Oil on the bellhousing and tranny pan...

I was under the Jeep trying to figure out my DW and noticed that the entire lower half of the bellhousing as well as the tranny pan are coated in some sort of oil. I tried to smell it to see what it was, but it didn't smell like anything. I'm assuming it's oil though because of the color. Because of this I'm wondering if it's my rear main seal. Do these go bad at 64k miles?? It's not leaking enough to even drip on the ground at this point, but the crusted dirt on the bellhousing will probably absorb quite a bit before it starts to drip. I'll be home for X-mas break and would like to get this taken care of then(if anything needs addressing) since my parents have an extra car and I can still get around while the Jeep is down. Also, any idea how much the dealer would charge for this?? Thanks

Ary - 2001 Cherokee Sport 4.0/AW4

There's been extensive discussion on replacing the rear seal in the past (and I haven't done mine yet), so I won't get into that. But the quote I got from a shop was $450. The parts will only cost about $20 (seal and oil pan gasket).

Parts for the rear main seal will cost a lil more than $20. Prolly $12 for the seal and if you get the one piece oil pan prolly about $35. I did mine last year, and it took me all day. Theres lots of differetn ways of doing it. Me personally, I disconnected front shocks, and sway arm..then jacked up jeep by frame...high enough to let axle hang to its lowest. At this point youll want to start taking out the bolts on the pan(Ensuring youve pre-drained the oil) Now you can pop the pan off(Normally this is one of the hardest tasks..as that pan will NOT want to come off) But once you manage to get it off you will be faced with your next fun task. Getting it to clear the tranny will be fun...i jacked the engine up a lil and it cleared. Also, youll have to remove the starter...if I can remember right. Once you get it off...clean it up and ensure its straight. Now youll have access to the bearing housings. The rear one is the one that holds the rear seal. Unbolt it and it will come off with the bottom part of the rear seal in it. Pop the bottom piece out, the top will still be in the block. To get it out youll need a small brass punch to get it started. However once you get it started you can pull it out the rest of the way with some needle nose's. Pay attention to the way it comes out...as itll have to go in the same way. Soak it in oil...to make it a lil more plyable. Slide it back in. Now from here...I am not going to add any more..as I screwed this next part up. You have to put some sealant(Silicone or RTV) on it somehow...obviously not the way I did it as mine leaks worse now than it did then. Anyhow When one of the experts posts later..youll see whta I am talking about then you can put the new bottom in...bolt them back together...with proper torque. Then put it all back together. Good Luck!!

Before you tear into it, make sure your leak isn't from the back of your valve cover. It does a great job of mimicking a rear main leak, and it's very common on the 4.0L. If you see any oil higher up on your bellhousing, it isn't your rear main.

It might also be coming from your Oil filter flange. If it is your rear main it really isn't that big a job. If you have yours lifted to 4" or higher, it makes the job a ton easier.

I have had oil covering that area so long that I now think its normal.


Rev

As another note on the rear main seal, people have mentioned a double lip seal which prevents a worn shaft from causing the new seal to not sit properly. Does any one no where these can be gotten?

I ask because I've had two dealerships recomend the seal not be replaced on any engine over 100K. Also all the replacement quotes I've gotten have been in th $500-600 range, so I guess I'll be doing it myself.

Thanks,

Matt

The local Dodge dealership did mine for $366.76 labor and parts. The good thing is I've got a 12 month / 10,000 mile warranty on the job.

I did my old 87 with 130,000 on it. 9 months later, it leaked as much as it ever did. When I did the job and was looking at the Felpro replacement seal, my thinking was, a double ridge seal, would/could really help the replacement seal last, on a motor with worn main bearings.
I pried out the dust cover a bit and every once in a while, I spray the inside of the bell housing out with a high pressure wash. Seems to help slow down the buildup, that marks the street.
Somebody mentioned in a thread, that after disconnecting everything on the front axle/diff, to let it drop as low as possible. You can get that extra inch or so of clearance to completely remove the pan, by unbolting the transfer and jacking the rear of the tranny up a bit, instead of the motor mounts. Haven´t tried it myself. I used a bottle jack and a board, to jack the diff all the way to the stops (until the arms bottomed) and had just enough clearance to puzzle the pan out. But I´m thinking next time, I might remove the motor mounts or try the tranny lift methode.
The 88 I have now, had a slight rear main leak, that a 10-50 oil (synthetic) dried up to almost nothing. I was hoping the synthetic, wouldn´t make it worse. Didn´t seem to hurt it any and the thicker oil seemed to help, slow the leak.

i just had the front crank seal replaced on my 99... was leaking enough to cover the whole bottom of the engine.... th erear main in my 87 is leaking as well, i just let it run 1 QT low because thats when it stops leaking... replacing it is inexpensive but pretty labor-intensive....
mike

Hmm, could what I'm seeing just be runoff from a recent oil change?? It's no where near dripping on the street or anything, I'm just trying to get ahead of the game instead of constantly trying to catch up. Am I being overly paranoid? Thanks

Ary

OK - Here's how to proceed on this...

1) Clean engine as thoroly as possible. Get everything you can, and don't be stingy with the time on this...

2) Check underneath after taking a 5-10 minute drive (this should give enough leak to see where it's coming from without getting so much you are buried...) If you don't see enough, take another SHORT drive!

I'm willing to bet it's going to be the valve cover, but the oil filter mount is also a possibility. The rear main is usually pretty solid, I've only had to change one of my three - and it was, oddly enough, the "young" one. Valve cover leaks are far more common, so I'd suspect that first (I think I've done seven valve covers out of three so far...)

Oh - and I've only done one oil filter adapter, in case you were wondering (out of my three...)

5-90

Rev Den said:

I have had oil covering that area so long that I now think its normal.


Rev

Click to expand...

me 2! Im afraid if I clean it off, it might start to leak more! Crud is sometimes like its own gasket!!! If its not hurting anything leave it alone.

Scott Suyeto