Need Advice

[Douger]

Hello all. Im new to the Phoenix area and moved here from Chicago about a year ago. Im the proud owner of a 98 XJ and am getting to the point where Im debating if I should put on a lift. Unfortunaly she is getting a little old (98000 miles) and 8 years of Chicago winters is taking its toll. The body is still in great shape and the engine still runs strong. Problem is Im getting an oil leak that appears to be coming from where the engine and tranny meet.

Im looking for any advice or recommendations on a good mechanic familiar with Jeeps to determine if my XJ is worth repairing and lifting or if I should get rid of it.

Thanks in advance.

[AZRockRunner]

Could be as simple as a valve cover leaking in back and running down ti the oil pan gasket or rear main seal. Best thing to do is pressure wash the engine really clean and run it and see if u can find the fresh leak.
If its the rear main, that can be a little challenging, but doable.

Jeeps leak, it happens. Welcome to the family.

[Douger]

Ok I have to ask. How in the world can I pressure wash the engine? Or I guess more importantly where to do something like this? Do I take it somewhere and do it myself or is there a place I can pay to do it for me? :dunno:

Im real sorry if this is a stupid question. Im a noob and I know it can be frustrating to get the same question over and over from us. Im a quick learner and am going through old posts to learn so bare with me for awhile.

[chrslefty]

dont think of it as leaking but as marking its territory !!:loveu: lift it you wont regret it ,just buy a complete kit.it ll run for ever if you take care of it i got 225000 miles on mine !

[AzFlexJ]

you can take it to just about any self serve car wash place and most of them have a degreaser solution you can select and you let that sit on there for a few min. and then just spray off...works pretty good

[CommandoXJ96]

if you go ahead and powerwash the engine bay - make sure not to hit your distributor cap, tps... that kinda stuff. I usually cover up the sensors by the throttlebody witha plastic bag and do the same for the distributor. if anything seems to run awry after powerwashing - get some WD40 and a rag and clean connectors up - works wonders on the dist. cap if you got water into there.

[TUFFXJ]

Problem is Im getting an oil leak that appears to be coming from where the engine and tranny meet.


Its is most likely the Rear Main our Heeps are infamous for this. Its an easy fix with a few beers and some time here is a link to help and your milage is right there to see this problem.

http://www.jeepin.com/features/rearmain/

Hail to Jason of Jeepin.com:clap:

[AZRockRunner]

I would be a little scared if my jeep STOPPED leaking oil. That would mean it ran out of oil. LOL

Really, these jeeps run forever. Mine has somewhere in the neighborhood of 270,000 and still going strong.

[bigazxj]

its most likley the rear main as many have allready said
as for a good shop
dave at desert fab is a full service shop he can take care of your leaks and the lift . hes a NAXJA member and a good guy to deal with.
he goes by "azxj" on the board just pm him he can hook you up
heres a link to his site http://desertfab.com/

[Gasman]

As others have said, most likely valve cover gasket or rear main seal or both. Clean it off good at a self serv car wash, spaying the back of the engine behind the valve cover and underneath where the engine and tranny meet. Then run it. When it starts dripping, try to see where it's comming from. Reach your hand behind the valve cover (when the motor is cool) and see if it's wet where the valve cover meets the block. If it's all wet with oil then you need to replace the valve cover gasket. Fel-Pro makes a great gasket for the 4.0 that fixes the leaky issue. It's called a Perma-Dry gasket and it's kind of pricey but the VC will never leak again.

If the engine and tranny are strong then nothing wrong with lifting it and going wheeling. Heck, 98,000 miles is just getting broke in! Plus it hurts less when you scratch it up on the rocks.

As mentioned, DesertFab is a good place on the east side and if you are on the westside then Joe at Absolute Offroad can take care of you.

[o2bgpn]

Another quick check is to make sure your oil pan bolts are tight. Last year I developed a leak that I thought was the rear main, turned out to be a few lose bolts on the pan. Tightened them up, no more leak. That was right at 100K, too.

[XJ20]

My rear main started leaking at about 100k. It got really bad around 170k and I found the o-rings for the oil filter adapter needed to be replaced.http://www.dakotacom.net/~jeepster/tipshades.gif

[AZXJ]

Hello all. Im new to the Phoenix area and moved here from Chicago about a year ago. Im the proud owner of a 98 XJ and am getting to the point where Im debating if I should put on a lift. Unfortunaly she is getting a little old (98000 miles) and 8 years of Chicago winters is taking its toll. The body is still in great shape and the engine still runs strong. Problem is Im getting an oil leak that appears to be coming from where the engine and tranny meet.

Im looking for any advice or recommendations on a good mechanic familiar with Jeeps to determine if my XJ is worth repairing and lifting or if I should get rid of it.

Thanks in advance.


Bring it on by the shop.. We are a full service shop!! We can discuss lifts and replacing the rear main seal on the motor..

Take care
Dave
480-288-4213

[Douger]

Thank you all so much for your responses. And Dave I will be contacting you soon. I have an entire list of things I need addressed. Thanks again everyone and Im looking forward to learning more.

Doug

[AZXJ]

Sweet!! Look forward to meeting you!

PS.. Get that name in RED Bro!!! NAXJA needs the support from us AZ folks!!

Dave
480-288-4213

[Douger]

I assuming becoming a member gets my name red? Sounds interesting. Im looking up the info now.

[AZXJ]

You assume right.. ;)

[Douger]

Dave,

Im planning on swinging by your shop Saturday to meet you and talk Jeep. See you soon.


Doug

[AZXJ]

Doug,

We are headed to Parker for the Parker 400 in the am.. My partner Todd is already there and has made it through tech inspection..

We will be back in the shop on Monday !!!