Just bought a 1999 XJ have questions

Hi all,
I just picked up a 99 XJ today, it does have two small oil leaks one up from coming from behide the balancer and the second is the rear main seal. Both are very minor but I'm looking to get them fixed.
The front leak looks like a it shouldn't be a major fix, but the rear main seal has me worried. The local Jeep dealership told me they would have to remove the transmission and transfer case in order to replace it....is this true??? Sounds like a lot of $$$ to me.

Second does anyone know of any savage/junkyards here in the Boston area? I'm would like to get a better condition steering wheel, a factory cd player mine only has am/fm/cass, and a driver side seatbelt mine is in nasty condition. Any insight would be appreciated. Please post replies or email me directly at [email protected]

thanks

Don't listen to the dealer. They are full of shit when they say they need to remove the transmission and t case.

My 99 has leaks but they are very small and don't even make a puddle on the driveway. I seriously wouldn't worry about either of them. Just check the oil on the dipstick everytime you gas up you should be fine. Ironically leaks tend to fix themselves because dirt accumulates on them plugging them up.

Congrats on your purchase, the 99 is one of the best years to have.

Sorry I can't help you find a junkyard.

look out towards norwood? the auto mile I believe its called... I used to work in southie and thats where I bought the truck I had before this jeep... I bet there are a bunch of wreckers out there

re

don't let them fool you , all you gotta do is drop the oil pan and and undo the retainer inside the pan and bearing , and you there , but i don't recomend you to do it your self if you never done it before, if the jeep lifted, alot easy if not you might have to fight with the front diff, and in the font check the 10mm at the timming c cover most of the times it came loose by itself, if not change the crank seal, but i don't recomend you do it yourself , puller require

hello all,

Hey thanks to everyone for the quick replies!! I'll keep an eye on those leaks, like said they don't even leave any marks on my driveway. I had the local Jeep dealer do a pre-sale inspection on it before I bought it and thats all they could find that were potential issues.
I've been looking on www.junkyarddog.com to find some yards in MA that might have those parts I'm looking for. I'll keep checking around. Thanks so much!

Rear main seal requires dropping the oil pan. Transmission does not need to be removed.

You might want to clean off the rear end of the engine a little and confirm that the leak really is the main seal. It might also be the oil filter adapter, or the valve cover (or any combination of the three). Check the tightness of the rear bolts on the valve cover anyway because they often do get loose, and also check the tightness of the oil pan bolts, especially the two rearmost ones that straddle the end of the crankshaft. Don't ovetighten, just check that they're not really loose.

Most XJ's leak a little. If there's no puddle, you have it good, and you won't actually be losing oil in any measurable amount.

Remember that your steering wheel has an airbag in it. Steering wheel replacement is not a quick DIY job any more. If you do get a wheel, make sure you find out the total, correct, by-the-book procedure for disarming the airbag, because it really can kill you.

Yes, be careful. Imagine a 200 mph bag hitting you, but you might have a screwdriver infront of your face......

DOA.

theres a few yards in the eastern mass area only problem is that u very most likely wont find anything newer then 96. before i moved out to WY 3 months ago, i searched just abotu every yard in the east with no luck of finding stuff for my 99. if ur judt looking for generic cherokee stuff, id say millis used auto they always seem to have at least a dozen XJ's and a MJ or two

You could always go out to worcester, theres a few yards there like sams pull a part. Last time i was there i didnt see any cherokee newer than 96. As far as cd receiver, why not look into something like an alpine or aftermarket?