rear main seal

quick question here,

went to o'reilly today to get the seal, they gave me 3 item #'s and i'm not sure which i need for the seal

759034
759046
759052

i'm sure that it's the first one, but maybe you guys know.

also is the oil pan gasket set i got from there going to be the one piece or the 4 piece??

not sure on the part #'s for the seal, however you should use the one piece oil pan gasket from a 96 XJ.

I've always used MOPAR for rear main and pan gaskets.

nm... went to grab dinner w/ the wifey and saw an advanced auto parts store, must be new..

they had pictures and all for each part, so picked me up the rear main seal and the one piece oil pan gasket.

now the joy of doin it...


how long is the job usually w/o problems?

I don't' know if there is a RMS job "without problems". I've done one on each XJ, the first took me 7 hours, the second, 3.5

A local mechanic quoted me 6.5 hrs. About $500-550, so to me it was worth a whole weekend.:wierd:

stxcherokee said:

how long is the job usually w/o problems?

Click to expand...

LOL.... Like that'll ever happen.

Took 4 hours to do my '88. Longest part was getting the oil pan off and scraping off all the old gasket. The rest was a cinch.

so w/ air ratchet less time possibly??

Air chisel more likely.....

OK, enough jokes. Certainly air tools help. There are a lot of pan bolts. Make sure you have a brass drift to bang the upper seal half out.

When I did mine, I think it was the first time the pan ever came off so it was quite stuck. Once I got it off, it basically split the gasket, half on the pan and the rest on the block. It was like rock. Took me nearly 2 hours just to remove the pan including the scraping and wire wheeling to get everything clean. Part of that time was straightening out the pan flange from when I had to pry the pan off.

As I said before, otherwise it was pretty straightforward. Messy but straightforward. A few taps with the drift dislodged the upper seal and it slipped right out.

Just be careful you don't overtighten the pan bolts. You can crush the cork gasket and cause it to leak.

Also, if you're gonna be in there anyway, might want to think about changing out the oil pump. Should be about $100 from your local auto parts store.

Ok a buddy of mine is thinking about helping with this project, but is gonna charge me for helping (I know, but hes got to make a living somehow) But what i want to know is, what all is gonna have to come off or out do completely do the rear main seal? He was talking like the flywheel and the tranny were gonna need to be pulled or moved. But since my jeep is lifted i was told that the starter was the only thing needed to be moved and the pain should drop. Reason i need to know, is based on what needs to be done, is based on what he charges. I cant do this by myself because of work and hes gonna be mainly doing it by his self while im at work.

flywheel and tranny do not need to move. The last one I did, I had to drop the drag link and track bar and the pan still did not want to come out. I ended up removing the whole front axle (it is a project and I plan on doing new suspension before it moves out of the garage). I only pulled the starter to clean the block next to the starter.

The longest part was getting the pan down and getting the upper half of the seal out. I also got a new oil pan because the old on took alot of abuse before it came out.
Good Luck

First rear main i ever done was on a 1976 J10 and it took me like 3 hours if that. Just get a double lip felpro seal. The mopar seals are made by felpro anyhow and they are single lip and over priced.

Loctite 518 is also needed

Work at a jeep dealership did one last week. about 2 hours with 0 problems on a lift with all the tools 3 feet away...

Well i have a little over 4" of lift, so should i have enough clearance to get it out with just removing the starter? im also thinking that the Valve Cover gasket is bad and maybe the O rings, so i want the RMS done first that way if it still leaks i can do the other 2 myself.

Also where is a good Valve cover gasket write up?

Cherokeekid88 said:

Well i have a little over 4" of lift, so should i have enough clearance to get it out with just removing the starter? im also thinking that the Valve Cover gasket is bad and maybe the O rings, so i want the RMS done first that way if it still leaks i can do the other 2 myself.

Also where is a good Valve cover gasket write up?

Click to expand...

Check this out if you haven't yet...

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101118

Yeah also one more question. The OEM gasket for the RMS is a two piece correct? and i need to get the one piece gasket instead of the two piece?...No matter what year xj? (88)

all RMS are 2 piece. the oil pan gasket varies, you'll want the 1 piece oil pan gasket...

Saudade said:

Air chisel more likely.....

OK, enough jokes. Certainly air tools help. There are a lot of pan bolts. Make sure you have a brass drift to bang the upper seal half out.

When I did mine, I think it was the first time the pan ever came off so it was quite stuck. Once I got it off, it basically split the gasket, half on the pan and the rest on the block. It was like rock. Took me nearly 2 hours just to remove the pan including the scraping and wire wheeling to get everything clean. Part of that time was straightening out the pan flange from when I had to pry the pan off.

As I said before, otherwise it was pretty straightforward. Messy but straightforward. A few taps with the drift dislodged the upper seal and it slipped right out.

Just be careful you don't overtighten the pan bolts. You can crush the cork gasket and cause it to leak.

Click to expand...

What is a Brass "Drift"?

A "drift" is a rod you use to focus a hammer blow on a small area. A "brass drift" is simply a drift made from brass (a "drift" differs from a "punch" in that a punch is build heavier, and meant to drive pins that fit really well.) I've got some 3/16" brass rod that I use for RMS drifts.

Why brass? Because it won't score the crankshaft if you slip or miss. I also suggest using a brass, wood, rawhide, or plastic mallet in case you slip with that as well. The transmission doesn't have to come out to change a rear main, it damn sure does if you have to swap a crank!

I've done the job twice on stockers without having to remove any of the front suspension - just jack it up, support by the frame rails, and let the front axle hit "full droop." It's easier with lifted rigs, but you can get enough room without. The starter does not need to come out, but it does help.

Use the 1996-up oil sump gasket - it's one piece, and saves you trouble. I think the RMS is the same all the way up (two-piece rubber over a metal core.) Drop the new seal in clean engine oil before you start working, and let it soak. This will make it easier to install.

If you suspect multiple leaks, don't neglect the O-rings in the oil filter adapter - especially since they can present as RMS leaks until you inspect closely (a blown rear main will show radial oil streaks on the engine side of the flywheel or flexplate, while an oil filter adapter leak or a valve cover leak will not.)

If the oil sump hasn't been off yet, expect to have to bang on the pan to remove it.

You can get little "stripper discs" that look like 2" wheels of Scotch-Brite to mount on your drill motor - these will not only strip old gasket & sealant quickly, but will give you a better finish for sealing the new gasket as well. Check the paint section or tool section at your local.

Oil sump screws - 1/4" screws torque to 7 pound-feet, 5/16" screws to 11 pound-feet. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN!

Ok I know what a drift is. Just never heard it called that...
I am about to have to change my RMS too. I however have a V6 2.8 motor in my 1985 XJ. Is this one as simple as you just described? I would put stop leak in it before I pulled the 160,000+ mile motor out of it. It needs changing but I have limited time, tools, and knowledge. I have pulled a motor and replaced bearings and a RMS in a 2.0 4 banger before so I have "some" working knowledge of a wrench.