Transmission leak or just a missing bolt?

loco1122

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Feb 11, 2019
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I currently just flushed my transmission oil in my jeep tj 2003 sport 6 cyl, it was very dirty and added sycromesh... anyway a while back I went to a 4x4 shop nearby and they told me it was seal leak and it would require dropping the tranny and everything else. Is it just a quick fix like a bolt or is it manufactured like that? I have pictures below this is the front of my tranny near the engine oil drain plug is what the picture is depicting. I am clueless on what to do I just have to keep maintaining it but Idk is it just a bolt or is the body shop dude being legit.

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I wanted to ask is this illegal to have on a vehicle also :)))) I live California Forgive me with this stupid vehicle on my way to get rid of the ugly heavy mods but the light bar is one I want to keep do you think its a good Idea ??? or take it off and try selling it I just don't want to be impersonating a cop or something I went into various police station none of them could tell me one bullshitted me and told me "Idk they could....its link a tinted window perhaps" cops legit don't know the law just act out of there ass. Is this a bad Idea to be driving around with there also tinted black windows so I always have to keep them down which is quite annoying until removing it.

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I should have added that it's probably the rear main seal on the engine, not the tranny leaking. Fixing that isn't the easiest job but pulling the tranny isn't required.

+1 looks like the rear main seal. While you do not have to drop the tranny, a lot of shops will only do it that way. If you can do the job yourself it will save you a bunch of loot.

You are also missing a bolt which may or may not be contributing to the leak.
 
I wanted to ask is this illegal to have on a vehicle also :)))) I live California Forgive me with this stupid vehicle on my way to get rid of the ugly heavy mods but the light bar is one I want to keep do you think its a good Idea ??? or take it off and try selling it I just don't want to be impersonating a cop or something I went into various police station none of them could tell me one bullshitted me and told me "Idk they could....its link a tinted window perhaps" cops legit don't know the law just act out of there ass. Is this a bad Idea to be driving around with there also tinted black windows so I always have to keep them down which is quite annoying until removing it.

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Unless it has changed recently, it is against the law to run any forward facing red light unless you are an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency call. Interestingly, the only requirement for lighting on an emergency vehicle is a single forward facing red light.

I do not know the legal specifics of just having the lens covers on there until you turn them on because until then, they aren't a light.
 
X3 to a rear main seal. No need to drop the transmission.

As to the lightbar--I know around here you cannot have red or blue lights. I'd google the local law and see what you can come up with.
 
Not sure about the color but any light except up to 2 lights placed below headlights technically need a cover when driven on roads.

(I believe the section is 24411)
 
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+1 looks like the rear main seal. While you do not have to drop the tranny, a lot of shops will only do it that way. If you can do the job yourself it will save you a bunch of loot.

You are also missing a bolt which may or may not be contributing to the leak.
It won't save that much loot unless 500ish is a lot. I have never heard of anyone dropping the trans on a 4.0 to do the RMS, who does that?

The bolt is not contributing to the leak since it is just stopping the engine plate from rattling.
 
I find this one amusing:

An armored car may be equipped with red lights which may be used while resisting armed robbery. At all other times the red lights shall not be lighted.
I didn't read that many but I also believe that blue lights facing any direction are reserved specifically for Law Enforcement. We weren't allowed to run them on the ambulances.
 
It won't save that much loot unless 500ish is a lot. I have never heard of anyone dropping the trans on a 4.0 to do the RMS, who does that?

The bolt is not contributing to the leak since it is just stopping the engine plate from rattling.

To me $500 is a lot of money to save, and I currently have a rear main seal leak so I brought it to three places for estimates.

My go to mechanic, the one and only guy I trust, said he doesn't feel comfortable doing the job because he has to drop the tranny and that is not his sweet spot. I am not telling a mechanic, or anyone, how to do their job so I went to another shop. He is an honest guy, with great prices. Not messing up that relationship as he services my other vehicles, and he let's me use his business address to have certain shipments delivered to his shop so I can save on shipping costs.

Shop 2 wanted $900, a local truck repair shop. Also said that tranny needed to be dropped.

Shop 3 was basically the same as shop 2, a little less but around $700.

I bought all the parts myself to do the job so I am waiting for it to get warmer out, and to grow a bigger set of balls. I do admit this job is a little scary for me, but I have no other options.

If you know a competent mechanic in Connecticut please share?
 
To me $500 is a lot of money to save, and I currently have a rear main seal leak so I brought it to three places for estimates.

My go to mechanic, the one and only guy I trust, said he doesn't feel comfortable doing the job because he has to drop the tranny and that is not his sweet spot. I am not telling a mechanic, or anyone, how to do their job so I went to another shop. He is an honest guy, with great prices. Not messing up that relationship as he services my other vehicles, and he let's me use his business address to have certain shipments delivered to his shop so I can save on shipping costs.

Shop 2 wanted $900, a local truck repair shop. Also said that tranny needed to be dropped.

Shop 3 was basically the same as shop 2, a little less but around $700.

I bought all the parts myself to do the job so I am waiting for it to get warmer out, and to grow a bigger set of balls. I do admit this job is a little scary for me, but I have no other options.

