Guess that noise

[Jonmz8]

Hey everyone so this thread I posted here is a little preamble to this (https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/new-jeep-owner-and-boy-do-i-need-help-😅.37975/#post-630937) thread, but in short I’m a new TJ owner and I’ve been having a number of issues and one of them is random noises. So, I took a few videos of these noises and a picture of a leak.

#1: Everytime I’m braking and turning a bit, Theres this weird rattling noise that happens. I took off the wheels and calipers and checked brakes, and they were perfect, so I’m unsure as to what this could be.
Link to Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xupDlUXQV_dKv1KYhYE16qMwwKQ4gL6B/view?usp=drivesdk

#2: Weird ticking/clanking noise coming from engine bay. This one comes and goes but it’s an ugly sound. You will be able to figure out which noise I’m talking about as it’s the only one that’s not constant.
Link to videos:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q-IQbs73ysOzifmc242TPsHQ2BwAb1hH/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jTruCsDa2o2R8qMxMphAat9Pp8cm1b-E/view?usp=drivesdk
#3: There is a leak that I’m not sure what exactly it is or where it’s coming from, in the picture you can kind of see the trail from where it starts to where it drips, any ideas?

Anything helps, thanks so much!!

 

[TJ Hunnicutt]

For #1, it seems to me to be connected to the steering. Are you pushing against far left lock in that vid? I assume you have checked the power steering fluid/level. BTW, do you have ABS brakes?
For #2, I know this is going to sound really "profound", but it sounds like something loose. My suggestion would be to get a "garden hose stethoscope" which is a 3 to 4 foot length of garden hose or similar tubing and use it to probe around. Hold one end to your ear while you move the other from place to place...the tubing will localize the sound so it will be more obvious when you move the end of the tube closer to the source.
For the leak, it looks like something found on a lot of TJ's and 99.9% of the time, can be attributed to one three things:
1) Valve cover gasket leak (replace valve cover gasket with Felpro). This is where oil leaks past the valve cover, runs along the side of the engine, down the back and onto the bell housing.
2) Oil pan gasket leak (replace oil pan gasket with Felpro). Pretty much the same...oil leaks past gasket, runs down bell housing.
3) Rear main seal leak (replace rear main seal). This one is a bit more of a pain but it's not too hard. It requires removing the oil pan so, unless you can see your current oil pan gasket is in good condition, it's worth replacing at the same time. There are several threads on replacing the RMS on this forum as well as tons of vids on YouTube.

 

[MangoTango]

If #3 is the rear main seal. I've been "lucky" enough to replace this 3 times. First time I used a cheap one that wore out within months, so for the second one I bought a Fel-Pro which I highly recommend. I accidentally nicked the edge while installing it and had to go get another one lol. 3rd one was a charm.

Drop the oil pan, remove the cross brace and very carefully (do not drop) remove the rear main bearing cap. Remember which bolt came out of which hole in the bearing cap (its important to install them in the same location). Using a punch gently tap out the upper half of the seal taking care not to score the sealing surface. Tap it out only enough to get a set of pliers on the protruding end to pull it the rest of the way out of the recess.

Clean the mating surfaces where the bearing cap mates up, sometimes there is residual black or red gasket maker on this surface. If you've ordered the Fel-Pro seal it will come with a white plastic strip called a shoehorn, use this to aid in installing the upper seal into the recess. Be very careful not to rip the seal on the sharp edges of the recess. Push the seal in as far as you can, you should start to feel some resistance about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way. You can take the punch and gently work the upper seal the rest of the way in the recess. Make sure it is pushed in evenly, there should be some protrusion on each end.

Take the lower bearing cap and remove the lower seal and any gasket maker that may be on there. Before you install the lower seal you may choose to apply a very thin (very very thin) amount of gasket maker in the recess where the lower seal sits, and on the ears of the lower seal. This is optional as some people swear by it and some don't. I personally chose to add the gasket maker and I don't have any leaks. The lower seal just presses in the recess of the bearing cap. Take care not to rip the seal on the sharp edges.

Before reinstalling, take a very clean lint free rag and wipe the bearing and the race to ensure no debris is on there that may damage your bearing. Apply a small amount of fresh oil on those two surfaces. Re-install the bearing cap gently working it back place. There is a lip on your crank shaft that needs to sit perfectly inside the bearing cap. Its especially important to make sure you have that cap seated properly or you may damage the bearing cap or your crank shaft. Reinstall both bearing cap bolts in the same location they were removed from.

Follow the Manufacture Torque specs found in the "FSM" on the Resource page in the forum.

I would also recommend using a Fel-Pro oil pan gasket. Fel-Pro makes top notch gaskets. I've replaced almost every gasket on my 4.0 with them and I have no leaks.

 

[Blanquito]

Wasn't there something about the flywheel bolts loosening up or some kind of flywheel shield or plate loosening up that made that kind of noise? I seem to remember something like discussed that a while back...?