Oil Leak help

i have a 93 cherokee 4.0 with about 170,000 miles now and it just recently started spewing oil. I cant tell which of the 3 main oil leaks it could be though.
there is oil dripping from the pan but it also looks like it is spitting oil all over the inside of the unibody up by the oil filter
what is the best way to figure betwen a rms or valve cover?

best answer I've got is to clean it all up and watch for new oil. It sounds as though the filter mount (adapter) would be the likely culprit-- it's under pressure, it's on that side, and they often leak.

Valve cover is very common leak

the oil filter adapter gasket is notorious for leaking. I would do like the others said and wipe the oil soaked spots clean and watch for new oil. If you cant tell while the engines off, then start it up and the motor running should push the oil out to wherever its leaking.

yeah my guess would have to be the oil fliter to block adapter... it is pretty easy to do, the only special tool is a very short torx bit, but i cant remember what size it is. but if you own a jeep you should already have torx bits.

well i parked it in the garage and wiped it down a little and i can say that the leak is far worse when it is running, and just after i turn it off. but would this explain the oil all over the pan as well?



does this sound like the oil filter mount?
is it a gasket or ??
thanks for the help so far

sounds just like the mount-- it's a series of o-rings-- three, I believe

jeepspeed93 said:

well i parked it in the garage and wiped it down a little and i can say that the leak is far worse when it is running, and just after i turn it off. but would this explain the oil all over the pan as well?



does this sound like the oil filter mount?
is it a gasket or ??
thanks for the help so far

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Yeah, oil goes down, gets messy real fast. When the engine runs, the pressure is higher forcing the oil out through any holes it can find, so yes, more leaky leaky that way. This does sound a lot like the oil filter adaptor, you may want to visually verify (the thing onto which the filter is screwed). It's not a gasket but a set of o-rings, which you can get at the dealer (maybe aftermarket also, dunno). It's a common leak and not a lot of work. Often the difficulty is the torx bolt that holds it in place, but on my 1992 I was lucky, was a regular bolt. You may be lucky too.

There's lots of good threads that can help, a search for 'oil filter adaptor' will get you there (e.g. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=904592).

Or check
http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/

Good luck!

Just fixed the very same problem on my 98. Same symptoms and it was the adapter o-ring!! It was hard and brittle which allowed a butt load of oil to scoot by.....:spin1: ran down and to the back of the oil pan getting everything in between! Not sure when Chrysler started using torx but you may need a t-60 to remove the adapter. Now my heep leaves no trace behind... Good luck!!

Has anyone ever noticed that one some 4.0's the oil filter mount is flush with the block and on some it's cast angled downwards? I wonder if that has to do with this leaking issue... cause I really can't imagine why it would even matter there seems like there would be no difference. But with 170k on the clock if it were me, I'd pull the motor, it's time for new seals and gaskets. I wouldn't at all be suprised if it was just the rear main, but if the engine's gotta come out, you'd be dumb not to replace EVERYTHING... but that's just me

is the dealer the only place where you can buy these orings?

im hoping to change them out first then if its still leaking on to the rms it is :[

jeepspeed93 said:

is the dealer the only place where you can buy these orings?

im hoping to change them out first then if its still leaking on to the rms it is :[

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I don't think so, you should be able find the right sizes at a parts store. The dealer is just more easy becuase the bags got all 3 that fit right away.

Re: Oil Leak help: Camshaft Plug??

The 3 O-Ring kit for the Oil filter is a no brainer to install and is an immediate cure. While you are there, a little Permatex on the oil pressure nut that goes into the block above the oil filter and some of the same on the sensor threads itself will clean up the whole area.

HAS ANYONE HEARD OF AN OIL LEAK COMING FROM THE 2" PLUG BEHIND THE CAMSHAFT??? It looks like a coolant freeze plug (alum vs brass) there is also a 3/8" drain plug at the 10 oclock position from this plug. Once the flywheel is on and the tranny is mated you can't see it. But the thing seems to weep straight down and exits near the right side of the rear main seal area. 1996 4.0L 185,000. Rebuilt engine about 2000 miles ago.

