stuntz87xj

i have an 87 xj that is leaking oil out of the baffles into the air filter and onto the engine. i have had the valve cover off and there was quite a bit of sludge in and around the lifters. i cleaned it up using a vacuum and then proceeded to flush the engine with engine flush. it has since continued to leak out of the valve cover mainly when running engine constant at higher rpms and has started to make some light chattering noises. i was contemplating dropping the oil pan and possibly replacing the pump, or just cleaning the screen. i was also told to try flushing with a few quarts of tranny fluid and oil mixture. just hoping for some feedback

99KeeSport

Tranny fluid does wonders to help un-stick and/or refill lifters. It did wonders for a Subaru I had. Don't leave in there too long though. If you can, go higway speeds (on the highway) for awhile, slow down, repeat.

I don't think your two issues (lifters and excessive oil 'sludge') are connected though. Re-think which oil filter you're using too maybe.

If you take the oil pan off, you may as well splurge for a new oil pump and examine the rear seal while you're in there.

Have you checked your oil pressure? Harbor Frieght has a great inexpensive oil pressure test kit.

What weight of oil are you running?

A compression test would be good too. Harbor Frieght has a great inexpensive compression test kit. (I love " the Harbie")

Might be your oil piston rings have S*** the bed. (compression rings and oil rings are seperate items on the piston)

stuntz87xj

I was actually told not to drive the vehicle with tranny fluid in it, just idle for about 15 mins and drain.. is it better to drive it??

I have not checked my oil pressure aside from the gauge, when i start the vehicle cold, it is at or above 40lbs, once it gets warmed up it drops to about 10-15.

I usually run 10-30 with a quart of lucas (looking back it probably wasnt smart to use so much lucas with so much sludge)

I will look into both a compression and pressure test, and if i drop the pan i will probably go the extra mile and do everything while i can, i am just afraid that i will be wasting my money if the engine is irreparable.

I was kinda hoping that the sludge may have just blocked up some of the passages and the screen for the oil pump and that was causing the chattering due to bad oil circulation, but you could be right. I sure hope not!!

DIY4luv

Man I could use some clarity on the tranny fluid suggestion, I've got a good bit of lifter clatter, I've used additives, expensive filters etc, no substantial change. What am I missing?

tjwalker

Oil migrating into the air filter box on a RENIX (87-90) is awfully common.

It can be a clogged CCV system (those tubes coming and going from the valve cover) or it can also be a little bit of true "blowby" from the engine, or it can be a combination.

Either way, it can be managed in many cases.

Here is a thread from another forum that you definitely will want to read.

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums...d.php?t=435343

The low spec for oil pressure for the 4.0 is 13 psi at idle. That being said, I've seen a number of 4.0 engines run a long, long time on only 10 pounds of verified pressure.

If you REALLY want to know your pressure, rent a mechanical oil pressure gauge from your local parts store. Temporarily install it where the engine oil pressure sending unit resides. Compare what you get with that gauge to what you see on the dash, which may or may not be accurate.
This takes only a few minutes and gives you CONFIRMED oil pressure data.

Good luck!

stuntz87xj

The engine is making some pretty significant chattering noises at idle and gets even worse when i accelerate. i'm worried i may be looking at a bigger problem, however the motor still runs great, and all the noise is coming from the top end. When i had the valve cover off i checked to vacuum line and the hose going to the air filter and they were clear. i am wondering if i should just start looking for a new jeep???

stuntz87xj

I was going to try and flush my motor today with ATF but i was hoping for

some clarification on the best way to do it. I was told to use about 2 quarts

and the rest oil, and just run at idle for about 20 minutes. I was also told to

drive the vehicle at highway speeds (in this thread). I just want to do it

right and was hoping someone could specify as to how much ATF to use and

whether to drive the vehicle or just idle. Thanks

ivie_2006

Use about 1/3 tranny fluid. so if your vehical uses 6 quarts use 2 tranny fluid, I have done this (on a 350) with a positive outcome and let idel for about 10 mins, this helped but did not fully fix the issue. So i took off down the highway. returned home flushed my system with strait oil no additives. bam problem was about 95% better. not perfect but was a risk i was willing to take, i had plans to rebuild the engin anyways so if i failed was not gona kill me.

stuntz87xj

Ok, so to be clear, I should use 2 quarts of tranny fluid (since it take 6 quarts

total) and idle it for about 10 minutes. I should not drive the vehicle while the

tranny fluid is in the engine. Correct?

ivie_2006

ill clean it up a lil bit. if it takes 6 quarts use 2 tranny and 4 what ever u normally use, and if the problem is not greatly improved by letting it idle drive if but not very far at all like around the block.

stuntz87xj

I did the tranny fluid flush last night. I just drained 2 quarts from the motor

and added 2 quarts of tranny fluid. I let it idle for about 15-20 minutes

then I drove it down the street and back, not far at all. Then I drained and

filled with 10-30. I also removed the pcv hose (the smaller hose going from

manifold to the valve cover) and checked to see if it was clogged, and it

was. I cleared it out and put it back on. The chattering noises are still the

same, however I haven't noticed any oil-burning smells, or seen any under

the vehicle. I put a new air filter on and will check in a few days to see

how its doing. Thanks for all your help!! I am still trying to figure out the

chattering issues, any suggestions would be much appreciated!