My '98 needed the usual oil filter adapter o-ring replacement. Bought the part from the dealer recently and got down to business this past Saturday.

1. First pic shows jack handle, plain-old 3/8" Craftsman ratchet, shorty 1/2" socket, and the "business end" of the T60 socket I bought a while ago. Took me a while to figure this out, as there's little clearance between the frame rail and the filter adapter screw where the T60 goes.

I used a floor jack with a piece of wood on it to push the motor up a little bit so I could remove the pass. side motor mount bolt, which has an 18MM head on it (nut on the other end is the same size).

I grabbed the T60 socket, a hammer, and a punch and separated the "business end" from the socket part, which is 1/2" drive. The hex on the "business end" is 1/2". so I put 2+2 together and started thinking of ways to get in there with the lack of clearance. I used the ratchet, socket, T60 end piece, and the jack handle for leverage to get the screw loose.

2. The ratcheting wrench, or "gear wrench" in the 2nd photo is what I used to back the screw completely out of the adapter, as there wasn't enough clearance to use the ratchet in there for that purpose despite jacking the motor up a little bit (about 1.5" or so). Once the screw is loosened backing it out, then putting it back in is easy, although the latter takes a little coordination.

3. All back together. Dodging the rain drops and nasty storms, plus losing the T60 for about a 1/2 hour (ended up on the rad core support) altogether it took about 3 hours, including figuring out the ratcheting wrench part. Normally it would have been about 2 hours, including cleaning the adapter, wire wheeling the area where the o-ring goes (which I did, although you can use sandpaper and a stone for that).

Oil, filter, and o-rings cost under $23, plus cleaning products which I keep handy.

Even the oil pressure improved a tad. The old o-ring had turned to plastic (hardened).

 

No need to remove the motor mount, at least on my 2000 xj it was not necessary. It is a good idea to disconnect the battery if you use the cheater bar from above the adaptor (ask me how I know)

 

this is next on my list, thanks for the pictures and experience. I'm going down the list:

valve cover gasket - check
oil pan gasket - check
rear main seal - check
oil filter perch - _____
distributor o-ring - _____

 

Joe, thanks and I forgot that part. One needs to disco the neg. cable, in fact I disconnected bot the neg. and pos. cables.

I didn't remove the mount, per se, just the bolt for it then gently pushed the motor up with the jack and piece of wood between it and the pan. Motor tilted over on the driver's side mount, which gave me just enough clearance to get the ratchet, socket, and T60 end piece in there.

Once it came loose it was no problem getting the screw out with the ratcheting wrench/T60 end combo.

 

Sorry I was not clear, I did not remove the motor mount bolt nor did I jack up the engine when I did mine. Nice write up otherwise sir. I'm just saying there's no need to remove the motor mount bolt and jack up the engine. I had plenty room for my gear wrench and the T-60 (that I removed from a gear wrench 1/2" drive socket).