Rear Main Seal Replacement (4.0)

Hey everyone! Have any of you had any experience with liquid gasket three bond 1194 or 1211 as an extra measure on top of using seal? Heard this was better than your usual rtv... Thanks 1211__28471.jpg
 
Submarine said:
Additional notes for a 2004 Rubicon
-when you drop down the transfer case skid plate remember there is a bracket on the rear drivers side that has motors for the lockers bolted to it. There were four 12mm bolts. I zip tied this out of the way
-the exhaust manifold bolts are 5/8" and there are four. I used a 20" extension and a short socket.
-the catalytic to muffler flange bolts are 9/16"
-all the oil pan bolts are 7/16". You need a 12" and 8" extension. I have a 1" motor mount lift so it was really easy to get the pan out.
-mine had the additional bracket on the rear of the pan, I put it back in but I don't think it does anything.
-The bearing brace bolts are 5/8 and the bearing cap where the seal is was 13/16 if I remember correctly
-no issues tapping the seal out with a pin punch then grabbing it with needle nose
-I almost didn't clean off the oil pan powder coating but then said screw it and took it to bare metal with a blue abrasive wheel. The powder coating fills in a lot of imperfections in the stamping process, I think I would just leave it on there. I had cleaned it with Spray 9, a razor blade held perpendicular, and brake cleaner.
-use the box the oil pan seal comes in to trace the oil seal so you can lay your bolts out. This helped a lot to save time and get the right ones in the first time.
-my Felpro gasket came with "Snap-Ups" and these made putting the seal on really easy. You put them through the seal and screw the Snap Ups into the larger bolt holes at the front corners of the engine and the two farthest rear ones. Then the pan goes over the "Snap" part and it holds the pan up while you get all the bolts in. Bravo to whomever came up with these.
-No issues with oil drip at all surprisingly, either because I used Delo 400 last time or because I let it drain for two days. It has Mobil 1 10w30 now so don't hate.
-the hardest part was putting the exhaust back in at the engine manifold. I took a long break before doing that. It was easier to not use a creeper as I have a 3" lift. If I had 4" I could have used one.
-a headlamp was invaluable. Lots of grime ended up on the floor and on me but not oil.

This took me 6-7 hours but I waste a lot of time going back and forth from my split 3 car garage as the tools are in one garage and the Jeep in the main one. Hoping the tool list helps someone challenged like me. I also had a new g/f texting me all day so that probably added at least a half hour. If you can do your own oil changes and brakes you could do this job. I checked with a local shop and they wanted $470 so that motivated me to do it myself.

Tools needed:
3/4" wrench and sockets
3/4" impact socket and impact wrench
13/16" wrench and sockets
5/8" short socket
9/16" deep socket and wrench
1/2" deep socket
7/16 short socket
various 3/8" ratchets
3",8",10",12" and 20" extensions
torque wrench
anerobic gasket sealer, Ultra grey or black, brake cleaner, degreaser like Spray 9,
brass or stainless steel brush
razor blade or gasket scraper
Click to expand...
Do I need to support the t case at all when removing the skid?
 
Hi - First visit to the site, so I registered after reading this post. Would this be the same for the 4.0L in a 2004 grand Cherokee? I just found my rear main seal is leaking tonight.
 
Pniven said:
Hi - First visit to the site, so I registered after reading this post. Would this be the same for the 4.0L in a 2004 grand Cherokee? I just found my rear main seal is leaking tonight.
Click to expand...

It should be the same, as it's still a 2-piece rear-main seal.
 
Also, check the head gasket that is also mentioned in this thread many times....After doing the RMS there was still a leak and was at the same location (dripping down) and it was my HG as well. Leak free for 2 months now.
 
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Chris said:
View attachment 2557

When the time came for me to replace the leaky rear main seal on my TJ, I searched online for a decent write up. Some of them were ok, but none of them were good enough to really show the potential DIY to see what is really going down with the repair. Besides many were lacking crucial details, explanations and/or without pictures. I decided to bring something that is more than a write up with 5 pictures. You won't be disappointed with the amount of detail shown in this write up.

Anyhow, chances are, if you own 4.0L I6, you will have a rear main seal leaking on you. As shown in the picture above, the symptom is a engine oil leak between the engine and the transmission. This repair costs anywhere from $300 to $600 depending on where you get the repair done. Surprisingly, all the parts only cost around $50. Not saying it is easy to do, but this repair is not all that hard to do it yourself. With the this guide available in DDTJ, you will know exactly what you are getting yourself into as usual.

