Oil leak from the front of JTR

[Chunky White]

All things considered, that is not that bad of a job to have done. Pretty simple

I am being quoted $606 for a $26 part. My buddy is trying to talk me into fixing it at his house if we are snowed out of work tomorrow and I can intercept the seal which is coming from a neighboring town

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[Hootbro]

I am being quoted $606 for a $26 part. My buddy is trying to talk me into fixing it at his house if we are snowed out of work tomorrow and I can intercept the seal which is coming from a neighboring town

I would take your buddy up on it. Really just need a harmonic balance puller, something to pry out the seal and a socket for impromptu seal driver.

Plenty of YouTubes videos on changing crank seals to get vibe on what it takes.

Edit: I would also add, the leak is not that severe that it immediately has to be done and can just be monitored and done at a later date of your convenience.

 

[obrianmcc]

Id also grab a torque bar and check (in reverse) to see at
what poundage the bar shows when the filter cap loosens. The tech should have tightened it to 18lbs.

I'm not sure that will be accurate ... the stiction of the O-ring I think would skew that number (IDK)

 

[Chunky White]

I'm not sure that will be accurate ... the stiction of the O-ring I think would skew that number (IDK)

I usually just back the bolt or whatever off and re-torque. I spent 8 hours torquing bolt and electrical breaker screws last friday

 

[Jtschnel]

Has anyone else found a leak from the front of their Gladiator? I started noticing it right after the last oil change and it looks like its coming from the front of the engine because I can see oil around the front of the pan and on the front differential

I wonder if the oil fliter gasket isn't bad since its located near the front but cannot really tell and just figured out it was my vehicle leaking. The dip stick still shows oil on it but I cannot tell exactly how much

With no warranty I guess i will diagnose on my own LOL

I will see if the dealer is open tomorrow and see if they will look at it since they changed the oil and there was no issues before hand. I just discovered the thread talking about broken filter housings

I had a similar issue after dealer did an oil change on our 2020 JTR. Found oil spots on the garage floor. They took it back in and checked. It ended up that when the technician was removing the filter oil dripped on cross member but he never wiped if off. They wiped it down, no more issues.

 

[OHJeeper]

Mine was the crankshaft seal. Replaced under warranty just before Christmas.

Crankshaft seal is another (maybe more common) name for the harmonic balancer seal I mentioned in my post earlier.

 

[OHJeeper]

The dealer said crankshaft seal

Bingo!

 

[OHJeeper]

I would take your buddy up on it. Really just need a harmonic balance puller, something to pry out the seal and a socket for impromptu seal driver.

Plenty of YouTubes videos on changing crank seals to get vibe on what it takes.

Edit: I would also add, the leak is not that severe that it immediately has to be done and can just be monitored and done at a later date of your convenience.

Agreed on the last part. I've had older jeeps run with this leak for months - just add a little oil every week or two if you can't get to it.

On the DIY part - I'll give two cautions here. First is putting in the new seal. Seems easy - use appropriate diameter socket and use rubber mallet, etc, to "press" the seal in. If you don't get this 100% right, it will leak again and possibly worse. With the limited room between the radiator/fan and the pulley, it can be tricky. Of course, MOPAR makes a special tool for this, looks kind of like a ball joint press but with an inner/outer sleeve and it's like $1000, which is completely ridiculous.

Also, use some caution putting the pulley back in - do NOT use the flange screw to do this, pulling against the threads. Use a proper tool or you'll strip the inside of the crankshaft threads and then you're out a lot more than $600. You could DIY your own (which I do) using a M16x1.50 bolt with sufficient strength and length (like 100mm or more and a 10.9 grade) with a threaded rod coupler or big hex nut.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm not sure that will be accurate ... the stiction of the O-ring I think would skew that number (IDK)

It won't be. Reverse is almost always different as you have to overcome the grip.
Even regular bolts are tough to check that way. When there's a seal involved, it's worse.

Agreed on the last part. I've had older jeeps run with this leak for months - just add a little oil every week or two if you can't get to it.

On the DIY part - I'll give two cautions here. First is putting in the new seal. Seems easy - use appropriate diameter socket and use rubber mallet, etc, to "press" the seal in. If you don't get this 100% right, it will leak again and possibly worse. With the limited room between the radiator/fan and the pulley, it can be tricky. Of course, MOPAR makes a special tool for this, looks kind of like a ball joint press but with an inner/outer sleeve and it's like $1000, which is completely ridiculous.

Also, use some caution putting the pulley back in - do NOT use the flange screw to do this, pulling against the threads. Use a proper tool or you'll strip the inside of the crankshaft threads and then you're out a lot more than $600. You could DIY your own (which I do) using a M16x1.50 bolt with sufficient strength and length (like 100mm or more and a 10.9 grade) with a threaded rod coupler or big hex nut.

I'd go to a place like O'Reilly's and "rent" one. It's free if you return it intact.
The problem with using the same bolt to pull one on is that you are only gripping the outermost threads, not a lot of strength with only a few threads.

 

[Charles 236]

Forget the harmonic damper puller, on the Pentastar engines the damper is not a press fit. There is a keyway that lines up the damper to the crankshaft, and the damper is retained by the damper bolt. Once the bolt is removed (and of course the serpentine belt), the damper will slide off.

 

[Minty JL]

The dealer said crankshaft seal

Nailed it aka I called it!

 

[Minty JL]

I am being quoted $606 for a $26 part. My buddy is trying to talk me into fixing it at his house if we are snowed out of work tomorrow and I can intercept the seal which is coming from a neighboring town

Its called labor cost, parts marge and shop supplies. If you have never been a tech, worked in a shop, managed a shop or owned one.......yeah the sticker shock will get you w/o knowing the ins & outs.

Yup, you can DIY or have a buddy do it.......but is there a warranty when it shits the bed if done wrong?

 

[Chunky White]

Its called labor cost, parts marge and shop supplies. If you have never been a tech, worked in a shop, managed a shop or owned one.......yeah the sticker shock will get you w/o knowing the ins & outs.

Yup, you can DIY or have a buddy do it.......but is there a warranty when it shits the bed if done wrong?

yeah I am sure we could do it but I would only have myself to complain to if we messed up. The gladiator is out of warranty but I am sure they will back their work

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Forget the harmonic damper puller, on the Pentastar engines the damper is not a press fit. There is a keyway that lines up the damper to the crankshaft, and the damper is retained by the damper bolt. Once the bolt is removed (and of course the serpentine belt), the damper will slide off.

Interesting.
Others are located (for proper balance) by a key in the crank's nose and are also retained by a bolt and heavy washer with decent torque to secure it - but are a mild press fit as well.
Would be interesting to know the "why" of the differences. Maybe less weight on the balance of these?
The balancer for a typical SBC, like a 350 is something like 9 or 10 pounds (unless you are talking a racing balancer)

 

[Chunky White]

I didn't really look at the issue more today because I decided to go hit a snow covered local trail and rescued a TRD Pro Tacoma

I will most likely just let the dealer fix it so I don't mess up my daily driver worse

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