rear main seal 2002 TJ Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

Solving the oil leak and mess caused by the infamous leaking Rear Main Seal on AMC/Jeep 4.0L engines. Pretty easy repair if you have the patience.

[@kjohns236]

This is one of the best instructional videos that I have seen so far! I know this is a older video and you have mentioned that the repair has held up. If you still have the jeep, how is it holding up?

[@jamesacker7343]

I watched several videos and replaced the rear main seal in my 2004 TJ 4.0 with a dab of rtv and now I have no oil leak. And it is also yellow.

[@chrisclark3503]

I get it man. Didn’t work out well, leaking a bit. Oh well, I’ll give it another shot in a couple weeks after my body recovers from being on the garage floor for MANY hours. 😂 Thanks for the response! 🤙

[@dumbotater2158]

The VERY BEST demo of how to install a main seal. Thank you for the great camera work and not-obnoxious background music.

[@BurntOilGarage]

Thank you for the kind words and generous compliment

[@dumbotater2158]

Ditto on the quality of the filming and the pleasant background music.

[@eddiesheeran5791]

Great video thank you! I did this entire job, fired up the engine for a test drive, and it still leaked from the back of the oil pan where the rear main seal is. I'm almost done doing it the second time (!!!). I think I forgot to dab some sealant in a few of the spots it specifies on the rear seal instructions. Doh! Fortunately this is literally the easiest rear main seal job I'm aware of (no trans removal, very easy oil pan removal). The starter does not have to be removed, and neither does any of the exhaust. All that's required is the front end be supported on a lift/jackstands so the front suspension can fully sag down, leaving just enough room to pull the oil pan out. I'm working on the 2WD model, not the 4WD like you have.

[@moejr14]

Did it leak the second time? Did you use the anerobic sauce?

[@eddiesheeran5791]

@@moejr14 Yes, still leaking just as bad as it was before I touched it. The transmission failed a few months ago, so the owner & I stopped caring. Jeeps are trash in my professional opinion. I would not buy one, new or old.

[@austinosborn4238]

I’m having a lot of trouble getting the upper part out. Any other tricks, or do I just keep going at it with the chopstick and hammer? Great video. Thank you.

[@BurntOilGarage]

Depending on how precise you are, a drift punch will do the trick. The risk is it slipping and damaging the sealing surfaces. In my case, it needed to break the seal and used a pick, gently inserted into the corners to free up the edges, then the chopstick was able to push it out. If using a metal drift punch, go with the smallest hammer you have available for better control. Doesn’t take much, usually one good tap to free it. Then you can either push it out with the stick or grab it and pull it out. Good luck!

[@sebastianpiccoli7909]

Hey mate, great job on the rms. How's the rms holding up so far? Any leaks?

[@BurntOilGarage]

Thanks for the comment! So far it’s holding up beautifully, not a drop of oil, dry as a bone. Knock on wood…

[@chrisclark3503]

Hey man....quick question. I just realized after installing my oil pan gasket on my 2000 TJ, I didn't push the oil pan gasket up into the grove in the back next to the rear main seal. Did I need to do that, or do you think the gasket seated properly when I tightened down the bolts? Make sense? Thanks for your time, and you did a great job with your video.

[@BurntOilGarage]

Well ideally the gasket should be set into the groove prior to clamping the parts together, but maybe it would find its way there on its own. Not really sure, that’s uncharted territory for me. Wish I had a better answer for you!

[@petielucero7609]

A hidden gem of a video for sure! Thanks will be doing mine soon!

[@BurntOilGarage]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@BrandonBigB956]

Did you throw a new oil pump in there while at it? At 190k now so going to drow pan and throw in a Melling High Volume pump, rear main seal and new oil pan gasket.

[@BurntOilGarage]

I did, but not a high volume pump. That creates too much pressure, especially for the rear main seal. The standard volume is perfect.

[@andrewbc4485]

Enjoyed the video, thanks for adding to the resources on this specific job. It seems silly but I've seen opinions in the comments on the music. I don't care what music is in the background as long as it's low volume, helps me pay attention. Thanks again!

[@BurntOilGarage]

Thank you for the feedback

[@TON_KROW]

I only watched it for the music, I love ukulele

[@foleydave26]

Did u use bearing grease on the bearing cap? Not sure what type of greas you used.

[@Seize_The_Karp]

interesting that you avoided putting the sealant on the seal mating surfaces. i could be remombering incorectly but i thought the fms said to apply it to the matting surfaces since its a 2 piece seal

[@BurntOilGarage]

Oddly enough the felpro instructions didn’t mention that. I suspect to prevent sealant from contaminating the crankshaft rotating surface. If I were to do it again I would probably use the Mahle seal

[@dans8357]

Great job 👍

[@michaelallen5505]

My seal wouldn't come out even tapping it with a thick piece of copper. So I loosened the bearing caps to drop the crank a little, worked out the seal, then retightened and torqued the cap bolts.

