the valve cover in it and spray the insides with SuperClean as well. If necessary add hot water and let it soak for an hour or so. Once you get the main portion of the crud out, remove the screws and take the breather assy apart and repeat the SuperClean routine to clean out the passages.

Dookie said:

i would ONLY recommend switching to synthetic if you've replaced pretty much everything. ESPECIALLY the rear main. as stated, it definitely breaks crud down. so much to the point that you can - and very likely will - develop MORE leaks elsewhere!

i switched to mobil 1 at around 100k miles or so. started leaking like a bastard. switched back to dino oil, and it sealed everything right up. personally, i would not recommend switching at your mileage.

Click to expand...

I agree! I switched mine over at 70K and with in 500-1000 miles later I sprung both oil pan gasket and rear main leaks. The oil pan gasket has sealed itself back up, but the rear main is still goin. Probably time to replace them anyways i guess. Learning experience none the less!