Tools and Parts Needed
Here are the pictures of the parts you will need to hunt down.

Anaerobic Gasket Maker (it cures when there is no oxygen.)
View attachment 2554

Rear Main Seal (2 pieces)
View attachment 2555

Oil Pan Gasket (Click on the image to see the part number.)
View attachment 2556

Some instruction that were included in the oil pan seal and the rear main seal.
View attachment 2559

View attachment 2558

Job Hours
Takes about 2-6 hours.


Procedure
1. Remove the oxygen sensor from the down pipe. Remove the bolts and nuts holding the down pipe to the header. You will have to move the pipe around so that you can lower the oil pan later.
View attachment 2561

2. Drain the engine oil. I have SureDrain by Fram installed on the oil pan.
View attachment 2560

3. Chrysler used different sized bolts to hold the oil pan to the engine block. I think they used 1/2 inch and another size. I took several pictures of the bolts and where they are located so I don't I have to remember them where they go back. Here they are, for your reference. Start removing them and put them in a safe place.
View attachment 2562View attachment 2563View attachment 2564View attachment 2565View attachment 2566View attachment 2567

4. Once the oil pan is out of the Jeep, this is what it looks like. Your engine may look different with less brown. My Jeep is 10 years old, JFYI.
View attachment 2568

5. Remove the main bearing cap brace by removing 12 bolts. This is the long stick shown in the following picture.
View attachment 2569

6. With the main bearing cap brace removed, remove the rear main bearing cap.
View attachment 2570View attachment 2571

You will have to wiggle the cap loose front to back, not side to side.
View attachment 2572View attachment 2573

7. Remove the top half of the seal by driving it out of the block. Use extreme caution not to score/dent/scratch anywhere. One small nick or scratch can cause leak and is no longer repairable. As you remove the seal, note the orientation of the seal. The seal is opening towards the front of the vehicle.
View attachment 2574View attachment 2575View attachment 2576

Here is what they look like removed from the engine. The top half and the bottom half is shown here.
View attachment 2577View attachment 2578

Notice how the old seal has lost its shape. *Blue residue shown on the new seal is wheel bearing grease.
View attachment 2579

8. Start cleaning the mating surfaces. Make sure things are cleaned down to the metal without removing any metal. I used old tooth brush with a lot of elbow grease. Make sure there is no oily residue left. This is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL for the success of this repair. One little residue of old sealant will cause leak. Oiled surface does not allow the adhesive to adhere properly. I used a paint prepping agent to clean the surface. Pay particular attention to the areas indicated by the arrow.

Before
View attachment 2580View attachment 2583

After
View attachment 2584View attachment 2585

While you are cleaning the bearing cap, if the bearing falls out of the cap, put it back on the cap with a bit of grease to go between the two pieces. It only goes in one direction.
View attachment 2582View attachment 2581View attachment 2586

Clean the engine block where the bearing cap mates against free of any residue whatsoever! This cannot be stressed enough! Clean ANY mating surface ABSOLUTELY free of any old sealant and any type of residue!! Remember you have to do this WITHOUT damaging/scoring the metal!
View attachment 2587

This is a picture of two pieces of paper towels. Left one is used to absorb the oil from the bottom of the oil pan. The one on the right is virgin oil. There was considerable amount of solid stuck on the bottom of the oil pan.
View attachment 2588

9. Start cleaning the oil pan. Remove the old gasket and clean the mating surface with mild wire wheel. I cleaned the surface with paint prepping agent once again. this gets rid of any oil residues left behind.
View attachment 2589

Here is how they should look after you are done cleaning.
View attachment 2590View attachment 2591

10. Install the upper half of the seal after lubing with some engine oil. DO NOT PUT ANY SEALANT ON THIS SEAL! With the seal's lip opening towards the front of the vehicle.

*Here is one crucial detail that every online write up fails to emphasize. As you push in the upper half of the seal, if you do not follow (as you push the seal) the circle channel carefully, you will cut the seal and this will guarantee the rear main seal to leak again.
View attachment 2593

So how do you install the upper seal without cutting it up? Fel-Pro included this nifty thin plastic that you wedge between the channel and the seal to keep it from getting cut. *I saw the same seal kit that included this plastic piece, and some did not. Your mileage may vary.
View attachment 2592View attachment 2594View attachment 2595View attachment 2596

Notice the orientation of the seal where the mouth of the seal opens toward the front of the vehicle. Once seal is in place, simply pull the plastic out.
View attachment 2597