[@frujude3273]

Thanks very much my friend have removed wrangler sport gearbox 4 time just to replace the seal

[@nevadaboy9769]

Felpro says to offset that seal so that it is not flush at the block parting lines, i see everybody is doing it both ways so i guess ill flip a coin lol as long as it doesnt leak all is good!

[@BurntOilGarage]

Very interesting. I went over their instructions with a fine tooth comb, no mention of that. There was emphasis on deburring the edges, which I paid special attention to. I don’t think many else are though.

[@BurntOilGarage]

So after your comment, I went digging and found the guidance you mention from fel pro. It’s on their website under rear main seal installation instructions. Weird for them to provide guidance there but not with the seal itself. Especially since they had very specific instructions included with the seal kit. And to make it even weirder, the instructions that they were very intentional to emphasize on the packaging, they made no mention of on their website. Maybe the website is generic and the packing is more application specific? I have no idea, purely speculating. Good observation though.

[@Rubi747HVY]

You made it look easy!

[@BurntOilGarage]

Thanks, I appreciate that. I suppose I just took my time and wanted to show other people that if I can do it, so can you.

[@rickss69]

You did not offset the seal parting lines from the bearing half parting lines...it will leak again.

[@BurntOilGarage]

I’ve done it both ways successfully

[@partsmutt]

The Jeep factory service manual specifically says "Be sure the seal is flush with the cylinder block pan rail."

[@gbsiblings]

Did this and mine leaks worst now 😂 might have put it in the wrong way or damaged it putting it in so going to do it again this weekend

[@BurntOilGarage]

Oh no. Hope it works better the second attempt. Make sure the fat lip of the seal is facing the front of the engine. Also use the shoe horn to prevent damage. Some people use dish soap to install it, I used grease.

[@umbrasileironoexterior]

Hello what glue did you use?

[@BurntOilGarage]

www.permatex.com/products/gasketing/anaerobic-gasket-makers-sealants/permatex-anaerobic-gasket-maker-50-ml/

[@adampuente8224]

Do i have to really drop the tranny?

[@BurntOilGarage]

No absolutely not. I was doing a SYE kit at the same time so it made sense. The entire job can be done with the transmission installed.

[@pujo28]

Hey any advice on removing that plastic piece at the back of the oil pan ? Looks like it partially covers that rear 2 bolts on the oil pan. What does that plastic piece do? Thx in advance

[@BurntOilGarage]

It’s a strap that secures the back of the pan, it also has a rubber molded guard built onto it which doesn’t do a whole lot but does add some protection to the area/seal. I used 1/4 in drive sockets and extensions to get on those bolts as it’s a bit of a tight fit in there.

[@pujo28]

@@BurntOilGarage Thx for the extremely fast response. I’ll be doin this on mine sometime this year. Do u recommend off setting the seal like others mention?

[@BurntOilGarage]

@@pujo28 I’m not sure if that would make a difference. I have heard the Mahle seal is better than the felpro I used because of a better design. I don’t think it would be detrimental either way.

[@pujo28]

@@BurntOilGarage Thanks. I’ll look into that seal as well. Thx again for the fast response. Love keeping these Jeeps going

[@tangomikefoxtrot]

What’s the torque at the end

[@112.Adventures]

which torque?

[@octico]

Nice video, next time get rid of the music; it's very distracting.

[@BurntOilGarage]

Sorry it was distracting for you.

[@octico]

@@BurntOilGarage all good; just giving some honest feedback.

[@BurntOilGarage]

@@octico I appreciate that! I’ve learned a lot since my earlier videos

[@southerncoyote]

please say the torque spec

[@BurntOilGarage]

Which torque spec are you looking for exactly?

[@BarrelMH]

Obviously the main bearing cap torque

[@BurntOilGarage]

80ft lbs of torque for the main bearing caps

[@aaronwilson8327]

What kind of grease did you use to lube up the bearing? This is the first time I’ve done this extensive maintenance on a vehicle and not really sure. Can I use sta-plex premium red? Great videos on the TJ man! Very helpful. Also, would you recommend offsetting the seal like previous comment? How has yours held up?

[@BurntOilGarage]

Any grease would work to be honest. I used green grease. The red stuff is totally acceptable. Offsetting won’t hurt any. Mine has been fine. If I had to do it over I may try the Mahle seal instead as someone commented they seem better. But I’m doing ok with mine for now.

[@moparlover1968rr]

It’s going to leak in 6 months