SKidder

I'm dropping my oil pan to replace the rear main, but I also have a drip coming from the front of the pan/timing cover somewhere. Might be between the pan and lower edge of the timing cover or maybe from the timing cover itself... Anyone have ideas?

This motor is kind-of a bastard child in that it's been replaced 3 times, I don't know if the timing cover got swaped from an old block to the remanufactured one, maybe it's damaged or doesn't fit well. Maybe the front main is leaking, or the oil pan gasket just never sealed well in the front. So any ideas or direction for my fourth coming adventures in oil leaks would be much apriciated!

DFlintstone

Hey there. There's a seal in the timing cover. Gotta' pull the harmonic balancer, (crank pulley, damper pulley) to change it. No to tough.

SKidder

You happen to know the name of the seal so I can do some research... Would it be considered the front crankshaft seal?

DFlintstone

Timing cover seal.

SKidder

Thanks, I'll be able to take a closer look at the timing cover tomorrow when I actually drop the oil pan. Guess I'll see if I can find any spot where it was obviously leaking. I won't put the jeep back together till I'm sure the leaks are gone. Anyone else with an idea what this could be?

413maxwedge

If its a reman block it would have had a new seal there. No one can give you anymore help those are the only two spots down there that can leak.I would think since you said its a reman block that you must have flubbed up the oil pan gasket.good luck

rand4x4

1st take it to car wash and clean block, It could be oil senser, Mine looks like rear main seal but was oil filter houseing there are 3 orings in it and it makes it look like a rear seal. It is what you oil filter screws to.

SKidder

Yeah it's a remanufactured block, but the shop who put it in must have been screwing the pooch... 3 years later the previous owner sold it to me saying it's your problem now. I guess she tried to get the leaks fixed several times and the shop who put in the motor gave it back to her more screwed up then before, there's just piles of black rtv under there.

I'm no master mechanic but I assume the rear main is leaking cause I have alot of oil pouring from the bellhousing.

Valve cover gasket looks good other than all the oil I pour all over it filling this heep up all the time.

As for the aformentioned oil leak coming from the front... The oil filter area looks pretty clean, previous owner said the shop was blaming the timing cover as the cause of the leak and the rear main. But I don't trust them because they were trying to make money off the PO. Anyways, thanks for everyones help. Lots of brake cleaner and a rag tonight when I got off work and we will see what I find. **** I might just replace every seal I can before this thing gets back on the road.

DFlintstone

I usually "apply" a can of Gunk, don appropriate attire, including, hat & glasses, then about 1/2 hr later the car-wash. After that look with good light RIGHT AWAY! As soon as the oil has blown a few inches you don't know where it came from. The O rings in the filter mount bracket get hard btw, then it blows back and looks like the RM. Also you can chase leaks till your blue in the face, but if the vent tube and that stuff in the valve cover is plugged, crankcase pressure will still cause leaks. Have fun!

SKidder

Thanks... I'll check the valve cover vaccume hose for any blockage. I wouldn't have thought of that. Too bad I already drained the oil and got most of the bolts from the pan yesterday, a quick trip the the pressure washer would have been a great idea as well.

SKidder

So it looks like the seal you guys were talking about behind the crank pully is on the outside of the timing cover and can be easily fixed after I put the oil pan back on... So I figure I'm just going to fix the rear main and put the pan back up and see where I stand with the front seal.

cpnwrench

Skidder.......you have the two piece rear main seal?

true fact: GET IT FROM JEEP!

it fits correctly, I know I did this. albeit it was 20 degrees F when i did it.

Brass punch IS required! (oops, provided its a two piece).

front timing cover/crank seal.....You WILL have to drop oil pan.

when replacing ensure u use a bead (small, like a pea on both sides of contact point of timing cover to oil pan)

I used a socket (big one, can't remember size, sorry) to drive timing cover seal squarely into seat.

thats all i know about that sir!

good luck!

cpnwrench

SKidder

Two piece real main... Got it from Napa, Felpro was a brand I herd of before so I figured I was good to go.

So for the front seal should I pull the whole timing cover off? I can delay finishing my rear main repair and tackle this at the same time, just for piece of mind.

DFlintstone

Naw...I think the good man read it wrong. Maybe I"M wrong but, no, you can just change the seal. You might want to though. Both seals and the pan, do that also and that's a "wrap". I might not, but am lazy about fixing things that work.

SKidder

The front leak is definitely the seal behind the pulley, I can see where its been slinging oil everywhere. So I guess that's my next job.

For now I buttoned up the rear main and oil pan project. All went smoothly till the end, I was torquing down the last bolt and I felt it strip the threads, I don't know why I felt compelled to think it wasn't stripped so I gave it another turn, yup definitely stripped. So I think I'm goign to leave it in there and see if it leaks before I worry about tapping new threads. Hopefully the rear main doesn't leak anymore, that would make me want to punch kittens.