Rear main seal

I used about a gallon of simple green and isolated the oil leak. It is infact the rear main seal. or I think it is. The oil is dripping down the front of the transmission. It is oil not atf fluid!! Just curious, I was looking and trying to figure out how to get in there and it looks like I have to move the tranny cooler lines and remove the skid plate to get to the front bolts. I do not see this in any of the other posts, so I need make sure I am not going to create more work for myself. It also looks liek there is oil at the front seal, but it could have been old from the valve cover gasket. Also that oil pressure guage is whacky. I noticed it was at 80 while I was driving around and it pined out while I accelerated.

You will have to remove the trans lines from the pass. side of the oil pan as well as any wires running along the drivers. Remove the starter. It helped me to remove the steering stabilizer. Get the thing up as high as you can and then drop it on the frame rails. If you have a lift it will be easier to get the pan out. If you have any questions...I just did a rear main on my 96. Twice. :viking:

-river

have a great time, be patient and read this:

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

a good time to experience "black face" the fashion thats all the rage among japanese girls in tokyo. they darken their faces and think its fashionable. you'll have it just because you are doing the rear main seal: O )

Some things to consider.

When I did mine ('88 with 155k at the time), my oil pan was a royal pain to get off. The gasket was completely stuck. When I finally got it off, it split and left a lot of material on the pan and on the block. You must clean it all off or it will leak. I spent nearly 2 hours just scraping and cleaning the gasket surfaces.

Next, make sure you use a brass drift to push out the upper seal half. If you use a steel punch, you run the risk of damaging the seal surface or possibly the journal. Work slowly and carefully. You DO NOT want to booger this part up.

While at the parts store, get yourself some GoJo or other good hand cleaner. Dishwashing soap ain't gonna do it.

Make very very very sure you don't have a valve cover leak down the back of the head. It looks exactly like a rear main leak and is probably more common.

Just trying to save you some frustration

Get two rear main seals when you pick up parts.

They are only $10 and if you get the first one in no problems you can return the second.

I managed to rip the first one I put on and was glad I took somebodys suggestion to buy two because it was a sunday (no parts stores open).

what is the torque spec for the rear bearing cap, and the torque spec for the oil pan bolts?

Main bearing bolts =80 ft lbs
The "main bearing cap brace" =35 ft lbs

the 1/4 in. oil pan bolts to 84 INCH lbs
the 5/16in oil pan bolts to 132 INCH lbs

Info for the 4.0 out of my '01 FSM

riverfever said:

You will have to remove the trans lines from the pass. side of the oil pan as well as any wires running along the drivers.
-river

Click to expand...

I never had to remove the trans lines when I removed my oil pan. I've had to do it many times, I just pushed them out of the way.

I don't mean actually disconnect them but remove them from the studs on the pan.

riverfever said:

I don't mean actually disconnect them but remove them from the studs on the pan.

Click to expand...

Oh, gotcha. Mine were never connected there. When I tried to reconnect them to the stud, they didn't want to fit right.