If you know a competent mechanic in Connecticut please share?
Tell them to get in their flat rate books and actually look up the vehicle. I don't know anyone that drops a tranny for less than 200 so that would drop the price considerably and no, I not only don't know of a good mechanic in CT, I don't believe I actually know anyone in CT. Closest I get to that is a good friend who left Groton decades ago.

If I was you, I would take a print out of the pics from a good writeup to the one you trust and discuss it with him so he knows the trans doesn't have to move.
 
Tell them to get in their flat rate books and actually look up the vehicle. I don't know anyone that drops a tranny for less than 200 so that would drop the price considerably and no, I not only don't know of a good mechanic in CT, I don't believe I actually know anyone in CT. Closest I get to that is a good friend who left Groton decades ago.

If I was you, I would take a print out of the pics from a good writeup to the one you trust and discuss it with him so he knows the trans doesn't have to move.

Good call! Thank you. I was actually thinking about doing just that, but was on the fence as I do not want to "show-up" a mechanic, but it's all in the approach so maybe I will print it out and show him what needs to be done.

I assume your buddy that was in Groton was at the submarine base.
 
Dropping the transmission for a rear main seal is NOT AT ALL NECESSARY on our TJ's, it does not give acess to the rear main seal, it does not give any more clearance to anything related to changing the rear main. Those shops that told you that either don't want the job or do not know how to change the rear main in our 4.0.
The hardest part about changing the rear main is dropping the exhaust, other than that it is one of the easiest rear mains to change 2-4 hours in the driveway tops.
The rear mains on the 4.0 is a split main seal, it is changed by removing the exhaust from the manifold to muffler, dropping the oil pan, removing the rear main bearing cap, rolling the upper part of the seal from around the crank, rolling in the new upper part of the seal back around the crank, replacing the lower part of the seal in the bearing cap, reinstall the bearing cap, reinstall the oil pan, reinstall the exhaust.
The most important part is to use the proper anaerobic sealant between the main cap and block, there are quite a few videos out there on how to change it.
 

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Good call! Thank you. I was actually thinking about doing just that, but was on the fence as I do not want to "show-up" a mechanic, but it's all in the approach so maybe I will print it out and show him what needs to be done.

I assume your buddy that was in Groton was at the submarine base.
We've had several locals try to get us to do RMS jobs. I explain that I don't like to do them since I can't guarantee my work and suggest their local mechanic. All have reported that they want to drop the trans until it is suggested that they actually look up the vehicle and find out they don't have to.

My buddy was likely at the sub base if they have a maternity ward there.
 
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I think those orange/red covers on the light bar just snap on.

And orange is fine, that's why the police didn't give you a definite no, they probably were close enough they didn't care.
 
Dropping the transmission for a rear main seal is NOT AT ALL NECESSARY on our TJ's, it does not give acess to the rear main seal, it does not give any more clearance to anything related to changing the rear main. Those shops that told you that either don't want the job or do not know how to change the rear main in our 4.0.
The hardest part about changing the rear main is dropping the exhaust, other than that it is one of the easiest rear mains to change 2-4 hours in the driveway tops.
The rear mains on the 4.0 is a split main seal, it is changed by removing the exhaust from the manifold to muffler, dropping the oil pan, removing the rear main bearing cap, rolling the upper part of the seal from around the crank, rolling in the new upper part of the seal back around the crank, replacing the lower part of the seal in the bearing cap, reinstall the bearing cap, reinstall the oil pan, reinstall the exhaust.
The most important part is to use the proper anaerobic sealant between the main cap and block, there are quite a few videos out there on how to change it.

Thank you for the reply, and there is no argument from me on this, but a general mechanic will want to drop the transmission. If you can find a rare breed of mechanic that is willing to research a job then they will understand what needs to be done (as you stated), but as I alluded to in an earlier post, I cannot find that mechanic where I live, only ones willing to do it the way they want to do it and charge around $900. 6 hours at $125/hour plus parts and tax.

See post 17 from MrBlaine, this is a common result that we TJ owners will hear. I watched a couple videos and read the DIY thread on this forum. I bought all of the correct OEM/Mopar parts and I am trying to build up enough courage to do this job. MrBlaine made a great suggestion of trying to show my local mechanic what needs to be done and I am hoping he will take on the job, but if not I will tackle it myself.
 
Thank you for the reply, and there is no argument from me on this, but a general mechanic will want to drop the transmission. If you can find a rare breed of mechanic that is willing to research a job then they will understand what needs to be done (as you stated), but as I alluded to in an earlier post, I cannot find that mechanic where I live, only ones willing to do it the way they want to do it and charge around $900. 6 hours at $125/hour plus parts and tax.

See post 17 from MrBlaine, this is a common result that we TJ owners will hear. I watched a couple videos and read the DIY thread on this forum. I bought all of the correct OEM/Mopar parts and I am trying to build up enough courage to do this job. MrBlaine made a great suggestion of trying to show my local mechanic what needs to be done and I am hoping he will take on the job, but if not I will tackle it myself.
Just explain to him that pulling the transmission to do a rear main seal is like pulling the whole interior to replace the radiator. They simply aren't connected.
 
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