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Oil/Fluid leak after driving on highway

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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 06:41 PM
  #1  
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Exclamation Oil/Fluid leak after driving on highway

I've changed all the usual seals and gaskets (valve cover, oil pan, RMS, oil filter adapter o-rings, and both diffs) i still need to do the transmission pan and filter.

but the problem im having is after driving extensively (45min-1hr) on the highway (70-80 MPH), the engine temp gauge rises from 210 to the next notch and starts spewing oil all the way to the rear of the vehicle. ive tried to trace down the leak for weeks now.
i cant tell if its oil or trans fluid but im almost certain its oil. i changed the RMS thinking it had blown, but im having the same issue. i need this car to be sound as i have a long highway trip coming up in a couple weeks as im separating from the military and heading home. so any help is appreciated.
the jeep is lifted 4.5in and has 32's and have not had the time or money yet for a re-gear so i know there is more stress on the engine. but its keeping oil pressure when this happens, at least the gauge says so.

i thank and appreciate everyone ahead of time for taking their time to help!
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:38 PM
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Have you crawled underneath with the engine running? Use wheel chocks if you do that.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:46 PM
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Yeah, I have several times. It only seems to leak really bad while on the highway. After I'm off it stops
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:48 PM
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Please explain what you mean by "spewing oil". Where is it coming from?

Also, check your oil level.

By the way, you say you have an SJ. This is the forum for Cherokees. You have a Grand Cherokee. The forum for those vehicles is here.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:53 PM
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I just wiped everything down and went for a drive, and the only place there seems to be oil right now is the bottom of the bell housing inspection plate bolts. Please don't tell me that's the rear main seal again, I just changed it. I didn't bend, rip, or scrape it.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by BlueRidgeMark
Please explain what you mean by "spewing oil". Where is it coming from?

Also, check your oil level.

By the way, you say you have an SJ. This is the forum for Cherokees. You have a Grand Cherokee. The forum for those vehicles is here.
I do have a 2000 XJ Sport 4.0 with the AW4. I may have put a typo.

but by spewing oil, I mean at highway speeds there is oil going all the way to the back of the vehicle, the gas tank is covered, and there is some on the back windshield from the updraft.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 08:56 PM
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I just double checked oil, trans and coolant levels, they're all good?
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 09:36 PM
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How many miles on your motor?
Sounds like your crank case pressure is getting too high when the engine is working hard. This can happen when wrings are getting worn out and blow-by contributes to the crank case pressure. Typically the PCV valves help to alleviate this pressure, so you will want to check those for blockages or poor function. If the pressure is not alleviated it can cause oil to blow out via seals, or even blow the oil cap off, or blow oil up the through the dipstick.


btw, my friend has an old v6 Isuzu Trooper with worn out rings (he's swapping motors soon), and the crank case pressure is getting too high. So the other night he took me for a quick drive and showed me what its like to blow the oil cap off. We simply drove until things warmed up, and then he poured the coals on (perhaps 4500-5000 rpm for about 30 seconds)...and boom! Smoke every where as the oil spewed all over the manifold. He keeps his oil cap on a zip tie so that he doesn't lose it when this happens.

Last edited by jordan96xj; Jun 9, 2018 at 09:40 PM.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 09:43 PM
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Wonder when installing the RMS if he forgot or damaged the oil pan support.

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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 09:46 PM
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Originally Posted by jordan96xj
How many miles on your motor?
Sounds like your crank case pressure is getting too high when the engine is working hard. This can happen when wrings are getting worn out and blow-by contributes to the crank case pressure. Typically the PCV valves help to alleviate this pressure, so you will want to check those for blockages or poor function. If the pressure is not alleviated it can cause oil to blow out via seals, or even blow the oil cap off, or blow oil up the through the dipstick.


btw, my friend has an old v6 Isuzu Trooper with worn out rings (he's swapping motors soon), and the crank case pressure is getting too high. So the other night he took me for a quick drive and showed me what its like to blow the oil cap off. We simply drove until things warmed up, and then he poured the coals on (perhaps 4500-5000 rpm for about 30 seconds)...and boom! Smoke every where as the oil spewed all over the manifold. He keeps his oil cap on a zip tie so that he doesn't lose it when this happens.
theres roughly 157,xxx on it currently. The PCV valves on the valve cover were just replaced with these
https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/filters-16470/pcv-valve-12021/fc6667133011/2000/jeep/cherokee?q=PCV+Valve

unless they're the wrong ones then I don't see them being the issue. The piston rings are a possibility, but I figured the engine would be running pretty rough at that point.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 09:57 PM
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Worn out rings don't necessarily cause rough running. My friend's Trooper runs pretty well. The crank case pressure problem only happens to him when he pushes it a little extra hard.


But the other posters here could be right as well. If there is a weakness in the seals, or the way things were installed, at high speeds (high engine loads) the crank case pressure will be higher and will expose that problem. I just wanted to make sure you checked your PCV valves as a simple obvious step. Sounds like you are on top of that already.
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Old Jun 9, 2018 | 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by EZEARL
Wonder when installing the RMS if he forgot or damaged the oil pan support.
Some of that was dated when I pulled it off. The rubber was cracked and hard, so it crumbled when I took the bolts out. If it's that I'd be surprised but happy. I didn't think it really sealed any pressure in
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Old Jun 10, 2018 | 07:30 AM
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Originally Posted by OilyPlatypus
Some of that was dated when I pulled it off. The rubber was cracked and hard, so it crumbled when I took the bolts out. If it's that I'd be surprised but happy. I didn't think it really sealed any pressure in
Check the rear valve cover bolts......
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Old Jun 10, 2018 | 07:51 AM
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If blow-by is suspected as previous posts mention, oil should be evident in air filter box and filter.
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Old Jun 10, 2018 | 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by SteveMongr
If blow-by is suspected as previous posts mention, oil should be evident in air filter box and filter.
Exactly.....
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