F134 rear main questions....

Yes, the topic has been discussed in depth well over a million times,
but I think I have a new twist on the question.

My freshly redone F134 leaks some from the rear of the engine. My
suspicion is the rubber plugs in the rear bearing cap. The yahoo that
did the rebuilding really wasn't too good at following directions, so
I have every reason to believe that he didn't follow my instructions
regarding sealing the bearing cap with RTV like the good Doc advises.
Sadly, the only area of the Jeep that leaks is what I didn't do
myself. This pisses me off, so I'm looking to fix this.

My question is this...When I get into this to correct it, is it
necessary to replace the seal, or can I just drop the bearing cap and
replace the rubber plugs with Doc's RTV method without loosening the
crankshaft bearings?

Thanks,
Thad

 

You should be able to just pop off the rear cap without getting farther into it. When I swapped cranks in mine this summer I used the plugs that came with the Fel-pro gasket set. We used a grey sealant on them,don't remember the brand and put her back together. No leaks yet! As you'll have to get a lower gasket set when you pull the pan you should get new plugs with it. My concern with RTV is getting it clean and dry down in there as you've obviouly run it and are getting oil bypass. RTV don't like to stick if its not clean and dry. I'd hate to see you do it again!!! I remember reading somewhere to not cut the plugs off flush as they will protrude above the rail when you put them in. Mine stoud proud almost an inch so we did cut them appx 1/2 in shorter . Afraid of getting a leak around the pan as they wouldn' t compress enough when we dry-fitted the pan. HTH

 

You shouldn't necessarily have to replace the seal in the rear main bearing cap. If the rubber plugs were cut too short, or RTV sealant wasn't used at assembly' this would cause a leak. My rebuilding manual states that the plugs should be left about 1/4 '' long and RTV applied to both sides and the face of the cap.But as long as you have to go to the trouble anyway, why not replace the bearing cap seal ? Just a thought. (P.S., no you don't have to loosen any other main bearing caps to do this,and yes make sure the surfaces are oil free as possible before the RTV)