I would like to know if this is serious, or easy fix? You will see in the pictures that it looks like coming from between engine and transmission??? I am no mechanic, but that is what I am thinking. Any advice is sincerely appreciated

looks like rear main seal, it is serviced by removing the oil pan, not seperating the transmission. this is a common leak.

make sure you're not being fooled, the valve cover gasket will leak down the back of the motor, and look just like that, and somehow also the oil filter adapter seal will leak straight back and come out there, but that one is a little more obvious.

Yepper most likely and very common for the 4.0L , rear main seal leak.

i also have a 2000 jeep wrangler with automatic tranny and just replaced my rear main seal friday. on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being difficult it is about a 3.75. i also replaced my oil pump and put on a new oil pan gasket. the difficulty comes from not scaring the housing that the rear main seal sits in. if you do this yourself, you have to be very, very careful not to scratch or scare it in any way or it will leak.


2000 tj 4L I6 K&N oil filter
4" suspension lift 33x12.50 cooper discoverer STT's
more mods to come

So it is rear main seal leak? I got a broken hand, is it an expensive fix?
Thank you guys

cost is between $300-$600. do you know a mechanic? I know a guy who could do it. where in ga do you live. I'm outside of savannah

Saint Simons Island

I was gonna ask you how much you paid but, just saw you did it yourself. Any mechanic can do this? I am up for it, but have an injured right hand. Leaks always bother me. Is this a major problem or can i keep adding more oil as time passes.
How can I be %100 sure on what exactly the problem is? Don't wanna pay the mechanic for estimation

Thanx guys

Lets put it this way. Just about ever rear main seal on fords leak for the lifetime of there service. I would say drive it. Check it every month or when your bored getting gas one nite. Rear mains normally leak slowly. I would personally not worry about it unless your losing a lot of oil in a months span. So drive it til your good enough to work on it. Mine is leaking too right now me personally am not going to do a thing about it.

Islandmonkey, eventually it will need to be fixed. if you're not worried too much about it then by all means continue to drive it. when you do fix it replace your oil pump as well. your tj will love ya for it. make sure that when you do fix it that you buy the anaerobic sealant for the rear main bearing cap. if you use anything else it will leak. also get the high heat RTV sealant for the oil pan.

I will print it, and give it to the mechanic.
Thank you for the information. How much in your imagination this will cost me approx?



thank you very much

no less than $280.00. oil pump is around $70.00 the biggest expense is going to be labor. the 280 comes from if you buy the parts first to give to the mechanic. if they buy the parts + labor = at least 300 or more. if you can wait until your hand is better you'll save around $200 or more by doing it yourself along with the satisifaction that you did the work!!

I would love to do it myself, but problem is, I have never done anything more than, changing shocks, oil, sparkplugs etc. I think this is complicated. What do you think? Don't I have to lift something?

If there are directions with pictures, it is easy.

it's not as bad as you think. take your time. there is a great write-up on dailydriventj.com about this. print it and it will walk you right through it. the toughest part is getting the exhaust loose. I have two down pipes instead of one and getting to the bolts were a pain in the &$$. make sure that you give yourself a full day to do it and get a buddy who has some knowledge about vehicles to help. buy some beer and get your hands greasy!! good luck.


2000 tj black 4.0
4" rough country lift w/adjustable front trackbar
33x12.50 cooper discoverer stt's
mickey thompson classic II
pioneer stereo w/ kicker speakers
clover patch top
more mods to come

you may want to gunk your engine real well first especially all around the bell housing and back of the head at the valve cover and let it dry real well and then get a really good flash light and put your cheaters on if you are over forty and crank her up and watch that rear side of the head at the valve cover gasket real close like and you may find your problem aint so bad. valve covers or well known to make a mess and it all ends up right were you are seeing it. make sure you clean it really well and oil free, nothing but cast iron showing enen if you have to spray it in that back area with a little break clean. if it dosnt show itself at idle drive normal and inspect it often till you rule out the easy fix. good luck and blessing to ya. laris

You know what's funny? Those pictures that Island posted look exactly like the bottom of my Jeep;leak and all.

Good clear Pic's. What kind of camera did you use to get such good close ups?

Hey guys. I just posted on my YJ with the same leak. I replaced the oil pan gasket, but still have the leak, so it sounds like its the rear main seal. Anyone got instructions on how to do it? I like working on it myself and don't mind getting my hands dirty, I'd just like to know how other than crawling under it with a tool box and a case of Coors Light and start the demolition.....

Here ya go.

Answer
CRANKSHAFT OIL SEALS - REAR
The crankshaft rear main bearing oil seal consists of two half pieces of viton with a single lip that effectively seals the rear of the crankshaft. Replace the upper and lower seal halves as a unit to ensure leak-free operation.

REMOVAL
Remove transmission inspection cover.
Remove oil pan. Refer to procedure in this section.
Remove main bearing cap brace.
Remove rear main bearing cap (No.7)
Push upper seal out of the groove. Ensure that the crankshaft and seal groove are not damaged.
Remove lower half of the seal from the bearing cap.
INSTALLATION
Wipe the seal surface area of the crankshaft until it is clean.
Apply a thin coat of engine oil.
Coat lip of the seal with engine oil.
Carefully position the upper seal into the groove in the cylinder block. The lip of the seal faces toward the front of the engine.
Place the lower half of the seal into bearing cap (No.7) Rear Main Bearing Oil Seal
Coat the outer curved surface of the lower seal with soap and the lip of the seal with engine oil Rear Main Bearing Oil Seal
Apply Mopar® Gasket Maker sealer on both sides of cylinder block as shown in Location of Sealer The dab of sealer should be 3 mm (0.125 in.) in diameter.
Position the lower seal into the bearing cap recess and seat it firmly. Be sure the seal is flush with the cylinder block pan rail.
Apply Mopar® Gasket Maker on the rear bearing cap Location of Sealer The bead should be 2.3 mm (0.09 in.) in diameter. DO NOT apply sealer to the lip of the seal
Install the rear main bearing cap. DO NOT strike the cap more than twice for proper engagement.
Tighten all main bearing bolts to 108 N·m (80 ft. lbs.) torque.
Install the main bearing cap brace. Tighten nuts to 47 N·m (35 ft. lbs.)
Install the oil pan gasket and oil pan. Tighten 1/4 - 20 screws to 14 N·m (120 in. lbs.) Tighten 5/16 - 18 screws to 18 N·m (156 in. lbs.)
Install transmission inspection cover.

Jeff

Jeff, are you a Jeep god or did you find this somewhere? There's plenty of other things I'd like to know also.

Haha, thanks for giving me the God complex. I actually found that on another site when mine was giving me trouble. Good luck with the fix.

Jeff

Lol, welcome. Thanks for the info, got any input on an axle seal leak?

Not on the axle seal, I have not needed to replace that yet. I am sure there are several people on this site that will have an answer for you though.

Jeff

Thanks! I'll keep looking!