rear main seal

[WAGONNERD]

This is my first time here so be gentle.
My 77 Wag is leaking like the Valdez, I replaced the oil pan gasket and that still didnt work. I think its the rear main seal.
Do you have to pull the engine or any thing major to relace it? I would appreciate any advice.

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[cywagoneer]

I have replaced my seal within the last few months and found a lot of help from other members of this forum. There is an excellent write up in the tech section provided by Joe Schaefer. It isn't a difficult process and should take care of the leak you have described. The biggest problem I encountered was wrestling with the oil pan to get it out. If you have any problems just hop online, this is the greatest place to get your questions answered. Good luck.

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Stock '86 Grand Wagoneer.

[JeepFreak]

You will need to have a torque wrench to do this because you will need to drop the rear main bearing cap to get to the seal. The seal is a two piece rope seal and if not done right will leak even worse. You will have to be careful when taping out the top part of the seal. Sometimes they are tough to get out. This is something I would not recommend doing outside in the wind or on anything other than cement. Since you have to drop the rear main you want to be sure everything is clean. One hint I can give you is to use a small and I mean small bit of silicone(you dont want any silicone to get into the main bearing) where the two halves of the rope seal meet. This will ensure that the seal will not leak between the two. I think the main torques to 95-100 ft lbs but am not 100% sure.

Other than that it's really not that tough. No need to pull the engine.

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JeepFreak



[This message has been edited by JeepFreak (edited December 12, 2000).]

[bignblue]

Welcome to another Alabama FSJer!

[Gladi8r]

Wifey's GW is getting a new rear main seal soon. Talked to the guy that does my work and he said it is a "piece of cake"...we will see http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

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DON

1988 GW mostly stock, <---Wifey's truck (won't let me "fix it up")

1971 J-4000,Rhino Grille(to be installed)
360 CID 8.5/1 ratio 2v, 245 HP, 365 ft/lb
T-18A, Dana 20, PTO, DANA 44 (Front/Rear)
Soon to be torn down for Resto
71 Gladiator Pics (http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/gladi8r1971?d&.flabel=fld2&.src=bc)

78 GW (parts truck)
360 4v Th400
Dana 44 F/R
http://www.j-trucks.freeservers.com/
78 Wagoneer Pics (http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/gladi8r1971?d&.flabel=fld3&.src=bc)

[WAGONNERD]

thanks for the help. i got the info from the
tech section and if i can convince my neighbor to help i may try it this weekend.
if it works i can move on to another leak.

i want to lift it up a little,3" or so, after my leaks are fixed. my dad asked me if the reason i wanted to lift it was to put 55 gal. drum under it to catch all the leakage.

thanks

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[Coley]

Wagonnerd..Now that's a handle!

I woke up the other morning and the first thing that popped in my head was (think beavis and butthead voice) "Heh heh, I know a good nickname..The Grim Jeeper".

Oh yeah..good luck on the oil seal. I'll be doing that one myself in the not too distant future.


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360 727 NP229
Totally stock
"You're obsessed with that thing!"

[This message has been edited by Coley (edited December 13, 2000).]

[cywagoneer]

If you get frustrated at all while changing the seal just think of the money you are saving. I was quoted over $400 to have this done. It did it myself for around $30. The way I look at I saved enough to pay for half my lift. Ya just gotta keep things in perspective.

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Stock '86 Grand Wagoneer.

[This message has been edited by cywagoneer (edited December 13, 2000).]

[Shane]

Is the rear main in the 258 a two piece rope seal also?

Shane

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1982 J10 Model 25 Pioneer
My Daily driver since 1988
D44,258(.030" over),T5,NP208,AMC20

[andy d]

yes Shane, pretty sure it is. thats the traditional rear main seal. lotta newr engines use an O ring. these are a PITA cuz the flywheel hasta come off.

[Rande]

Did you get the rear seal done?

[fooska]

I have replaced the rear mains on both my 86 and 79. The seal is a two piece neoprene with a steel core. The rear main cap has to come off then the seal just pushes in around the crank. The hardest part is getting the pan off. It was much easier on the 79 than the 86-no track bar on the 79.

[WAGONNERD]

rande,
i didn't get to replace the rear main seal this weekend. we had tornado warnings on sat. and snow on sun. My neighbor also said he had to rearrange his sock drawer so he couldn't help. i'm hoping to get it done over the christmas holiday.i also need to replace my wheel cylinders on the back so it looks like its going to be a greasy holiday.

[OBX-AUTOMOTIVE]

OK...KO!! THIS IS THE LAST ONE!!!! :D

[lanierboy]

Let us know how it goes. I believe my '87 is leaking from the rear main and I plan to attempt changing it out in the near future. When I purchased the Rig, it came with a Hayne's book where the PO noted that he changed it in January '98 and then again in February '98. That's 4 1/2 years / 30k miles ago. Seems a little soon to me for it to need changing again. How long do these things usually last.

[joe]

Originally posted by Shane:
Is the rear main in the 258 a two piece rope seal also?It's not a rope seal Shane but it is a two piece and the proceedure is the same for all the 258/304/360/401 motors.
One thing that helps a lot is jacking the front end up and supporting the front with jack stands at the side frame rails. This allows the front axle to drop down giving you more room to wrestle with the oil pan.

[Hump]

You guys are cool for being helpful, but Gary was just bumping this topic for another member. Check the year it was originally posted. smile.gif

[orangecherokee]

i need to change mine soon. my 75 cherokee only has 52k original miles on it. i don't understand why these thingsgo out so quick is there an upgrade part that'll last a little longer or am i just wishing...