Oil Leak Issue
 

Hi, I recently replaced the rms and the oil pan gasket on my 97 Cherokee sport 4.0 and it still seems to be leaking, this oil leak seems to accumulate under the transmission its motor oil though. I also noticed oil spots on my transmission pan like five different drops or so. what could the problem be??? this leak is a nasty little inconvenience and I just want it resolved. And yes I am a newbie. this is my first jeep. Would I have to do the rear main seal over again??? it was a PIA since I don't have a lift yet what do you guys think ???

Not all leaks are from the RMS ,it could be from the valve cover and or the oil filter adapter . All of those leak down to the same spot

I have changed the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket and the rear main seal and still it leaks should I do he seals over??? one of my goals is to make a nice rig with no leaks. any other places I am not looking??? is it possible we put the seals on wrong.

Oil filter adapter o-ring. For sure.

As mentioned the oil filter adapter o-ring is often the cause of oil leaks people think are coming from somewhere else. The oil comes out there and runs down the side of the engine and along a little ledge until it works it's way at the lowest point and it drips out near the bottom where the engine and transmission go together. People usually assume it's the rear main seal because of the area the leak is but in reality it starts way up higher

I wrote this specifically to help in proper diagnosis of oil leaks:




I'd be looking up ABOVE first, and VERIFYING the source of the oil leak YOURSELF.

Everybody, who doesn't own or have to pay for or perform your vehicle repairs, loves to poke their noggin UNDER the Jeep and come out bearing the false bad news that your RMS is leaking.

Many mechanics, friends, people on Jeep forums who can’t see your Jeep from where they’re at, and good old Uncle Bob seem to enjoy telling you it’s the rear main seal. Has a catastrophic ring to it, doesn’t it?

A simple leak at the back of the valve cover or other source could produce the same symptoms. You don’t need to be a mechanic to figure this out. If you have good eyesight and a dim flashlight, you’re good to go on your own. Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat.

Almost any oil leak on your 4.0 is gonna drip from the RMS area for two simple reasons.

First off, the engine sits nose-up and any oil will run back to the RMS area. Secondly, the RMS area is also the lowest point on the engine. Simple physics and the old plumber's adage apply here. "$hit flows downhill".

Valve cover gasket, oil pressure sending unit, oil filter adapter seals and distributor gasket, in that order, have to be eliminated as possibilities first.

Revised 02-26-2013

oops, you bought a Jeep. :rofl:

How else is your jeep going to mark its territory

Excellent news, and I want to thank all who replied back to me. I will work on the O-rings, sending unit and distributor gasket. ill get back to you all when the work is complete, thanks again. My rig is a 97xj 161,xxx miles,

Go to the dealer for the o-rings, they will give you the enitre set of 3, like $7. Most parts stores only give you the main ring.

I bought one today at auto zone for 1.69 it is only one, so there is more than one seal in the oil filter adapter??? they also had like 5-7 rings for around seven bucks. So how many seals are there in the oil filter adapter???

3 0-rings. Dealer has them in a kit for your year.

Here's a good read:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/oi...o-ring-127359/

Thanks for the link and the advice, I will purchase the correct O-rings tomorrow as well as commencing the repair. I hope the Jeep dealer ship in my town has them in stock. ill reply back with the results, in hope I stop leaking my mobile1 10 w30 high mileage.

I need to do this pretty soon but I'm only seeing 1 O-Ring in that write up. Where's the other 2?

There's one where the adapter fits to the block, and 2 on the hollow bolt going through the adapter.