synergy58

Greetings!

It's been five years since my wife and I had to sell our '99 XJ, and we've missed it everyday. We finally found a replacement yesterday, a 2001 with 132k, in great running condition but a bit neglected on maintenance...lot's of leaks!

I'm not a mechanic. I'm not a mechanic. I'm not a mechanic.
I have replaced plugs and wires, cap before, even a few batterys, a hose and belt or two, flushed radiator and simple things like that. I have even replaced shocks, and installed a 3" Rubicon lift on my wife's '06 unlimited (no she no longer has it)

When we bought this XJ yesterday, we knew we had to get these things done, just about everything needs dong we think, and we thought, oh man this might be more than we can handle. But, it's been hard finding a decent one and this one runs good, is fast and has some good things about it.

The good (I guess): straight body, NO RUST! NO ACCIDENTS!
Has a new 2" Rusty lift (new shocks, coils springs, sway bar bushings (it'll get us started).
New front brakes. Back?
New #3 injector with some little fabric heat insulator (looks like a round cotton cloth tube? Cheap!).
The drive shaft was recently balanced and aligned, new U-joints, spline welded and new slip joint. Elderly man owned it, said it shook a bit since the day he bough it. Said his mechanic wanted to correct it, so he let him; it worked!
It has a new windshield!
Has a roof rack w cage and tire mount.
New radio (radio sucks though).
The AC blows cold, BUT...! More about this below...
Radiator was flushed and new coolant added.
The interior is clean, no tears, stains, non-smoker, no pet odors and it has a new head liner! All lights, gages work
All power windows work, door lock works, everything inside works.
One year old tires with less than 5,000 miles on them (Dueller HT's)...Hey, at least they're nearly new.
Drives like a bat out of hell...I ran it home yesterday, 535 miles, doing 70-80, got 20.78 mpg and it didn't miss a beat. Pushed it to 90 on one stretch and it felt like it could do a lot more.
Drives straight as an arrow...NO WOBBLES OR DRIFTING!
New window tinting!


OKAAAAY, now for the bad...

EVERYTHING seems to be leaking!!!
The valve cover leaks and when I shut it off, it stinks link smoked oil.
The oil pan and tranny pan leaks, a few drops hanging from around each pan. The differentials are wet and appear to be leaking, though I don't see any dripping.
The AC, while it blows cold, it makes a terrible, weird, loud, vacuum sucking noise coming from under the dash area on the passenger side, does this for a few minutes after I turn it on, then quiets down, and it cycles frequently...but it blows cold! Also, the air will not come out on the floor, just the front vent and defrost vents. IDK what the heck thats all about. I'm assuming the heat wil only blow out the same way, didn't try it yet.
The rear hatch rattles on even light bump impact, so does a few other odd and end areas.
The check engine light stays on, a code P0455, something about a vent/vacuum/ canister thing? The guy took it to his mechanic and the mechanic said he couldn't figure it out, but it runs fine so it must be wrong. Hmm? Wrong? Oh well, hopefully I can get help on this site to figure out how to fix it properly.
I probably paid too much for it...maybe not, IDK. With all the XJ's on the market, this one gave me the best bang for the buck, considering the good and bad things.
The engine compartment is dirty, mostly dust and oily grime from probably never having been cleaned.
The rear washer doesn't work, but the wiper does.
Did I say the radio sucks? Cheap, newly installed Clarion. Why is it that after market radios are so inconvenient to use. The buttons are small, in strange locations and combined with so many functions that you can't tell what you're doing. And, the font is so small. Also, the USB function doesn't appear to work.

I guess I could pick this thing to death, but I LOVE IT! And we're glad to have it! It's going to be a daily driver. I need help getting started with a list of do first, save for last things.

I'm guess a fresh oil change? But most of all, I NEED TO STOP THE LEEKS AND OIL SMELL!!!

Battery is old. I'm assuming the water pump, radiator, alternator, starter and the like, is all original.

HELP!!! I need to get started... my wife absolutely needs a safe, comfortable and FUN daily driver ASAP!

BTW...is it hard to change these pan gaskets, valve cover, and stop these leeks? or did I buy a never ending leek mobile?

Thanks for any and all help/guidance/suggestions!

cruiser54

Here's how to approach the leaks.

There may not be as many as you think.




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

synergy58

Ok, sounds good to me. I'll get started with these items. Is there a blow by blow description anywhere on how to replace this gasket, sending unit?

Where's a good source for buying these items, just any parts store for OEM parts, or are there better upgrades I would be better off using? Order from on-line source maybe, where?

