Rear Main Seal STUCK! Pull crankshaft?

I am putting a new engine in a 92 Jeep wrangler with the 4.0 . I am changing the rear main seal, engine on an engine lift. The top half will not budge. I tried hammering on a punch while having someone turn the crankshaft. Nothing. What should I do? Will loosening the cranshaft help"? If so, which bearings do I loosen or all of them?

?? Thanks for the link, but I know how to change a rear main seal. That was not my question. It is stuck in there, and I don't have any air tools for an air hammer.

Loosening the crankshaft might help. Since it's a lot easier than removing it, and the first step to removing it anyway, I'd try that. You'll have to loosen all of the bearings, I think, to allow it to drop down a bit without doing any damage. It might just take enough pressure off the seal to allow you to dislodge it with the punch, and it might allow you to drop it enough to gain some real access. Just make very sure you keep track of how much thread there is left in the cap bolts, so that it doesn't let go on you.

The write up shows removing the cap, then removing the rest of the seal after tapping it around gently with a brass punch and grabbing the end with pliers.
Are you saying that you have already done this and still can't get it out?

95cherokee33s said:

I tried hammering on a punch while having someone turn the crankshaft. Nothing.

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So, yes, I have already tried that. I guess I will try loosening the crankshaft. Man, I need to buy some air tools. I heard it comes out real quick with an air hammer.

Just don't use anything harder than brass as you really don't want to scratch the crank surface. Try shooting some penetrating fluid around it too.

I've had them come out easy and hard. Don't drop the crank if you can't get it to budge with a brass punch, loosening the bearing cap bolts worked well for me. Retorque them using the factory pattern!