How To Fix a Rear Main Seal and Oil Pan Gasket Leak

In this video I'll show you how to replace a leaky rear main seal and oil pan gasket in a Jeep Cherokee, but this procedure is applicable to many different vehicles. Jeep 4.0 engines are notorious for leaky rear main seals due in part to the two-piece design. With help from this video you can put an end to that giant oil spot in your driveway and keep the underside of your vehicle cleaner! Oh yeah... And don't forget to replace your engine oil once everything is back together! - Tim

*This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. For off-road use only. Slippery when wet. Batteries not included. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle, heavy equipment, cherokee XJ, wrangler TJ, wrangler JK, or any Jeep vehicle, especially the newer Fiat ones. How-to videos may be too intense for some viewers and children under 30 years of age. Please remain seated until the 4x4 ride has come to a complete stop. Studies have shown viewing these videos causes increased cancer risks in laboratory test people. I am not a professional, I have no training, I'm not even particularly good at horse whispering. Don't believe everything that you know. Please keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. Do not tap on glass. Do not eat anything that has been on the floor for more than 3 days. Keep your hands to yourself. Not to be taken internally. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Driver does not carry cash. Objects in Bleepinjeep mirrors may be farther than they appear.*

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[joshuaevensen]

Total jeep noob, love this channel. Got this done today, first time i did a relatively major project on a vehicle, far easiser than i expected it to be, just spent like 30 minutes lightly tapping the upper seal with a punch to make sure i didnt scratch anything. This video was extremely helpful. Yall are awesome.

[SteveHair]

I just did my own oil pan gasket and rear main seal. To get the oil pan out with the axle still attached, you have to:
1. Remove the starter
2. Undo all your bolts
3. Jack up the front of the vehicle (or let it hang) so that the suspension is at full droop
4. Remove the oil pickup (two bolts)
Then the oil pan should come out under the transmission pretty easily.

If you coat the outer surface of the upper seal with dish soap and the inside surface with engine oil, you can push the seal in entirely by hand and you don't have to worry about damaging the seal by hammering it in.

Also, the Haynes manual uses RTV much more sparingly and specifically warns against using RTV on the top of the bearing cap. I suppose that it's more of a personal preference how much scraping that you want to do the next time that you have to do this job (hopefully never).

[Jarod]

Can I thumbs up this video 10 million times?
Many thanks Tim. I'm on my umpteenth 4.0L (literally lost count) and I've been lucky enough to never have had a rear main leak and need replacement.
This video shows me that it's very much a DIY job unlike what countless people say.
Again, 10 million thumbs up to this. It was awesome. 👍

[kenforehand]

GREAT video! Not looking forward to this project, but can't afford to pay someone else to do it. Feeling much more confident now! Thanks for taking the time to document the whole process.

[ericvansplinter]

Thanks for the info Tim, I would like to add something that i just discovered replacing my seal. Included in the Fel-Pro kit is a small piece of white plastic kind of shaped like a Popsicle. It is referred to as a shoe-horn. By inserting the small end into the opening for the upper seal section you protect the seal from damage. It only took me 2 seals to figure this out. My Haynes manual also said to use soap to aid in sliding it in. That was a charm! i was able to push it in with my fingers!

Over all a great video to cover the basics. I dropped my front end before i started and pulled the starter and the shield on the transmission(couldn't get socket in there with it in). I am replacing shocks anyway so it wasn't a stretch to drop it down, just wish I would have jacked it up higher to start! With the axle hanging I have to exhale deep to get under it!!!!

[maskedmotorsdiy]

The innocent wrenching timeline: "Hey I'll just spend a few minutes under the hood and change the air filter." Two days later: "Axle removed, oil pan next."

[sheridanrambo]

I recently purchased a cheap heep from a friend of mine just to get into XJ's with my niece.... had a leaky RMS... followed this vid's instructions and everything worked out just great.... I have a short arm kit with 6" springs and nothing was required to be removed in order to remove and install the oil pan.... Thanx Bleepin Jeep... quality vid's, good info, great style, and sometimes even some comedy... .. P.S: if your doing this job soon, make sure to check your oil filter adapter as it can leak enough to make a guy think he has a bad RMS.... I know from experience ;)

[ericparisien]

Just finished this job on my YJ 1995, I would never have attempted this without your video and another good one I found on You Tube, my next projects power steering pump replacement, possibly steering gear box, and the one that scares me the most axle seal leaking on the driver side. Thanks a lot!!!

