Drew Doubek

So I just got a 2000 XJ with 160K and the inline 6. I am not very mechanically inclined but I am trying to learn. As I have heard the XJs are pretty easy to work on, I thought I would give it a whirl. I can change the oil and I just replaced two window regulators, but most of the stuff I have done is pretty low risk in terms of costly damage if I botch it.

I am new to the whole forum concept also forgive me if I post stuff in the wrong places. The first question I wanted to ask was about the oil leak on my car. Most research I have done suggests rear main seal, valve cover gasket or the oil filter adapter but my leak is at the front of the engine and it doesn't seem to coming from the valve cover.



I have read people say most jeeps leak and it's not a huge issue usually. Mine has leaked about half a quart over the passed 3 weeks (under 1000 miles). Should I be concerned about it this? I read something about the harmonic balancer can go bad and that can mess up your crankshaft pulley seal, but I don't know all the parts so that could be complete non sense.

Any ideas how to figure out where the leak is coming from, aside from just wiping all the oil away?

Where should I post questions like this?

Thanks d00dz
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TwistedWrench

That is very likely the front main seal(behind the harmonic damper). You'll need that, and gaskets for the water pump and timing cover. Not a bad idea to do the oil pan gasket and water pump at this time. And the timing chain. And the oil pump.

Believe me, this is not something you're going to enjoy taking apart twice. ALL the parts listed above will only come out to about $250.

Either way, doing that seal means tearing it down at least this far...


...as the seal is on the timing cover, and installs from the inside.

You're going to have to unbolt a LOT of stuff to get to it. Mark, tag & bag EVERY bolt, you will not remember where they go, trust me.

Drew Doubek

So still trying to learn all the names and such... Is the front main seal the same as the front crankshaft oil seal?

Unfortunately I live in an apartment with no place to work on the XJ at my leisure. I can usually find a friends garage to use for a day, but not much more. How plausible is it to complete something like this in a single day without having much mechanical knowledge of the engine?

TwistedWrench

Yep, that's the seal.

It's doable, just be ready for an ALL day job. Save the pan gasket and oil pump for another day. Everything else is totally doable.

Takes me about 3.5 hours, but I do this crap for a living, lol. Take your time, clean everything, tag ALL your bolts. Take pics as you go, some of the brackets can be a bit confusing going back together.

Strongly suggest sealing all your gaskets with UltraGrey, best stuff on earth. Just say no to silicone.

TwistedWrench

BTW, when you get a timing cover gasket set, that front seal is in there, you don't have to get that separately.

Drew Doubek

I have read that you can replace the front seal without taking off the radiator, and without taking off the timing chain cover. Taking off the radiator is just to make some room to work right? What are the pros and cons of taking off the timing cover to replace the seal? I am just trying to understand the differences between the two approaches.

TwistedWrench

Maybe. IIRC the seal installs from the inside of the cover, but I might be off on that(built a few mustang engines since then, lol). The seal has to be hammered on, so if you don't have to pull the cover, just be mindful of where you're swinging that hammer.

The radiator stays put, just pull the fans. Hard to tell from my pic, but the radiator is still in place.