ColoradoRaptor said:

Just fixed the very same problem on my 98. Same symptoms and it was the adapter o-ring!! It was hard and brittle which allowed a butt load of oil to scoot by.....:spin1: ran down and to the back of the oil pan getting everything in between! Not sure when Chrysler started using torx but you may need a t-60 to remove the adapter. Now my heep leaves no trace behind... Good luck!!

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I needed a 9/16 allen on my 93 XJ.

I cut it in half


and taped it to a box wrench.



Then just throw a pipe onto the wrench and you're set!

Oh, and check out the vc as well. If it's dripping down the pass side of the engine, it might also replicate an oil filter adaptor leak. However, the oil filter is cheap and easy, so do that first. the VCG is not too bad, but took a bit of time the first time I did it. That, and you need a torque wrench and patience (I busted about 8 bolts). Hand tightening is recommended actually, as 8 lbs of torque was just too little for my wrench.

The RMS is a beast, and should only be done if you have some time and don't mind the Jeep being out of commission for a few days. For me, getting the pan through the suspension took days of after-work fiddling. Once a buddy came and was able to give me a different perspective while I was fiddling it popped right out. Then getting the seal out took some time. Bolting it back up I stripped stuff. Had a helicoil kit ready just in case.

i just did my rear main seal......twice. its not all that bad. the hardest part is wrestling the oil pan out. plus, theres LOTS of info on how to do it. jack it up tall in the front, pull the plug, get hard at it in the morning. pull the wheels, the starter, that rubber mat thing, and then the bazillion pan bolts. 11mm and 13mm. 21mm on the cap. getting the old seal out is kinda gay too. while youve got it out, clean the pan too. mine was actually remarkably clean. 320K kms, not sure, i think its just shy of 200K miles??? according to my mitchellondemand it says to undo the motor mounts and lift the motor a bit, and then support it by the harmonic balancer. that helps to get a little more room to get the pan out. you dont really need to pull out the tranny access panel, i didnt find it any easier the second time when i didnt pull it.

ive got the same problem though. even with a new seal a couple times, it still leaks down the same spot. based on my individual findings, ive been told the valve cover gasket and oil filter adapter too. i couldnt find the oil filter adapter rings at my favourite parts store, but im tryin a few others locally, (napa, etc) and the stealership only had them seperately for about 20 bucks for al three. (cdn $)

i did however find my valve cover gasket at my favourite parts store. two different kinds, but they wouldnt show me. one for 11 bucks, and one for 81. the 81 dollar one is a permadry. supposedly rubber and metal inside it. should i bother to pop for the 81 dollar permadry???

amcinstaller said:

i did however find my valve cover gasket at my favourite parts store. two different kinds, but they wouldnt show me. one for 11 bucks, and one for 81. the 81 dollar one is a permadry. supposedly rubber and metal inside it. should i bother to pop for the 81 dollar permadry???

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Holy overcharging, Batman! I paid $30-40 for a Felpro rubber gasket made of permadry with metal. Bought it at Advance autoparts. I'm not sure where you're located, but I'd hit up eBay first if Advance isn't near you. What's nice about the metal is that, if you goof up and need to start over, you won't ruin your gasket if you have to be rough. Just rebend it and start over.

canada. dont have advance auto around here. i dont even have paypal to get onto evilbay. ive been meaning to, but im broke, not fun

Don't remember it being mentioned but also check the oil pressure sending unit that screws in just above the oil filter. Mine recently crapped out and the plastic and metal parts broke free of each other but still attached and it sprayed oil all over the undercarriage and even to the otherside of the engine onto the manifold. At first I thought it was the oil filter adapter or rear main having a catastrophic failure but that was all it was so when it was under pressure it came out like crazy.

amcinstaller said:

i did however find my valve cover gasket at my favourite parts store. two different kinds, but they wouldnt show me. one for 11 bucks, and one for 81. the 81 dollar one is a permadry. supposedly rubber and metal inside it. should i bother to pop for the 81 dollar permadry???

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Thats steep. I would just use a cork valve cover gasket, they are cheap and can SOMETIMES be reused if they are newer. The Fel-Pro permadry gaskets are maybe the best gaskets on the market. But $81 better? No!

good gasket here for $30

http://www.autozone.com/R,APP687561/vehicleId,2633001/initialAction,partProductDetail/store,5052/partType,00524/shopping/partProductDetail.htm