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rear main seal. RTV issue.

rag

NAXJA Forum User
Location
central NJ
im currently doing my rear main for the first time.

i needed to unbolt the trackbar, front shocks, swaybars and grind some of the control arm mounts to finally pull the pan

both halfs of the new seals are in place and oriented correctly.

heres my question. will blue RTV work for the main bearing cap?

RearMain%20018.jpg


i got that image off of gojeep's tutorial (which i must say is amazing, along with jason's/jeepin and 5-90's)

is it absolutely critical i rtv this surface? if so will the blue rtv be sufficient?

i ahve some black silicone sealer but not "RTV", its made by permatex but apparently is not what i need. i would run to the store and pick up a tube fo the stuff but my daily driver is out of commission until this job is complete.

torque specs on the main bearing cap are 40, then 60 then 80 correct? the small sump bolts are 7ft lbs and teh large ones are 11?

any input appreciated :looney:
 
RTV ( room tempurature Vulcanizing) rubber color does not matter as much as the properties put into the RTV, If you have permatex gasket maker it is RTV

I have used the red, blue, and black all without issue on my many different 4.0's

what does the package of the permatex say? part #? etc, you cna look it up online for the properties

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers.htm
 
rockwerks said:
RTV ( room tempurature Vulcanizing) rubber color does not matter as much as the properties put into the RTV, If you have permatex gasket maker it is RTV

I have used the red, blue, and black all without issue on my many different 4.0's

what does the package of the permatex say? part #? etc, you cna look it up online for the properties

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers.htm
"sensor-safe" blue rtv. item# 80022

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/Permatex_Sensor-Safe_Blue_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm
 
I believe the color difference (at least with the RTV black) is in it's tolerance to heat. The label on the RTV black says it's for high heat applications.
 
thanks alot. im putting everything back together finally. ill update when complete.
 
fubar XJ said:
I believe the color difference (at least with the RTV black) is in it's tolerance to heat. The label on the RTV black says it's for high heat applications.

ultra black 500* highest oil resistance (best for oil pan etc)
ultra blue/blue 500* general purpose
ultra gray 500* more ridgid high torque applications
orange 650* resists all fluids, higher temp
ultra copper 700* most oil resistant, highest temp most advanced
 
i am on my laptop, sitting in my heep. shes idling and ive been bringing her rpms smoothly up to 3k and down to idle. great oilpressure. no apparent leaks so far *knock on wood*

lemme go back to hooking all my suspension back up and ill post again once i take her for an actual drive at operating temperatures
 
With any of the RTV's you want to give it overnight before heating it up so it can cure correctly. ohterwise you might get premature failure
 
rockwerks said:
With any of the RTV's you want to give it overnight before heating it up so it can cure correctly. ohterwise you might get premature failure

note taken
 
so far not one drop of oil has come from the sump gasket or the rear main seal. ive clocked about 100 miles on teh truck since finishing the job. i opted for the one peice seal, yes it was some extra cash but i had no problems with it whatsoever. next im going to tackle the oil filter adaptor before it starts leaking

finally i can drive on the highway and not have oil pouring onto my exhaust right below the trans.

thanks goes out to 5-90, jason, go jeep and of course rockwerks. and who can forget naxja.org, i smell a paid membership on the way.
 
thall said:
more info on this please.....

it is the seal from the older cj style 4.2 it requires you to drop the trans mission and flex plate along with the oil pan to install. turns a fairly easy job into a major reconstruction
 
rockwerks said:
it is the seal from the older cj style 4.2 it requires you to drop the trans mission and flex plate along with the oil pan to install. turns a fairly easy job into a major reconstruction

sorry i was vague. i meant to say one peice oilpan seal. not the rear main seal. im no masochist to do a 1piece rearmain:shhh:
 
Rag, I think I'll have to do my rear main soon, did you have to undo all your steering cause your jeep is stock? or is that something I'm going have to do weather my jeep is stock or not?
-Matt
 
rockwerks said:
LOL, I just picked up the one piece oil pan seal today nice rubber gasket

id hate to ruin my gasket with my improperly calibrated torque wrench. you win some you lose some.
 
dabeersboys said:
Rag, I think I'll have to do my rear main soon, did you have to undo all your steering cause your jeep is stock? or is that something I'm going have to do weather my jeep is stock or not?
-Matt

this is my ordeal in a nutshell.

i jacked the front end up, put 2 jackstands on the uniframe behind the lca mounts.

i let the entire front end droop.

i had to unbolt the swaybar links, shocks, lower trackbar bolt and i ground away at the lca mounts (axle side). youll know what im talking about once you droop your front axle

after all this i gained atleast 1-1.5" of more droop. JUST enough to fit the pan out undernear the trans. my bb sits a true 1.8" taller than stock in the front

i wish i had a 5" suspension system when doing this.

honestly, next time i do this im pulling the front axle. it would make my rear main seal a million times easier. expecially when putting the pan back in and trying not to drop the gasket/get the sealing surfaces dirty. id rather take another 2 hours doing a job than doing the job faster but being frustrated.

keep everything clean and organised.

goodluck :wave:
 
rag said:
this is my ordeal in a nutshell.

i jacked the front end up, put 2 jackstands on the uniframe behind the lca mounts.

i let the entire front end droop.

i had to unbolt the swaybar links, shocks, lower trackbar bolt and i ground away at the lca mounts (axle side). youll know what im talking about once you droop your front axle

after all this i gained atleast 1-1.5" of more droop. JUST enough to fit the pan out undernear the trans. my bb sits a true 1.8" taller than stock in the front

i wish i had a 5" suspension system when doing this.

honestly, next time i do this im pulling the front axle. it would make my rear main seal a million times easier. expecially when putting the pan back in and trying not to drop the gasket/get the sealing surfaces dirty. id rather take another 2 hours doing a job than doing the job faster but being frustrated.

keep everything clean and organised.

goodluck :wave:

A couple of tips, the sway bar links are often frozen and easy to snap off. Unbolt the sway bar frame mounts. Same with the trac bar, the upper mount is rough to get apart, the lower is often mush easier.
I take the tranny cooler lines completely off. the starter and the down/cross over exhaust pipe, I like plenty of room. Having an extra lower gasket for the exhaust to cat hookup (Renix) is prudent.
I use some wire to tie everything up out of the way.
I got the pan our without, trimming the LCA frame mount, though it was a frustrating puzzle. It actually came out pretty easy. But during reassembly I couldn't remember exactly which twist and turns I'd used to get it out, It was a lot more frustrating trying to get it back in again.
I use a chunk of cardboard to stick the pan bolts into in the order and in roughly the position I took them out from.
With the pan out and the rear cap off, you can see the back side of the flex plate pretty well, a good time to check for cracks and inspect the flex plate bolts.
After I get the pan off, I lay a big catch pan under the motor and use a couple of cans of brake cleaner to spray down the whole underside of the motor internals. I let it drip all night. The next day I rag off the bottom of the motor. It is really a pain trying to replace the seal and get the pan gasket on with oil dripping in your eyes.
Not one of my more favorite jobs.
 
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