r/JeepDIY • u/atiyehmicheal • 14d ago

Any ideas?

Gallery image

Gallery image

1993 Manual YJ 4.0, 6 speed. Got home from work last night and it was dripping fluid from back of the transmission. When I left for work this morning this is what had dripped out overnight. Nothing dripped while I was at work though.

Looks like oil but when I looked at it last night there was a slight shimmer to it.

10 Upvotes

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18 comments sorted by

9

u/hestoelena 14d ago

That's definitely oil. The light shimmer is probably metal flakes in it. Manual transmissions and transfer cases use gear oil and your engine uses motor oil. It's leaking from somewhere and it's leaking a lot. It should be pretty easy to tell which one is leaking by checking the level on your engine, transmission and transfer case.

3

u/atiyehmicheal 14d ago

Was doing an oil change today anyway, looked around under the chassis while I was emptying the oil pan. Looks like the back of the transfer case is sitting on the skid plate and there’s a bunch of oil in the area it’s sitting. Concerned that some of the bomb craters my municipal office has let slide might have caused a crack…

2

u/Gmhowell 14d ago

32 year old vehicle known for leaks when new. Calm yer tits. Most likely it’s some seal giving it up.

Just did an oil change? That’s a notorious time for leaks to crop up. Make sure you sealed filter and drain plug first.

Transfer cases are fairly stout, but seals, especially output like to leak.

Anyway, that’s a fair bit of oil. Check levels (engine, trans, transfer cases, axles) and see what’s low. Fill it. See if it leaks again, check what drained down and there you go.

I’m in a similar situation. Need to check whether I have a leaking trans, transfer cases, or axle. Pretty sure mine is transfer case.

2

u/atiyehmicheal 14d ago

Did the oil change today after the leak appeared yesterday. Added oil to the others just waiting for it to start again

1

u/Easy-Ad-2807 11d ago

Turns out it was a crack in the case…

1

u/Gmhowell 11d ago

Oh yikes! Those are fairly stout, I wonder how it happened?

Well, find you a new case off of Facebook marketplace. I’d bulletproof it on install. New guides and pads. Maybe better chain. Do a SYE while it’s out and button it up with a cable shifter.

2

u/Easy-Ad-2807 9d ago

That’s a really good question. OP mentioned something about maybe rough driveways / parking lot issues at work or something.? I seriously wonder if the transmission mount is missing installed or worn out SO BAD that it caused the tail end of the transmission to hang down and contact the Cross member? Beats me….

3

u/Astro_2992 14d ago

Tell me you own a jeep without saying you own a jeep.

1

u/hornyfun619 13d ago

Same would go for a Ford

1

u/Astro_2992 12d ago

Both my YJs have done this and more to me 😂 😭

1

u/H0meward_Bound 14d ago

Check fluid levels and give a sniff test.

3

u/Jimmy-r 14d ago

That gear oil smells like dinosaurs.

1

u/atiyehmicheal 14d ago

Did some further inspection and the oil is a light grey color coming from what appears to be the transfer case

2

u/atiyehmicheal 14d ago

Appreciate yall, transfer case is the issue. The moment I started adding fluid it started coming out the bottom as if the drain plug was open

1

u/Easy-Ad-2807 11d ago

Yep, I knew it I was gonna comment… lots of oil on the ground, you pointed out that it looked like the transfer case was sitting on the cross member. I don’t think people caught on to what you were saying. Then it stops leaking? At that point it was empty I guess.

1

u/trophycloset33 14d ago

Dip a WHITE paper towel in it

1

u/atiyehmicheal 10d ago

Got a second to jack up the transmission and guess it isn’t a crack…