Rear Main Seal Replacement Observations

1. buy or have pleny of rags
2. Wear safety glasses
3. allow plenty of time
4. take one or the other off........starter or losen the down pipe, I choose the later because I could move the starter.

thats about it.........and 1 and 2 are the most important, I've never done a more oily job or repair on my jeep.

Another thing I notice that my 98 4.0L has is a bearing cap girdle, its in none of the repair books and never seen mention of it before, does anybody else have this. I know I should have taken pics, but my hands were way too oily and I didn't want to ruin the new diggy.

I think the FSM say its on there. I get to do it this sunday

5) get yourself a good long punch to knock the upper half out

XgeekstarX said:

5) get yourself a good long punch to knock the upper half out

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extra long to clear the bellhousing with a hammer

5a) Use a brass punch or drift.

A regular steel punch can slip, and you'll scuff or gouge the crank journal - necessitating replacement, which sucks.

The oil sump will come off a stocker at full droop - I've done it a couple of times now (and I'm looking at doing it again on my 88/255K. I've got to change the tranmsission anyhow and oil sump gasket anyhow...)

The main girdle is on 96/97-up, as I recall.

6) Get the 96-up one-piece moulded rubber oil sump gasket, it saves wrestling.

You should only need a lightweight hammer to knock the upper rear main half loose.

7) BEFORE you start, pour a cupful of clean engine oil and put the new rear main in it to soak. This lubricates it (making it easier to install) and makes it slightly more pliable (making it easier to install.) Don't expect to tie it in knots - it's got a metal core.

5-90

I need to replace the rear seal on my 2001. The oil pan gasket is about a month old, (new style, rubber). Will I need a new gasket or will I be able to reuse this one? Finally, what brand and type of gasket sealant works best in these applications where you only need a few spots of it?