nismo300zr2

So this originally was going to be a simple documentation of a leak and possible fix, with ques thrown in. Something like this....

So my 98 XJ is finally MINE even though it has temp tags still due to a snafu to pick up the permanent ones today. No biggie, let me try and find/ fix this little leak that has been bugging me at the front drivers bumper..

I start topside since i see seeping around the AIRBOX?!?




wow, is everyones XJ setup like this from the factory? The little horn inlet that goes to the front of the box directly faces a metal plate! there is less than half an inch of clearance there, only on one side at that! Has anyone shortened the horn or banged away/cut the metal in front of it for more air?
waaaait a sec.. why is there OIL coming in the horn????






ick. gunk everywhere. it seems though that this hard line under the radiator cap is fine and dry. but where is oil? dripping from then to get on the lower clamp of the radiator hose under it?? uhhhh... is that an Elec fan also next to the clutch fan???





yesssss. now can someone tell me though, is that elec fan a stock piece? factory option or aftermarket? it seems factory.. but not so sure i need it. with that, shouldn't i just get rid of the clutch fan to save some drive for the motor?





wait.. two MORE elec fans!! there has to be a limit somewhere her to efficiency between the four. But i'll tell you this.. in the middle of the day, in the middle east, in the middle of the long @$$ line, no shade, at idle, AC pumping over an HOUR waiting in the %$!#*$ inspection line.. the temp needle didn't ever touch the the halfway line. (220f?)

tracing the wires from the front fans...





yep, those aint stock.

OH sorry, the leak... okay, here looking up from under the drivers headlight, bottom of the pic is front.




Is that horn stock??
!>.<! OIL LEAK!! yes... that mother efffer 90deg elbow way up there. Just slightly up right from center pic. WHAT IS THAT LINE FOR?? im thinking that line is what someone was talking about.. automatic tranny cooler?? dunno if that is a stock thing or not either, honestly never even heard of one. The only cars i've really turned wrenches on were manuals. Any automatics ive had have been relatively stock and just received oil changes and tire rotations.

SO that line is the suspected leak. Of course.. me being out here in the desert only on temp duty.. i dont have my gamut of shop tools that i'd normally have in my garage to even try to tighten this. I barely have a decent cheap@$$ made in india mechanics tool set THAT DOESNT HAVE A WRENCH BIG ENOUGH FOR THAT LINE! arrrrgh... maybe i can strip it some with this adjustable wrench.. no.. too small too!!

Thank goodness my neighbor has some decent tools and ones with / in them as most of the tools i am accustomed to are always followed by M&M's.
Okay, so i can sort of get this 3/4 wrench on there to tighten.. lefty loo.. ahh righty tighty... yikes! that's way loose! no wonder every time i stop i end up with like a can size circle of this mystery fluid on the ground.

hrmmm.. well hopefully that full turn and then some i got on it will have solved the problem. Time for test drive!! while im at it.. i wonder what it would sound like with the filter/airbox completely out?

SCRREEEEEEE!!!!!/VRRRRMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! brake. VRRRRRMMMMMM!!!!
brake, corner, throttle, SCREEEEEE woo hooo!!! sure sounds and feels better

pulling back into the driveway...



oh wtf. hell no.






park.









f.m.l.

CodeXJ

Uh... I think that 'line' is actually a swaybar in it's mounting bracket...

It looks like you are getting oil blown up the crankcase vent and into the airbox. Probably the PCV valve built into the top of the valve cover is clogged up, leading to excessive crankcase pressure and oil being expelled. Or you have worn rings and a lot of blowby.

There should be two lines coming out of the top of the valve cover. One large one that goes to the airbox, and a small one that goes to the manifold. The small one is a vacuum line for the valve assembly built into the valve cover, and it has a tendency to clog with gunk (hot oil vapors). Remove it and clean it out, then reinstall. That might help the ventilation issue and hopefully cutback on the oil going out the vent line.

nismo300zr2

LOL!!!

you must have a manual for one.. and two, also deal with metric mostly.

3/4 is alot smaller than the sway bar. if you look more to the left and up higher in the actual pic there is a small brass looking 90deg. THAT is the line i am talking about. The cam was focused so far out so (you) could picture where it was on the vehicle.

there is NO oil on the top of the airfilter, and both the intake tube and crankcase line are dry, indicating to me oil is not coming from the engine side of the box.

