Hi all,
I am back to being a jeep owner. Haven't had one since my CJ7 in the late 80's but I have purchased a 2000 Wrangler Sport with a 4.0 manual and it is instantly bringing back many memories.
Ok, here's the problem. Small dripping oil leak from BOTH the flat surface of the rear part of oil pan and also from the lowest point of the bell housing behind the bell housing front shield. Oil was just changed so I can tell it is engine oil and not transmission oil although the oil coming from behind the bell housing plate is much dirtier, but it feels thin and not like transmission fluid.
I've wiped the back side of the valve cover gasket area to try to see if oil is coming from it and after driving it, that area seems to stay clean when I wipe it again with a clean paper towel.
I also sprayed and thoroughly cleaned backside of oil pan, plug and front of bell housing. It appears that oil is all on passenger side of top part of oil pan and runs down the flat back surface of the pan, but it also drips from behind the front shield of bell housing.
This leaves me 3 possibilities as I see it: valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket/seal or rear engine/rear main seal.
Bolts on oil pan felt tight.
From what I can see, it appears that the lower front shield of the bell housing somehow "lips" over and under the oil pan lip. I thought it had to be rear main since I was also getting oil dripping from behind the bell housing front shield, but the way the shield seems to go over and under oil pan lip, I guess it could be catching and transporting oil from an oil pan gasket leak to the bell housing....is that possible?
Or since if also seems to also be running down the inside of the front plate of the bell housing, does that confirm it is the rear main?
Any way to tell a rear oil pan gasket leak from a rear main seal leak?
Any way to confirm it may just be a simple rear valve cover seal leak besides just trying to wipe a clean towel back there since this seems to be the most common problem?
Ok, now more questions: I've had 2 repairs places tell me I had to drop the transmission to replace the rear main to the tune of $400-500. From what I can tell from what I see and what is on youtube, that is BS, you just have to drop the oil pan...correct?
Do you have to remove the exhaust where it crosses over to get the oil pan out and also the starter it looks like will also have to be moved...correct?
What should I expect to pay for a rear main replacement?
What should I expect to pay for a new oil pan gasket repair?
I can do a valve cover gasket replacement myself, but any special secrets to that on this engine?
Thanks
Suzy
I am back to being a jeep owner. Haven't had one since my CJ7 in the late 80's but I have purchased a 2000 Wrangler Sport with a 4.0 manual and it is instantly bringing back many memories.
Ok, here's the problem. Small dripping oil leak from BOTH the flat surface of the rear part of oil pan and also from the lowest point of the bell housing behind the bell housing front shield. Oil was just changed so I can tell it is engine oil and not transmission oil although the oil coming from behind the bell housing plate is much dirtier, but it feels thin and not like transmission fluid.
I've wiped the back side of the valve cover gasket area to try to see if oil is coming from it and after driving it, that area seems to stay clean when I wipe it again with a clean paper towel.
I also sprayed and thoroughly cleaned backside of oil pan, plug and front of bell housing. It appears that oil is all on passenger side of top part of oil pan and runs down the flat back surface of the pan, but it also drips from behind the front shield of bell housing.
This leaves me 3 possibilities as I see it: valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket/seal or rear engine/rear main seal.
Bolts on oil pan felt tight.
From what I can see, it appears that the lower front shield of the bell housing somehow "lips" over and under the oil pan lip. I thought it had to be rear main since I was also getting oil dripping from behind the bell housing front shield, but the way the shield seems to go over and under oil pan lip, I guess it could be catching and transporting oil from an oil pan gasket leak to the bell housing....is that possible?
Or since if also seems to also be running down the inside of the front plate of the bell housing, does that confirm it is the rear main?
Any way to tell a rear oil pan gasket leak from a rear main seal leak?
Any way to confirm it may just be a simple rear valve cover seal leak besides just trying to wipe a clean towel back there since this seems to be the most common problem?
Ok, now more questions: I've had 2 repairs places tell me I had to drop the transmission to replace the rear main to the tune of $400-500. From what I can tell from what I see and what is on youtube, that is BS, you just have to drop the oil pan...correct?
Do you have to remove the exhaust where it crosses over to get the oil pan out and also the starter it looks like will also have to be moved...correct?
What should I expect to pay for a rear main replacement?
What should I expect to pay for a new oil pan gasket repair?
I can do a valve cover gasket replacement myself, but any special secrets to that on this engine?
Thanks
Suzy