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Is it possible at 49,000 miles..?

F

Fantobacon

NAXJA Forum User
Location
N.C.
To have a rear main seal leak?

94 XJ Auto 4.0 HO 49,000 miles.

Seems all the shops in town are giving me the run around..and the dealership wants to take my head off.
The first place I took it to said it was leaking oil from the drain plug & said the dealer problay lost the seal around the drain plug or something..and he didn't wat to touch it.
I took it back to Jeep & they put dye in the oil, I went back & they said it was the rear main seal & they want way too much to fix it.
I called another shop & he said it couldn't be the rear main but problay the valve cover gasket???

thanks any info would help!

R~
 
well the dye is pretty fool proof but just to be sure put your fingers around the backside of the valve cover and feel to see if there is any fresh oil, alot of times the valve cover leak can look like a rear main leak. The oil will end up in the same general area. as far as your question yes it is entirely possible the seal failed, i would say that at that mileage you shouldn't have to worry about a groove being worn in the crank itself. after you are completely sure it is a rear main, take it in and say i want it changed and i want the old parts just take it somewhere reputable, it doesn't sound like you have been taking it anywhere reputable besides the Stealerhip

or you can change it your self and save the time money and headaches
 
Fantobacon said:
To have a rear main seal leak?

94 XJ Auto 4.0 HO 49,000 miles.

Seems all the shops in town are giving me the run around..and the dealership wants to take my head off.
The first place I took it to said it was leaking oil from the drain plug & said the dealer problay lost the seal around the drain plug or something..and he didn't wat to touch it.
I took it back to Jeep & they put dye in the oil, I went back & they said it was the rear main seal & they want way too much to fix it.
I called another shop & he said it couldn't be the rear main but problay the valve cover gasket???

thanks any info would help!

R~
Click to expand...

Yes it could be the rear main seal. 49,000 miles on a 94 tells me it doesn't see many miles a year....when an engine sits the seals dry up and crack. Check the back of the head. If its wet with oil it maybe the valve cover gasket, if it isn't wet then it probably is the rear main. Easy fix to do yourself. Go to jeepin.com and read the write up .
 
jeepguy97 said:
Yes it could be the rear main seal. 49,000 miles on a 94 tells me it doesn't see many miles a year....when an engine sits the seals dry up and crack. Check the back of the head. If its wet with oil it maybe the valve cover gasket, if it isn't wet then it probably is the rear main. Easy fix to do yourself. Go to jeepin.com and read the write up .
Click to expand...

i read that article already..it look like i need a lift and all that to let the front sag & removed the wheels..i don't have any of those tools :(
 
No lift needed. Just Jack it up and set it in Jack stands so that the Front end hangs. Just make sure you use GOOD jack stands. Then the rest is basic hand tools.

chris
 
Quick check is the back of the valve cover, if you hand comes away with oil it's the valve cover. Stick a ratchet on valve cover bolts and make sure they are tight, just don't break them. use a 1/4" ratchet, that way you won't generally be able to break them.. I"ve had mine loosen up from time to time..
 
RichP said:
Quick check is the back of the valve cover, if you hand comes away with oil it's the valve cover. Stick a ratchet on valve cover bolts and make sure they are tight, just don't break them. use a 1/4" ratchet, that way you won't generally be able to break them.. I"ve had mine loosen up from time to time..
Click to expand...

i guess i will wash the underbody & try that for a quick check..thanks-
 
Gunk it underneath and pressure wash the shit out of it, then drive it slow for a couple of miles. Dont go fast. Then you will see where it all comes from. If it is your rear seal then be sure to pick up a small "brass" punch to tap the seal out, you dont want to damage the shaft. easy, it could be a one piece seal. I guess jeep decided to make it easy to replace, because they knew its a leaker.
 
This is a total diy job, it will save you hundreds. also how much oil are you losing. if it is not a lot, then dont rush the job until you have time. its just oil drops. that sounds ghetto i know, but just keep adding oil until you feel comfortable doing it.
 
bholt5035 said:
This is a total diy job, it will save you hundreds. also how much oil are you losing. if it is not a lot, then dont rush the job until you have time. its just oil drops. that sounds ghetto i know, but just keep adding oil until you feel comfortable doing it.
Click to expand...
yeah it's not that much.. um it's say a golf ball size puddle after say 7 or 8 hours. funny thing is that i let it sit for a good while, checked the dip stick & the level was fine.
But it's definetly oil. I am getting 1 opinion from Jeep & another from another shop :( #*@!!
 
I was loosing oil, could not find the leak untill I replaced the water pump, turned out the bolts on my 98 that hold the timing cover on had backed out and were only being held in place by the harmonic balancer. Only noticed it while I was poking around the front during the waterpump replacement, tightend em up and all is good so far. I stick my hand down there every once in a while and it comes away oil free. The valve cover also loosend up at around 200,000mi, tightened it up and no more marking it's territory..
 
Do as everyone else suggested and also check the gasket on the oil drain plug. Thought my rear main was gone too (had 170k on it at time). I wiped everything down and took it for a ride then checked it. was coming from plug, it had dried out and cracked.Dealership didn't have any but NAPA did, replaced and leak stopped. 15 k miles later now and my rear main is starting to leak.
 
I have had, on both my XJs, the rocker arm cover gasket leaked, and the bolts loosened up. The gasket is all of a dollar and change at whereever.And yeah, like has been mentioned before, it looks just like a rear main seal leak.
 
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