2005 TJ Flywheel Replacement

GA05LJ said:
Have you guys heard of the RMS leaking to the point of contaminating the clutch?

I just bolted on the flywheel and started to clean up the bell housing before I reinstalled the trans when I noticed a thick ring of oil sludge flung 360degrees inside the bellhousing inline with the flywheel. I posted a picture of the flywheel earlier in the thread and someone commented that it looked like it may have been contaminated. I didn't think about it until I just saw the sludge in the bellhousing.

I'm starting to think I had better replace the RMS before I put everything back together. (Easier to remove oil pan with trans out of the way, I wont have to mess with the exhaust).

I knew I had a RMS / Valve Cover Leak but I didn't think it was that bad since I was only seeing a drop or two every now and then after parking it over night.
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Let me guess, you're running a synthetic engine oil?

If so, most synthetic engine oils can cause a seal to dry out and lose its resiliency. I suddenly developed a major RMS leak in my BMW (the one car I ever obliged its request for a synthetic), it was making a real mess on my garage door. After learning the bill to replace that (it's a BMW right) was going to be >$2k, I tried switching it to a high-mileage conventional engine oil. High mileage conventionals have more seal conditioning additives. The leak stopped completely in 3-4 days, not even a drip after that for the next five years until I sold it.

So if you are running a synthetic, I'd switch it to a good brand of 10W-30 High-Mileage conventional motor oil. Valvoline, Mobil, Castrol, NAPA etc. and bet it will cure the leak by getting the RMS back into good condition again.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Let me guess, you're running a synthetic engine oil?

If so, most synthetic engine oils can cause a seal to dry out and lose its resiliency. I suddenly developed a major RMS leak in my BMW (the one car I ever obliged its request for a synthetic), it was making a real mess on my garage door. After learning the bill to replace that (it's a BMW right) was going to be >$2k, I tried switching it to a high-mileage conventional engine oil. High mileage conventionals have more seal conditioning additives. The leak stopped completely in 3-4 days, not even a drip after that for the next five years until I sold it.

So if you are running a synthetic, I'd switch it to a good brand of 10W-30 High-Mileage conventional motor oil. Valvoline, Mobil, Castrol, NAPA etc. and bet it will cure the leak by getting the RMS back into good condition again.
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I have seen firsthand what you are describing here.

I have only owned the jeep a couple years now and have put maybe 7-10K miles on it during that time. So I can't testify to what the previous owner ran in it. I've ran conventional Castrol oil up until my last oil change, the local parts store was out of conventional so I picked up synthetic. I went from a couple drops here and there to a legit puddle under the jeep.

This was in the Fall so I didn't worry about it because I knew I was taking the jeep down during the winter to swap axles, install lift, and perform all this maintenance.

If the previous owner ran synthetic with it leaking to this extent then I could easily see how it would contaminate the clutch.

I may go ahead and button everything up and switch to high mileage and see if I get lucky.
 
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When I bought my current jeep it had a small RMS leak. I've always ran conventional in everything but thought I'd try synthetic. Month or so later the leak got worse. I replaced the seal and shortly after it started leaking again. Switched to conventional and it all but dried up after couple oil changes.
 
GA05LJ said:
Have you guys heard of the RMS leaking to the point of contaminating the clutch?

I just bolted on the flywheel and started to clean up the bell housing before I reinstalled the trans when I noticed a thick ring of oil sludge flung 360degrees inside the bellhousing inline with the flywheel. I posted a picture of the flywheel earlier in the thread and someone commented that it looked like it may have been contaminated. I didn't think about it until I just saw the sludge in the bellhousing.

I'm starting to think I had better replace the RMS before I put everything back together. (Easier to remove oil pan with trans out of the way, I wont have to mess with the exhaust).

I knew I had a RMS / Valve Cover Leak but I didn't think it was that bad since I was only seeing a drop or two every now and then after parking it over night.
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I have seen RMS leaks where oil is thrown all over the inside of the bellhousing, on the flywheel and soaked the disc.

If it was me, I would drop the pan and replace the RMS.

a couple pointers for you.

1) before dropping the pan, spray the back of the crank and RMS with brake clean. This way you wash away any dirt and debris that
could cause your new RMS to leak.

2) look at the top of your bellhousing. At the 12 o'clock position you will see a small indentation that creates a gap when bolted to the
engine. Once you reassemble everything, fill the gap with silicone.
This prevents dirt from getting inside the bellhousing and damaging the RMS.
There is a tsb for this.
 
Take a look at the back of the valve cover, too. Another notorious place for oil leaks with the 4.0
 
sierradmax said:
Take a look at the back of the valve cover, too. Another notorious place for oil leaks with the 4.0
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I do have a leak from the valve cover or at least the back of the head is damp with oil.

While I may regret this decision later, I think I am going to reassemble everything, run conventional/high mileage oil, change the Valve Cover Gasket and see where the leak stands after a month or two of driving.

If it looks like I still have a leak then I will tackle the RMS as a standalone project.

This may not be the most popular decision on the forum but here are a few reasons why I came to this conclusion.