11. Start applying Chrysler Anaerobic Sealant or Loctite 518 on the rear main bearing cap mating surfaces as shown in the following picture. You DO NOT NEED MUCH. It is CRUCIALthat you DO NOT get any of this sealant on the lip of the seal! Make sure you compensate for the spread of the sealant once it is jammed between the surfaces. Put some engine oil on the bearing!!
View attachment 2598View attachment 2599View attachment 2600

*Anaerobic Sealant starts curing after when it is isolated from the atmosphere unlike most RTVs. Some may say they got away with using RTV. They got away. I am not sure if you will. I also noticed the anaerobic sealer had different viscosity compare to the red RTV that I used on the oil pan gasket. BTW it is the factory service manual that is calling for this Loctite 518 or equivalent. There is no Loctite 518 available in the local part store which is the anaerobic sealant. You will have to get this sealant from the dealer.

12. Install the main bearing cap and torque the bolts to 80ft.lbs.
View attachment 2601

13. Install the bearing brace and torque the bolts to 35ft.lbs.
View attachment 2602

14. Place the oil pan gasket on the pan. I used RTV on the crucial area at the front of the block and where the rear bearing cap. I can use RTV here, because this is to seal something that is not moving against anything. Notice that I used RTV on both the top and the bottom of the oil pan gasket. *MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THE MATING SURFACE OF THE ENGINE BLOCK FREE OF ANY SEALANT AND OILY RESIDUE! I used paint prepping solvent to clean the surface.
View attachment 2603View attachment 2604View attachment 2605View attachment 2606View attachment 2607

15. Install the oil pan but while doing so make sure the rear main bearing cap's groove lines up with the oil pan gasket. Also pay particular attention to gasket on the front of the engine. It has built in grooves that has to sit just right. Tighten all the bolts and nuts to 12ft.lbs.
View attachment 2608

16. Install the down pipe back on the header and install the oxygen sensor back on the down pipe and JUST hand tight it down. It just needs to be on there tight enough so it won't fall back out on its own.
View attachment 2609

17. Replace the oil filter and put in 5qt of oil and watch the dip stick to top off. *I learned my jeep even tough it was almost bone dry (which I left it to drain for two days while I was working on the rear end.) it did not take the full 6qts. More like 5 and 1/2 qts total to have it read "Full" on the dip stick.
View attachment 2610View attachment 2611

18. Enjoy leak free engine! No more oil spots on the driveway! Pat yourself on the back, you saved a few hundred dollars!
Click to expand...
Thanks for this writing this one up. I followed your instructions and everything went perfectly. The exhaust bolts were the hardest part I was changing my whole exhaust out so I decided to go for it. I would recommend some 12 ton jack stands to get it nice and high.
 
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chad said:
Thanks for this writing this one up. I followed your instructions and everything went perfectly. The exhaust bolts were the hardest part I was changing my whole exhaust out so I decided to go for it. I would recommend some 12 ton jack stands to get it nice and high.
Click to expand...
I agree with the exhaust bolts being a huge pain as I couldn't get my arm to contort to the different angles and was tired of the bolt hitting falling onto my forehead after a couple hours. I went to a shop just for the bolts and I had them double check my torque since they had her up high and had better angles to work with.
 
Mik said:
I agree with the exhaust bolts being a huge pain as I couldn't get my arm to contort to the different angles and was tired of the bolt hitting falling onto my forehead after a couple hours. I went to a shop just for the bolts and I had them double check my torque since they had her up high and had better angles to work with.
Click to expand...
I used a bunch of 3/8 drive Wobble head extensions and a cut off winch. The after market exhaust came in two pieces unlike the factory cats and it made it easier to hold up and start all the bolts. And I put anti-seize on them in case I even need to take it off again. I looked at other posts and I don’t see how someone could use a saws all to cut the old bolts. I’m like you a could barely get to it. Lucky my header bolts came out good.
 
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chad said:
I used a bunch of 3/8 drive Wobble head extensions and a cut off winch. The after market exhaust came in two pieces unlike the factory cats and it made it easier to hold up and start all the bolts. And I put anti-seize on them in case I even need to take it off again. I looked at other posts and I don’t see how someone could use a saws all to cut the old bolts. I’m like you a could barely get to it. Lucky my header bolts came out good.
Click to expand...
Nice...Mine was stock and angry with its age. I do not even think they would be considered bolts any more..more like metal shavings holding hands in fear.
 