Valve cover gasket
oil pressure sending unit
oil filter adapter seals
distributor gasket

Thanks!

cruiser54

Valve cover gasket. Felpro Blue only. O'Reilly's etc. If the VC gasket is indeed leaking, which is very likely, just do that first.

synergy58

I read your tip #25...regarding the valve cover mod, is this applicable to a 2001, and how does this help?

cruiser54

Only applies to the earlier models with the aluminum valve cover.

That said, be sure your CCV system is not clogged or corrupted in any way. That's the vacuum hoses, grommets, and lines between the valve cover, air filter and intake manifold.

Cheddarnut

Also worth a mention, a quick wipe down of the big areas on oil residue will help you spot new leaks after you start getting new seals in place. It's amazing how much the fluids blow around then pick up dirt. I'm not suggesting a full cleaning, I just mean crawl around with some rags and clear off the big areas. It will help you spot new stuff.

synergy58

What about pressure washing? Would it be okay to take it to a car wash, spray some degreaser on it and spray away? It's probably never been cleaned and its hard to tell where the oil is leaking from.

md21722

You could but if you get electronics wet you may have a hard time driving it until they dry out. If you have oil all along the side of the head, such as around the spark plugs, it's the valve cover gasket. It's the only place it can come from. Start at the top and work your way down. Oil leaks go down and back towards the transmission.

Cheddarnut

Good point, I didn't mean to trigger a big cleaning discussion. Just thinking once you change the top seal, wipe off the pan, t case and pumpkins to see where it's from. Top down is the best plan, please excuse the cleaning distraction!

extrashaky

You can't get much better advice about the leaks than what Cruiser already said, but here are a few other notes he didn't address:

That's actually a good thing. These trucks have a known issue with heat soak vaporizing the fuel in the #3 injector and causing difficult hot restarts. The symptom is that you park the car after driving it, come back within the next 20 minutes and have a very rough idle when you start it, which sometimes even causes a CEL for a misfire. The insulation helps prevent that.

One thing you may not be aware of is that the 2000 and 2001 XJs came with the infamous 0331 head that likes to crack for no reason. The guy probably flushed and changed the coolant as normal maintenance before the sale, but if that head has a problem the flush may have masked it. First, don't panic, because some people never have a problem. However, if you're going to own an '01, you should read up on the 0331 heads and what they do, and if you have ANY cooling issues whatsoever you should take them very seriously. There's a wealth of info here about those heads and what to do about them.

Look to see where they're wet. Sometimes they leak from the rubber plug in the cover. That's not a big deal, since it would be hard to run one dry, but the plug itself is about $2 and easy to replace.

It sounds like you have a vacuum leak. That's probably the source of your issues with your AC vents as well, since the vent doors are operated on vacuum.

You have vacuum lines that run from the intake manifold (which provides engine vacuum) to different parts of the car. They run to the evap solenoid canister the mechanic mentioned. They run to a ball inside the front bumper that acts as a vacuum "reservoir" to operate your cruise control and your vents. They also run back to the gas tank. Somewhere in all that you have a leak. Maybe multiple leaks.

There are various ways to fix that. The easiest is probably to do a smoke test, where you open one end of the vacuum system and blow smoke into it to see where it comes out. Then replace the leaking fitting or line. Some people just say to hell with it and start replacing lines until the problem is fixed. If you get on YouTube and search for "vacuum leak," you'll find all sorts of videos about how to find the leak and fix it.

A lot of people here wash their engines with degreaser. Just follow the instructions on the can. One thing you can do to avoid getting water in your electrical system is to wrap some plastic bags around the power distribution and the computer, but remember that these things were built to be able to get them wet.

cruiser54

Pressure washing is fine. Stay away from the throttle position sensor!!

synergy58

OKay...wow! Alright, this is a lot to consume, but absolutely GREAT advise and guidance! Thanks so much for this! I'm going to have to absorb all of this and start slow. I've got to get control of the leaking oil, because it stinks and my wife is complaining about the oil smell every time we stop and get out of the jeep. So, I'm thinking the valve cover first.

I've heard that one should replace the diff covers if they're going to service them, but what covers should I get and is this beneficial to do?

Thanks so much for the comments!

extrashaky

Unless it's broken, there's no need to replace the entire cover. Just put it back on with sealant.

You may need to replace the rubber plugs as I mentioned above. What sometimes happens with them is that they seal up fine while undisturbed. Once you pull them out, if they're old enough that the rubber has hardened they will leak when reinstalled. They're really cheap and easy to replace: Use a large flat blade screwdriver to pry the old one out, push the new one into place.

synergy58

4 auto parts stores and no one has those plugs. I did find the Felpro Blue gasket. Pressure washed the engine this am, much better. Time to get started on the work!