hi I have 2001 xj stock height also my first jeep. This is by far first vehicle I had that was a pain to remove an oil pan.
When I bought this jeep had bunch of leaks. PS lines have been replaced now the pan. When I drain the oil, weight of my ratchet broke loose the drain plug.
I didn’t think of pulling the rear main. Asking if it appears to be leaking?
I’m just hesitant in popping the cap and pushing out the seal.





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General rule of thumb is if its a 4.0l then yes the rear main leaks. You're already 80% there, just change it.

 

If it's not leaking now, it will at some point. You're in too deep to not change it.

 

^What they said. You don't want to pull the pan again so do it once and do it right with a Felpro seal.

 

So I did go ahead and buy the seal but didn’t come with the guide as some videos have shown. I attempted to insert the seal however not much but it did skin a bit on the outside the seal. The area surrounding the crank was perfect. I’m curious if any of you came across this problem.
leave it in or or get a new seal?

 

I have done too many RMS changes with crank in vehicle. sometimes a little skinning can occur. It's a judgment call if it's gonna be a leaker.. Old School rope type seals were always a joy out in the street in the winter.

 

Did you put a little lube on the seal before inserting it? It goes in much smoother that way. Same scenario as sexy time. It's got to have some fluid on it, you can't stick it in dry.

Dawn dish soap works perfectly.

 

lol
yes no soap just engine oil. It went smooth at first till halfway through

 

Did you try talking dirty to it first? That usually helps.

Jokes aside, I need to do mine soon, so I'm reading this thread with interest. Did you put oil on just the seal, or did you put some in the groove as well (if that's even possible with the crank in the way)?

 

lmao nothing gets done right without dirty talk.
I used a wood dowel to push the seal out worked out perfectly. Dowel had laying around from one of my 4yr olds left over projects. Oil was generously applied all the way around the seal.
Only difference I would have done different is from the beginning just pull steering dampener off and raise the engine. I would not have bother with sway bar and shocks.

 

I don't put oil on the seal at all, just Dawn dish soap. My reply above was a serious, joking answer. The joking part was about sexy time, the serious answer was the rest. Dawn dish soap helped get the new seal in without damage. No oil is needed. If you do yours and it's still leaking, skip the oil and use Dawn.

 

Is Dawn more slippery than oil, or something? I figured I'd just use assembly lube, since it's pretty tacky and slippery, but it sounds like Dawn might be the trick. Just curious why it works so well. IIRC, you're not the first person to mention the Dawn trick.

 

If it leaks will try the dawn soap next. What kind of sealant you recommend for the bearing cap?