New kid with a valve cover issue

[josh870]

Hello all! Just got my first car, a 2000 2door xj 4.0, and it has a small oil leak i think is from the valve cover gasket so i ordered a new one, when i started taking off the valve cover i noticed most of the metal caps that go over the grommets are not there, the last person who replaced it just cranked the bolts into the grommets (which are a pain in the butt to remove!! havent even gotten them all out yet) anyways, i cant find the parts online, not sure what they are called, could i get away with just a washer? anything is better then whats there.. thanks!

[Philxj4L]

Hi. First off, ya NEVER EVER call a Jeep a car ! :D :D :D
Yeah, ta could get out with washers as a stop gap. Have you tried the local breakers for a set ?
I'm sure some of the U.S. guys will be along soon, and I'm sure one will have the name or where to source some new. :)

[josh870]

my bad, should have said vehicular awesomeness. it turns out there was only a metal cap on one grommet :bang: so i ended up replacing all the bolts and using washers on all of them. cant really be any worse!

[bluedragon436]

my bad, should have said vehicular awesomeness. it turns out there was only a metal cap on one grommet :bang: so i ended up replacing all the bolts and using washers on all of them. cant really be any worse!

Yeah I was going to say you should be ok making use of washers as I imagine the metal cap is more there to spread out the compression when you tighten down the bolts... so you should be fine running washers... and definitely over not having anything there other then the bolt and bushings...

[josh870]

the washers seem fine, but the fun thing is, darn thing is still leaking! i can tell that its not coming from the valve cover now. its amazing! the valve cover was so badly installed and it still didnt leak! now i have to find the darn leak and fix it on a budget of 87 cents. any thoughts? i heard the rear main seal on some of these is two pieces and you dont have to drop the tranny? if that is the case a link to how to do it would be much appreciated, thanks

[4.3LXJ]

There is a couple of things I might add. First, was the place the valve cover bolts were at dimpled in? Many times they are whey the bolts are overtightened. They need to be hammered back out straight so the gasket will have enough pressure to seal properly. The other culprit in the back of the engine is the rear main seal. The third place to examine is the O rings on the oil filter adapter.

[denverd1]

Yup RMS can definitely be an issue if you have any miles ok it. RMS is right in line with you budget as well. Just takes a little time to do along with plenty of degreasing hand cleaner. Then the oil filter adapter. Right above the oil filter. I still need to do oil filter adapter on mine. GL with it.
RMS is easy, drop the oil pan after draining oil, remove main bearing cap to expose seal. Push old seal out of block. Put a bit of soap on new seal to lube it in. Place new seal on cap and torque down to spec. Reinstall pan and pan gasket. Fill with oil. Check for leaks. You can also inspect cylinder walls while you're in there.

[josh870]

it does have 200k on it so i guess it could be the RMS, i should probably replace the oil pan itself soon, its got a bit of rot