I was driving home from the big city today, about 3 hours. Lots of mountain driving. When I was about an hour from home, my check engine light came on and I noticed she wasn't picking up as fast as she normally does. I didn't think anything of it because all my gauges were normal.

I drive a 2000 Cherokee Sport. 4x4 6 cylinder.

When I got into town, she barely wanted to move when I stopped at a stop sign. She moved for me anyhow, just took a lot of RPMS to get her going. I got home and into the drive way and oil. Oil everywhere underneath, on the sides, on the tires on the back hatch, just everywhere. Almost little to no oil in the pan according to the dip stick. I let her sit and added about another quart and a half so I could make it to the parts store. She basically said that wasn't happening and it took is quite a bit just to get turned back around. Like we were pushing 3/4 RMPS just to get her going like 5 miles an hour.

I cleaned out from underneath to see where I could eye ball it, but its so hard to tell. Most of it is under the engine block, none of it above, and it is all leaking below towards the oil pan and back and then above, the belt is even picking the oil up and splashing it on the hood!

Any advice on where to start? She was 217,000 miles on her, well taken care off and I just replaced the valve cover gasket about 2 years ago.

 

You sure it's not transmission fluid?

 

Sounds more like tranny problems if your at 3-4k Rpms and its barely moving. Could be the solenoids

 

It was oil. My oil was empty and all over underneath. So it wouldn't be because I only had a quart of oil in it? Why it wasn't picking up speed?

 

Picking up speed wont be from the engine(not the right wording but close enough) that's something to do with your tranny, you can have a bad oil leak but you got another issue also

 

I I think it was both

 

Na because if he's hitting 3-4k Rpms that means his engine is running just as fast as it should be, but it's how that speed and power is transferred to the axle that allows it to speed up or not. Sounds more like lots of slipping in the tranny like the clutches/bands aren't grabbing as they should. I'd check the oil filter adapter or the rear main seal for the leak and fix that but I honestly thing the slow pick up in speed is the tranny

 

So after getting another look underneath there, I found a hole. I wish I new the part name, but still learning. So just beyond my oil pan, where I drain the oil, there is a metal plate backing up to something else, this is where I found a hole, big enough to put my pinky finger in.

Anyone help me beyond this point? if it is a transmission part or oil part and what the name is?

Thanks so much for all your help

 

Picture?

 

photo attached

 

Thats just your inspection cover...it wont cause a leak. The other side is the housing..a hole there wont cause a leak either...I think your torque convertor failed..possibly exploded. Dirty trans fluid can look like oil

 

Isn't that where the flexplate lives?

 

Yep

 

So I found the problem so for those that have this issue in the future.

It was transmission fluid. A line was supposed to be up against the body and it wasn't, so it rubbed against the crankshaft and the line busted and that is how I lost it all. So simply fix, just need to make sure nothing else was effected.

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

If only all Jeep stories ended this well.