1. Some folks say to fix the Valve Cover Gasket first to make sure you have a RMS leak. (I can clearly see I have a Valve Cover leak at the moment.)
2. I have seen several folks say switching to conventional oil stopped their leak.
3. I have seen several folks on here follow the RMS replacement thread and still have a leak. (Worst Case Scenario).
4. I have read the RMS replacement thread and it is something I really do not want to tackle unless I have exhausted all other options.

In my mind the logical progression is to do the easiest things first, of course with my logic I run the chance of contaminating my new clutch while trying to stop the leak. Whether I am successful or not I will be sure to report back.
 
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GA05LJ said:
I do have a leak from the valve cover or at least the back of the head is damp with oil.

While I may regret this decision later, I think I am going to reassemble everything, run conventional/high mileage oil, change the Valve Cover Gasket and see where the leak stands after a month or two of driving.
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That's what I would do. I was surprised how quickly, within 3-4 days at the most, how quickly it cured my really bad RMS leak. A high-mileage oil would have the same effect on other gaskets like the valve cover gasket too.
 
While the transmission is out, clean the back of the block real good and replace the valve cover gasket. While in there, take a good look at the freeze plugs. They're cheap enough to replace and worthwhile with the flywheel off. Regarding the RMS, it can obviously be replaced with or without the transmission in.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
That's what I would do. I was surprised how quickly, within 3-4 days at the most, how quickly it cured my really bad RMS leak. A high-mileage oil would have the same effect on other gaskets like the valve cover gasket too.
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One P.S. to the above... I don't consider switching to a high-mileage conventional motor oil to be a cure for a leaky seal, not a band-aid fix. The seal can dry out from common synthetic formulations and conventional high mileage formulations can reverse those effects caused by the synthetic.
 
Stefano said:
Jerry as usual good feedback to help us. Thank you.
On a different note is the a particular clutch kit you would recommend for my 06 Rubicon TJ?
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This one... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CICYZ4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Some don't like its throwout bearing because it has some non-steel content in its sliding area and will suggest an alternative throwout bearing at extra cost. Personally I'd just go with the Luk kit as is. Luk is also the OEM manufacturer for the clutches installed by the Jeep factory so its quality and longevity (near or over 200k miles) is well known.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
This one... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CICYZ4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Some don't like its throwout bearing because it has some non-steel content in its sliding area and will suggest an alternative throwout bearing at extra cost. Personally I'd just go with the Luk kit as is. Luk is also the OEM manufacturer for the clutches installed by the Jeep factory so its quality and longevity (near or over 200k miles) is well known.
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Thank you! Would you suggest removing the transaxle with the transmission? I have a ramp lift and will rent a transmission jack stand.

Also are there other parts underneath to remove to make the job easier for me?

Thanks in advance!
 
Stefano said:
Thank you! Would you suggest removing the transaxle with the transmission? I have a ramp lift and will rent a transmission jack stand.

Also are there other parts underneath to remove to make the job easier for me?

Thanks in advance!
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Remove the transmission and transfer case as a unit using your transmission jack. The transmission vertical angle is critical (!) to getting the transmission both in and out so when you think it's stuck, the jack may need to go up or down just a RCH (red *unt hair) like 1/16" inch to get the positioning pins loose enough in their holes.

Buy an E-12 socket now before beginning the job to fit the E-12 stud sticking out as one of the top mounting bolts. You'll hate life without it. You'll need a butt-load of extensions for the socket to reach that bolt as you'll need to work the ratchet drive from the very rear of the transmission. Use a 1/2" drive with a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter to work down to the socket size on the E-12 socket.

Have some emery cloth or a mild grade of sandpaper ready to sand the flywheel a tad if there is any glazing present on it.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Remove the transmission and transfer case as a unit using your transmission jack. The transmission vertical angle is critical (!) to getting the transmission both in and out so when you think it's stuck, the jack may need to go up or down just a RCH (red *unt hair) like 1/16" inch to get the positioning pins loose enough in their holes.

Buy an E-12 socket now before beginning the job to fit the E-12 stud sticking out as one of the top mounting bolts. You'll hate life without it. You'll need a butt-load of extensions for the socket to reach that bolt as you'll need to work the ratchet drive from the very rear of the transmission. Use a 1/2" drive with a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter to work down to the socket size on the E-12 socket.

Have some emery cloth or a mild grade of sandpaper ready to sand the flywheel a tad if there is any glazing present on it.
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Thank you!
 
One tip for getting the transmission to line up with the engine splines is to put the transmission in the 1:1 drive gear (4th for 5 speeds, 5th for 6 speeds) and the transfer case in 2Hi. Spin the rear transfer case yoke as you try to mate them. Once it goes in you will know right away by feel.
 
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Steel City 06 said:
One tip for getting the transmission to line up with the engine splines is to put the transmission in the 1:1 drive gear (4th for 5 speeds, 5th for 6 speeds) and the transfer case in 2Hi. Spin the rear transfer case yoke as you try to mate them. Once it goes in you will know right away by feel.
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Awesome! Thank you both!
 
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What were your symptoms before replacing?
I just regeared my jeep to 4.88 and put 35s on

my throttle sensor and map sensor went, i replaced those.
Now in first gear the jeep almost hesitates to start in first. If i give it lots of gas its fine, but if i just let the gas out at idle rpm, it goes forward but kind of bucks twice as it starts going
 
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