[stevehill]

This is by far the best vid on YouTube on this job...Also very helpful if you are just changing an oil pan and/or pan gasket. (like the pan I bashed in on my '06 LJ) By all means, remove the exhaust from the manifold and remove the starter right at the git-go. It will simply make things easier. I highly recommend trying to get your manifold to exhaust bolts out first.. Maybe even as a separate job, just so you can be sure they can be separated without destructive means. It would suck to get everything drained and ready to go just to find out you can't get the exhaust out of the way. Removing the front axle is not absolutely necessary, but hey: Knock yourself out. Putting the vehicle up on jack stands (somewhere other than under the axle) will let the axle drop a bit and give a bit more working room. Big thumbs up for the FelPro gasket and snap-ups, too. I highly recommend.

[MrRubberduck]

This saved my rear when my wife had a Jeep with the 4.0. In fact, this whole channel saved my rear with that Jeep. A buddy and I were tell about 1 in the morning trying to do this job. But it got done and never had another issue. I kinda miss that Jeep.

[mikep]

My 88 xj was a bear to get the oil pan off !! It was no joy to get the pan gasket off either !! Somewhere I saw a guy rip his pan out with a chain tied to a 2nd vehicle !! Crazy !! I ended up needing rod bearings. The mains were good. Used the Felpro oil pan gasket. Loved the studs that come with it that holds the gasket and the pan into position so my hands were free !! Pricey at $25, but worth it and some report reusable too !!! Thanks so much Bleepinjeep for your helpful videos. They make all of the difference in getting my 2 recently purchased beaters, back on the trails !!!

[emmakoehler]

This is the best video showing repair of the rear main seal and oil pan gasket. Focused on the task at hand, clear and professional presentation. Thank you.

[SuperDufus]

Your videos keep improving. From camera angles to editing to instructional voice over and narration, all are very well accomplished.
I have never done a rear main seal but should the need ever arise, I now know not to be intimidated by the task.
Thanks again to everyone who had anything to do with the production. And please keep these great "How To" videos coming.

[armandopaz]

Update: Rocked this job out using this video as a guide and it was super helpful. Did it with the axle in. Thanks again. I know this was done (looks at the date), dang 6 years ago in 4 days, but great video. I'm looking at tackling this job in the very near future and a bit hesitant. But in truth everyone @BleepinJeep has taught me a lot over the years with my 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0. Kept it on the road for at least the 17 years I've had it. You guys haven't done me wrong. This'll be the bigger of jobs I've done, so we'll see how it goes. What I am looking at is those jack stands @5:24. Those are sweet. How did you guys get the Jeep up that high? I've still got all stock on my mine so I don't have a head start with a lift or anything. Great work!

[SunShine-wcuj]

Video was clear, not shaking, well lit and good comments throughout. Well done... enjoyed it.

[thomasfiel]

This video was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time to break everything down step-by-step. A lot of automotive videos tend to skip steps here and there, leaving out the visuals needed to take apart certain things out of the vehicle. I’m glad you took the time to show the whole process. Thank you!

[nickfoster]

4.2 is getting bad and other videos were garbage... Thanks for the quality and fantastic content. You hit it out the park n now I'm confident in my ability to knock this repair out.

[Ratchet]

Whenever i need something done on my jeep i always seem to find that you have a video for what ever it is. Thanks a lot! Rear main seal seems a bit more involved than i was hoping but thats okay. Gotta get it done!

[svendholme]

Excellent video, they were clear well framed and had good lighting. Also your commentary was to the point. I look forward to watching many more of your videos.

[nosjazz]

Great video, really appreciate your no nonsense approach. I used it as a guide to replace the seal and gasket on my 2000 Cherokee Sport in Feb. Unfortunately a sheet of black ice ended her life, but I was lucky enough to find her 2000 Classic twin and she needs the same maintenance. I am grateful for your video as a refresher.