so monday im going to be doing the rear main seal. but i heard there are differnt bolts.. which mm's will i need to remove the oil pan? and what is the torque for the oil pan and if you know.. the valve cover?

 

Oil sump:
- Small screws are 1/4"-20x1/2". Use 7/16" wrench. Torque to 7 pound-feet
- Large screws are 5/16"-18x3/4". Use 1/2" wrench. Torque to 11 pound-feet

Valve Cover:
- Screws are 1/4"-20x1" or so. Use 7/16" wrench. Torque to ~7 pound-feet.

Do bear in mind that the AMC engines use all SAE fasteners, not ISO. You might get a metric socket that happens to fit some screws (common crossovers are 5/16"-8m/m, 7/16"-11m/m, and 3/4"-19m/m,) but they'll still be just far enough off that you don't want to make a habit out of doing it.

When you put things back together, either use LocTite #242 (or equivalent) or RTV on the screw threads to retain.

 

what rtv to get off autozone??

 

what do you mean by 1/2 wrench and 7/16th? i only own a 1/2 one for 10 bucks from autozone and it has 150 lbs.

 

He's referring to the size of the wrench/socket opening that fits the nut.
Dan

 

oh. that makes more sense then. so my torque wrench will suffice?

 

Yes your torque wrench will work. Also I reccomend the rubber gasket, I tried RTV twice in a row. No matter what I did the RTV leaked. Rubber gasket solved the prob.

 

what? the 19.99 seal from autozone is the one i purchased. but it says to put rtv on the seal lips.

 

Here's a how to, and take notice that you only put rtv at the edges where the lower rear main touches the block, and also at the corners of the oil pan gasket.

 

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...e=RTV+Adhesive


is that alright for the seals and gasket?

 

so far ive gotten the pan off. with a ton of problems and hassle. i will be putting the rear main on monday though. but is the above maker good for the seal and the pan?

 

I haven't looked at the black stuff before, but yes Permatex is fine and I wish I would have seen the black when I did mine. As for the oil pan gasket, make sure you specify that you want a one-piece rubber gasket.

 

1996-up for the moulded rubber gasket.

RTV? I only use:
BLACK - General use.
COPPER - High tempeature applications, or self-grounding sensors.

I've had consistently rotten luck with the blue, and the high-temp red gets beaten by the copper anyhow. Using only two types keeps my logistical train short and simple anyhow.

I've never put RTV on the ends of the rear main when I've done it, either. Haven't had any leaks. Can't be doing something too wrong...

Oh - and a 150 pound-foot torque wrench is stupid large for something like this - you'll want to use a 1/4" drive or a 3/8" drive, which will make it easier to set to the necessary 7 or 11 pound-feet of torque.

 

Yep.. only use silicone when using the 4pc gasket.. where the sides meet the timing cover and maincap.

Not needed with the one piece gasket.

 

Good to know! We have 3 XJs and 2 WJs between our family/close friends, all with the 4.0. I recently did my rear main but I'm sure I'll be digging in another one at some point.