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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
I have an 85xj with a 2.5L and ever since I bought it and got it running a year ago, I have been chasing an oil leak. Changed the valve cover gasket and it did slow it a bit, but still the passenger side of the engine is always covered with oil, even the top of the valve cover has oil on it. I put on a new fill cap because I thought the gasket was leaking, still oil. It was never that much, just a little smoke ever once in a while when it dripped onto the exhaust as it crossed under the transmission. The previous owner had replaced the rear main seal, probably trying to fix the same problem.
Well, Thursday I changed the oil in the evening, then drove to work on Friday morning. When I got to work it was smoking so I thought maybe I spilled a little on the exhaust from the oil filter, but when leaving work I noticed some oil under it. Drove back to work on Saturday, once at work was smoking really bad so I checked the oil, down almost a quart and everything was covered in oil. It is a 15 mile drive so I added a quart and drove home. By the time I got home it looked like I was running a smoke screen behind me .
They say a photo is work a thousand words so here are four thousand to help show the problem lol.
Cover in oil from the tie rods back to the rear axle. And yes that is oil streaks on the inside of the rear tires.
On top of the engine and the passenger side are covered too,
I checked and rechecked the oil filter but it doesn't seem to be leaking. After getting home and taking the photos I used a rag and some acetone to wipe the oil off as much as I could, let it idle for 15 minutes but did not see any spray, it was high idle about 1500 rpms, where the pressure gauge is showing about 60-70psi.
I am almost betting on it being the oil pressure sending unit that is leaking. Of course could be the distributor gasket but I doubt it would spray so much from that. Going to scrub the engine down as much as I can and see if I can find exactly where it is, but I also have a mechanical oil pressure gauge so I may replace the sending unit with that and see if it goes away. Anyone have any other ideas on this one?
I thought after losing two quarts in about 30 miles I would be able to just see oil spraying everywhere even at idle, but it is driving me nuts that I can't.
Rev it up so the oil pressure increases while watching for leaks. Oil pressure sender or the filter adapter o-rings (if yours has that) seem likely judging from where the oil looks to be hitting.
Sounds like oil filter adapter. Replace every oil ring with a kit from Jeep.
Also, your oil pressure seems high to me at 1500 RPM at operating temperature, if the reading is accurate.
The 2.5L doesn't use an oil filter adapter from what it looks like, the oil filter just sticks straight out from the engine. Checked it several times and doesn't appear to be leaking around that.
The high oil pressure at low rpm is when it is cold. Once it is good and hot it will drop to about 40psi at high idle and a little less when in drive and idling about 750rpm.
Hopefully I will make it home before dark tomorrow so I can see what I am doing and before rain sets in for a couple days
Well, I installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge today after cleaning the engine with Gunk. Fired it up and all looked good, started out with 75psi at high idle. Once it warmed up was at 50 high idle, 35psi low idle sitting in Drive(800rpm). Watched the thing sit and idle for 20 minutes not a sign of an oil leak anywhere. Went down the road for 1 mile and back to test it, was smoking a little when I returned. Popped the hood, and the engine was completely covered in oil again.
Never got over 65psi on the test drive, only hit 55mph once the whole time. I am next going to pull the elbow that the sending unit goes into and see if that might be cracked as I saw someone else had that problem on the Wrangler forum. I just can't figure how it can sit there with the same pressure at high idle as out on the road and never show a sign of a leak, close the hood and instantly you get oil everywhere.
High oil pressure should only be present at an external point at the sending unit and oil filter I would think. Mechanical fuel pump should only have passive oiling I would think. How much pressure is present at the distributor gasket?
It literally looks like you took a jug of oil and poured it on the valve cover and it ran down the entire passenger side of the engine covering hoses, wires, tubing and everything, and sprayed up on the hood.
I am guessing not, the oil filter just sticks straight out from the block on this one.
I doubt the original owner would have altered it since he kept it completely stock and always took it to a shop for any maintenance.
If it is coming out of the dipstick as Firestorm suggested, would that be caused by severe blowby at the rings? I have been planning to put new rings in it because there is quite a bit of blowby, if you remove the filler cap and put your hand six inches above the opening you can feel puffs of air hitting your hand, and that is with the PCV pulling a good suction and the vent to the breather open and clean. I has had a history of blowing oil into the air cleaner before, so maybe that is where I need to look.
Funny how this all started just after doing an oil change. I am going to put on a new oil filter just in case that is leaking in some way that I can't see. I even crawled under it while it was idling cold and still had high oil pressure and saw nothing, looking from above saw nothing, then drive and it is everywhere.
If I had a garage I would have this engine out and on a stand already to see what is going on, not as easy to do in a gravel driveway :P
This is exactly what my jeep looked like 3 days ago. After doing the RMS and Pan gasket it turned out being the Oil pressure sending unit. $30 and 5 minutes and you may have your fix.
I am guessing not, the oil filter just sticks straight out from the block on this one.
I doubt the original owner would have altered it since he kept it completely stock and always took it to a shop for any maintenance.
If it is coming out of the dipstick as Firestorm suggested, would that be caused by severe blowby at the rings? I have been planning to put new rings in it because there is quite a bit of blowby, if you remove the filler cap and put your hand six inches above the opening you can feel puffs of air hitting your hand, and that is with the PCV pulling a good suction and the vent to the breather open and clean. I has had a history of blowing oil into the air cleaner before, so maybe that is where I need to look.
Funny how this all started just after doing an oil change. I am going to put on a new oil filter just in case that is leaking in some way that I can't see. I even crawled under it while it was idling cold and still had high oil pressure and saw nothing, looking from above saw nothing, then drive and it is everywhere.
If I had a garage I would have this engine out and on a stand already to see what is going on, not as easy to do in a gravel driveway :P
09-07-2014, 09:48 PM
Very bad oil leak!
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