It was 70 to day and I drove my jeep for the first time this year.

I dont have a top for my M38a1 so it has been seating but today it was nice out and i drove it to town. When i went to back it in the shop i stoped moved some stuff and then backed it in. Thats when i saw the big oil slick it left were i first stoped. I am on my thrid rear main seal. I am to the point of giving up on it and geting starting my cj2a and seeing if i got it to stop leaking at the rear main and geting it up and runing for this summer.

 

You just started driving it now??? I've been driving it weekly around here (eastern WA) down around 5 degrees sometimes :tea: I have no top either and just bundled myself up and cranked up my factory firewall driver side heater.

 

Are you sure it is a rear main problem and not the tranny getting overfilled and leaking out the open style front bearing? also it could be simply not a rear main problem but instead a problem with too much internal pressure in the motor forcing the oil out the main seal which would not be the main seals fault, but a problem elsewhere.

 

This may sound silly to you at this point, is it motor oil or transmission lube that is on the floor?
You'll probably need to check the drops that are still hanging on the bottom of the Jeep and where they are, like is most of the oil around the bell housing bottom, then getting blown back to the skid plate?

 

It is motor oil. My other jeeps had this problem. One i fixed it the first time. My cj2a was rebuilt with o miles when i got it. It leaked i replaced it it leaked but i replaced it before i took the body of for some work and i think it stoped. I have never saw a manual trans leak out the input shaft for some reason. I have a rusted out cj7 with a hard top that i get my jeep fix in cold weather.

 

I had planed on driving my m38a1 alot this summer but i just put in a new clutch and dont want it oiled up. I know this is a problem on early jeeps. What should i do try agin?

 

there is a seal you can use for the rear main seal instead of that darn rope seal. i don't know what the part number is but it's way better. i think i got mine at napa. you really need a parts guy that knows how to look in the books instead of the puter.

 

I have tryed 2 of the Felpro gaskets that were neoprem. A buddy that works at a automotive machine shop said to use a rope seal it would be better if something was not just right which made cents after the rubber ones failed. But it leaks just as bad. I have used rope seals in older engines and had good luck Before.

 

i had problems in the past with the rope seal but, i wasn't used to how they are installed so it was installer error. i really need to check where mine is leaking. whether it's the rear main or trans. i don't drive it but 100 or so miles a year so it's not on the front burner now.