I appreciate you trying to help though!

96_xj

also before you blow your motor up put a fliter on your intake!!!


and x2 on the crank case blow by...

pull the valve cover off and clean it out with brake fluid, grab new grommetts and PCV/CCV valves, front andrear

96_xj

check the front main seal. crappy thing to replace but it could be throwing oil from that

CodeXJ

Nope, got an auto

Oh, THAT line! Up there, visible through that angled bit... Yeah that's tranny cooler I think. Heh. Fluid is redish, I assume? That'd be transmission fluid (or power steering...)

Doesn't look like the power steering box/lines are leaking, does it? Those are roughly in the same area.

Oh, and yes, the electric fan next to the mechanical fan is a stock piece. It comes on when the engine hits a certain temp, or if the AC is on. The two on the front? Not so much, but hey, more air never hurt anyone.

CAEMI

Dang. Can't help...but I dig the driveway. What, is that like Prince Faisal's crib? The floor in my HOUSE doesn't look that good.

CodeXJ

Ditto. I've got cheapo white tiles and place-and-stick linolium in mine. But at least it's mine, I suppose, and if I ever stop spending money on Jeeps and such I may be able to change it.

CAEMI

OK. Thinking now.

It does not look like blowby. Oil is only in the bottom of the airbox. BUT, you pulled the box, right? Then drove it and that's when it puked out all that oil? Right? So maybe it is blowby...but that is some serious blowby - huge serious. So, if not that, it must be PCV plugged up.

It isn't the front seal or there would be oil flung all over and blown backwards from the fans. Correct...or am I right?

It looks like power steering line leak. Or maybe there is an oil cooler installed and it's fittings are leaking.

CodeXJ

Wish I wasn't at work or I'd go climb under my Jeep and see if I can spot anything. They kinda frown on that in the parking lot, though. Unprofessional, they call it.

Dugualla

Unrelated to the oil leak, in one of the pictures it looks like your serpentine belt is part way off. I think it's the power steering pully.

nismo300zr2

you guys are seriously just looking at pix too much or i just suck at telling stories.

"
there is NO oil on the top of the airfilter, and both the intake tube and crankcase line are dry, indicating to me oil is not coming from the engine side of the box.
"

in the second pic i posted also, that is the crankcase line hanging up there, dry as a bone.

I have NOT been driving around like this all the time, just pulled the filter/box out to see if i could see the leak. then on the test drive, i left it out ONLY to see what it was like while going around the block.

heh, it does look like that in the pic, but its just the angle. its in between the edges.


CAEMI:" Dang. Can't help...but I dig the driveway. What, is that like Prince Faisal's crib? The floor in my HOUSE doesn't look that good."

yeah, cant say that i dont live in a pretty pimp pad. it's got 'maids quarters for crying out loud. more rooms than i know what to do with, pillars in the dining room AND upstairs, 3 outdoor balconies, and bidays in all the bathrooms. lol

it's just a work perk though, not like im baller. i mean damm.. i drive an overpriced junker XJ

the brickwork around the city is amazing though. i've thought about bringing the idea back to the states with me. I need to extend my actual driveway.

now i have a long weekend and not a clue as to what to do with this *%$!#%! LEAK

i think the line may have been cross threaded initially and i just made it worse. would it be safe to limp this to a shop (if i can find one)
Looking at the rad assembly, i cant even pull it out without those damm star tip special tools. theres some kind of plate right atop the radiator(s?).
Or does it come out the bottom?

brutalxj

Wow really. Its your trans linen or the trans cooler. I can't beleave I just read all of that. Just for that FML!

brutalxj

P S. All you need to pull out your rad is.
1. 1/2 gal drain pan (trans fluid)
2. 3 gal drain pan (coolent)
3. 1/4" ratchet
4. 10mm socket
5. 8mm socket
6. Torques socket set (manards sells them) its the star things
7. Flat head screw driver
8. Adjustable wrench
9. Gater grips (if you still have oem collent line clamps)


Should take 15 min max. Same for install

1991Jeep_Man

Lol, unless your rig's DAPO left you with little surprises like mine did, and you end up having to redneck engineer little things like the rubber mounts that sit under the rad upper brace or the condensor clamps; then it might take a bit longer lol.