Chris said:
View attachment 2557

When the time came for me to replace the leaky rear main seal on my TJ, I searched online for a decent write up. Some of them were ok, but none of them were good enough to really show the potential DIY to see what is really going down with the repair. Besides many were lacking crucial details, explanations and/or without pictures. I decided to bring something that is more than a write up with 5 pictures. You won't be disappointed with the amount of detail shown in this write up.

Anyhow, chances are, if you own 4.0L I6, you will have a rear main seal leaking on you. As shown in the picture above, the symptom is a engine oil leak between the engine and the transmission. This repair costs anywhere from $300 to $600 depending on where you get the repair done. Surprisingly, all the parts only cost around $50. Not saying it is easy to do, but this repair is not all that hard to do it yourself. With the this guide available in DDTJ, you will know exactly what you are getting yourself into as usual.

Tools and Parts Needed
Here are the pictures of the parts you will need to hunt down.

Anaerobic Gasket Maker (it cures when there is no oxygen.)
View attachment 2554

Rear Main Seal (2 pieces)
View attachment 2555

Oil Pan Gasket (Click on the image to see the part number.)
View attachment 2556

Some instruction that were included in the oil pan seal and the rear main seal.
View attachment 2559

View attachment 2558

Job Hours
Takes about 2-6 hours.


Procedure
1. Remove the oxygen sensor from the down pipe. Remove the bolts and nuts holding the down pipe to the header. You will have to move the pipe around so that you can lower the oil pan later.
View attachment 2561

2. Drain the engine oil. I have SureDrain by Fram installed on the oil pan.
View attachment 2560

3. Chrysler used different sized bolts to hold the oil pan to the engine block. I think they used 1/2 inch and another size. I took several pictures of the bolts and where they are located so I don't I have to remember them where they go back. Here they are, for your reference. Start removing them and put them in a safe place.
View attachment 2562View attachment 2563View attachment 2564View attachment 2565View attachment 2566View attachment 2567

4. Once the oil pan is out of the Jeep, this is what it looks like. Your engine may look different with less brown. My Jeep is 10 years old, JFYI.
View attachment 2568

5. Remove the main bearing cap brace by removing 12 bolts. This is the long stick shown in the following picture.
View attachment 2569

6. With the main bearing cap brace removed, remove the rear main bearing cap.
View attachment 2570View attachment 2571

You will have to wiggle the cap loose front to back, not side to side.
View attachment 2572View attachment 2573

7. Remove the top half of the seal by driving it out of the block. Use extreme caution not to score/dent/scratch anywhere. One small nick or scratch can cause leak and is no longer repairable. As you remove the seal, note the orientation of the seal. The seal is opening towards the front of the vehicle.
View attachment 2574View attachment 2575View attachment 2576

Here is what they look like removed from the engine. The top half and the bottom half is shown here.
View attachment 2577View attachment 2578

Notice how the old seal has lost its shape. *Blue residue shown on the new seal is wheel bearing grease.
View attachment 2579

8. Start cleaning the mating surfaces. Make sure things are cleaned down to the metal without removing any metal. I used old tooth brush with a lot of elbow grease. Make sure there is no oily residue left. This is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL for the success of this repair. One little residue of old sealant will cause leak. Oiled surface does not allow the adhesive to adhere properly. I used a paint prepping agent to clean the surface. Pay particular attention to the areas indicated by the arrow.

Before
View attachment 2580View attachment 2583

After
View attachment 2584View attachment 2585

While you are cleaning the bearing cap, if the bearing falls out of the cap, put it back on the cap with a bit of grease to go between the two pieces. It only goes in one direction.
View attachment 2582View attachment 2581View attachment 2586

Clean the engine block where the bearing cap mates against free of any residue whatsoever! This cannot be stressed enough! Clean ANY mating surface ABSOLUTELY free of any old sealant and any type of residue!! Remember you have to do this WITHOUT damaging/scoring the metal!
View attachment 2587

This is a picture of two pieces of paper towels. Left one is used to absorb the oil from the bottom of the oil pan. The one on the right is virgin oil. There was considerable amount of solid stuck on the bottom of the oil pan.
View attachment 2588

9. Start cleaning the oil pan. Remove the old gasket and clean the mating surface with mild wire wheel. I cleaned the surface with paint prepping agent once again. this gets rid of any oil residues left behind.
View attachment 2589

Here is how they should look after you are done cleaning.
View attachment 2590View attachment 2591

10. Install the upper half of the seal after lubing with some engine oil. DO NOT PUT ANY SEALANT ON THIS SEAL! With the seal's lip opening towards the front of the vehicle.

