Rear main seal... Aargh!

00TJGURL15

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Joined
May 19, 2015
Location
NC
Alright peeps, I know it's been a bit, but I'm back with tons of questions! I'm dumping oil all over the place, and was thinking it was just the lower pan gasket needing replaced. My TJ is 15 years old after all. Then I got to reading forums, and was told to go ahead and replace the RMS while I'm there. My 2.5 does not have a two piece RMS, according to all the part stores, it's a one piece. To do this I'm told I will have to drop my transmission as well. The problem lies with the fact that I'm a novice mechanically, with novice tools. Is there a way to not have this turned into a week long project?! No forum I've been to has anything on the 2.5, just the 4.0 which has two pieces. Thanks for the help!
 
You'll need to disconnect the front shafts, disconnect shift linkage, pull the trans, remove the clutch and flywheel, and then it should be the same as any other 1 piece rear main seal. Or you can pull the engine instead and leave the drivetrain intact.
Either way, it's going to be a stretch if you only have very basic tools. You need to beg/borrow/rent an engine hoist, or have something to (safely) lower the transmission out from under it depending on which way to go. Being a 2.5L, it's relatively small and easier to remove than a 4.0, which is good. It's still a decent amount of work to disconnect everything important and remove the engine, so the choice of which way to go is yours to make alone...

I'm sure you've already checked to see where the leak is, so you're not chasing something like a leaking sending unit (or pressure switch, or whatever) or a loose oil filter? Always check the easy things first.. When you say "dumping oil all over the place", there's a pretty short list of things it could be unless you've had a catastrophic seal failure. That's why I really suggest looking at the oil filter before starting to tear things apart.

There's also the front seal at the harmonic balancer, which is also a possible culprit for leaks and should probably also be replaced at the same time. That's usually a pretty easy thing to replace with a decent (and still cheap!) seal puller tool.
 
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I've done such and have some confidence is my ability. But, I think it would take me at least a few days.

Then you'll have to think about new clutch you know while your in there.
 
It could be done easily in one day with a transmission jack. I would replace the clutch too while you have it apart.
 
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