Oil around grommets on valve cover

danof76

danof76

TJ Enthusiast
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San Antonio, TX
I noticed a while back some oil underneath the Jeep, when I went to check there was way, way, way too much in there. I emptied at least a quart, probably more, out of the engine and got it back to good levels (last time I ever get too lazy to do my oil and let a shop do it). Every now and then I would notice a very small pool of oil underneath but usually only if I had let the Jeep sit all weekend. Overnight or all day at work I would never see a spot, so didn't concern myself with it much.

Well yesterday was the first time I really got a good look under the hood in day light and I noticed some oil around the grommets on the valve cover:

Valve cover 1.JPG Valve cover 2.JPG

I haven't noticed any issues, and the oil level (and pressure) has been fine as I've been keeping an eye on it. What I'm thinking is that what little oil I have seen on the ground is just residual.

My question is did the engine find the grommets as the weak point and spurt some oil out from them? Should I be worried that it could do that anyway? Chances are the grommets are factory but I wonder if that's an indicator they ought to be replaced. I'm going to take a closer look at them tonight, see if they're still flexible and see if the elbows got any oil in them as well. Just wondering if anyone has any opinion on the matter, I suppose I freak out if I see oil anywhere it shouldn't be. Thanks!
 
the valve cover is typically baffled so it should not be spraying out of the PVC grommets. I would look at other places for leaks, how big are the spots when you park? the size of a quarter or 6" that makes a bid difference. Tim
 
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Tim, the spots only appear after it hasn’t been driven for a few days and the largest was maybe 3” after four days, ranging as small as a quarter I would imagine. Never very large which makes me believe it’s some residual oil that either got out somewhere somehow or the shop spilled some. In either case it seems to take its time to get to the ground, long enough that it doesn’t do it overnight.
 
Rear main? Valve cover? oil filter adapter, timing cover, that is a lot of oil actually, get a flashlight and see what is wet and then wash your engine bay with a HOT pressure washer and some soap. Then check again. if you are a drip, in a few hours that will add up to a quart. Those grommets are available to replace, they usually get hard as a rock, then seep vapor but no drips or puddles. Tim
 
@Aloha Joe yeah I have seen some oil there hoping it’s not a RSM leak. But I’ve also seen some drip off the fan blade (yet nothing on belts thank goodness). I couldn’t find any other reports on oil coming from the grommets though.

@astjp2 thats been on my list, to clean the engine bay. One, cause I like everything clean, but also to make sure what oil I see around is just superficial hopefully. Time hasn’t been available lately but I think it next weekend is nice I may replace the grommets and then spray the whole engine bay down and see what happens.
 
I changed my post after reading #2 above - didn't realized there was a baffle preventing serious leaks through the grommets. Your engine certainly looks wet around the grommets so probably ready for a replacement, but also potentially leaking from somewhere else like the valve cover gasket.
 
I just replaced both valve cover grommets on my 06 TJ. Ordered the grommets from Rockauto so I was set, I thought. The rear elbow was too small for the grommet. After a little research I discovered 05 and 06 TJs have a rear grommet unique to these years. Called the dealer and had the correct grommet the next day. Part number 53013743AB
 
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PaulCC said:
I just replaced both valve cover grommets on my 06 TJ. Ordered the grommets from Rockauto so I was set, I thought. The rear elbow was too small for the grommet. After a little research I discovered 05 and 06 TJs have a rear grommet unique to these years. Called the dealer and had the correct grommet the next day. Part number 53013743AB
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this!
 
PaulCC said:
I just replaced both valve cover grommets on my 06 TJ. Ordered the grommets from Rockauto so I was set, I thought. The rear elbow was too small for the grommet. After a little research I discovered 05 and 06 TJs have a rear grommet unique to these years. Called the dealer and had the correct grommet the next day. Part number 53013743AB
Click to expand...
This is VERY interesting, since I went through this thrash. I "think" I got lucky on the grommet - I wasn't paying attention. What was a confusion was the elbow itself which, apparently anyway, is the same as any other year, but rather hard to get.
 
Is there a thread with part numbers for the front and rear grommets for a 2006 4.0? I'm not finding them in stock in one location.
 
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