*Here is one crucial detail that every online write up fails to emphasize. As you push in the upper half of the seal, if you do not follow (as you push the seal) the circle channel carefully, you will cut the seal and this will guarantee the rear main seal to leak again.
View attachment 2593

So how do you install the upper seal without cutting it up? Fel-Pro included this nifty thin plastic that you wedge between the channel and the seal to keep it from getting cut. *I saw the same seal kit that included this plastic piece, and some did not. Your mileage may vary.
View attachment 2592View attachment 2594View attachment 2595View attachment 2596

Notice the orientation of the seal where the mouth of the seal opens toward the front of the vehicle. Once seal is in place, simply pull the plastic out.
View attachment 2597

11. Start applying Chrysler Anaerobic Sealant or Loctite 518 on the rear main bearing cap mating surfaces as shown in the following picture. You DO NOT NEED MUCH. It is CRUCIALthat you DO NOT get any of this sealant on the lip of the seal! Make sure you compensate for the spread of the sealant once it is jammed between the surfaces. Put some engine oil on the bearing!!
View attachment 2598View attachment 2599View attachment 2600

*Anaerobic Sealant starts curing after when it is isolated from the atmosphere unlike most RTVs. Some may say they got away with using RTV. They got away. I am not sure if you will. I also noticed the anaerobic sealer had different viscosity compare to the red RTV that I used on the oil pan gasket. BTW it is the factory service manual that is calling for this Loctite 518 or equivalent. There is no Loctite 518 available in the local part store which is the anaerobic sealant. You will have to get this sealant from the dealer.

12. Install the main bearing cap and torque the bolts to 80ft.lbs.
View attachment 2601

13. Install the bearing brace and torque the bolts to 35ft.lbs.
View attachment 2602

14. Place the oil pan gasket on the pan. I used RTV on the crucial area at the front of the block and where the rear bearing cap. I can use RTV here, because this is to seal something that is not moving against anything. Notice that I used RTV on both the top and the bottom of the oil pan gasket. *MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THE MATING SURFACE OF THE ENGINE BLOCK FREE OF ANY SEALANT AND OILY RESIDUE! I used paint prepping solvent to clean the surface.
View attachment 2603View attachment 2604View attachment 2605View attachment 2606View attachment 2607

15. Install the oil pan but while doing so make sure the rear main bearing cap's groove lines up with the oil pan gasket. Also pay particular attention to gasket on the front of the engine. It has built in grooves that has to sit just right. Tighten all the bolts and nuts to 12ft.lbs.
View attachment 2608

16. Install the down pipe back on the header and install the oxygen sensor back on the down pipe and JUST hand tight it down. It just needs to be on there tight enough so it won't fall back out on its own.
View attachment 2609

17. Replace the oil filter and put in 5qt of oil and watch the dip stick to top off. *I learned my jeep even tough it was almost bone dry (which I left it to drain for two days while I was working on the rear end.) it did not take the full 6qts. More like 5 and 1/2 qts total to have it read "Full" on the dip stick.
View attachment 2610View attachment 2611

18. Enjoy leak free engine! No more oil spots on the driveway! Pat yourself on the back, you saved a few hundred dollars!
Click to expand...
Excellent write up Chris!
I am about to replace my seal here in a couple of weeks after 104,000 miles. This is the best write up I have seen.
Thanks
Jim
 
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Has anyone seen this metal dowel on a main bearing cap? Seems to be integrated with the seal?

7F365DC9-8C95-4778-806D-52891E54D10A.jpeg
 
Chris, one thing I noticed, you do NOT put any grease between the bearing and cap, only between the bearing and crank...you can spin a bearing because it will not torque down correctly. Tim

"While you are cleaning the bearing cap, if the bearing falls out of the cap, put it back on the cap with a bit of grease to go between the two pieces. It only goes in one direction."
 
Phil951 said:
Has anyone seen this metal dowel on a main bearing cap? Seems to be integrated with the seal?

View attachment 78932
Click to expand...
Another trick on this style of seal, use some red/orange RTV, put in a bead along the horizontal piece then use a pipe cleaner cut to length, stick it in the RTV making sure it is completely covered...pipe cleaners come with Mopar big block instead of side seals now...also you can use a large syringe to put in the RTV. I have dont lots of rear mains, I prefer rope seals...they seem to not leak as bad as the 2 piece ones. also just a dab of RTV on the seal ends can help with sealing the ends also...Tim
 
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