Symptoms
Oil on the driver's side of the block, drips from the pan or bellhousing, burning smell from the exhaust manifold.
The fix, step by step
- Clean the engine and drive it to find the source.
- The oil filter adapter has two O-rings: remove the filter and adapter, fit new O-rings and refit.
- Replace the valve cover gasket if oil is seeping from the cover.
- For the oil pan or rear main seal you'll need to drop the pan, which takes room under the front of the truck, and OffroadXtreme warns the rear main can be a multi-day job.
Tools & part numbers
- Sockets and extensions
- torque wrench
- gasket scraper
- RTV
- seal pick
- floor jack and stands
Where to buy the parts
Crown 4720363 oil filter adapter O-ring kit, 4.0 (XJ/ZJ)Quadratec ↗Amazon ↗
Crown engine oil pan kit, 1994–1998 ZJQuadratec ↗Amazon ↗
Engine oil seals for 1993–1998 Grand Cherokee ZJQuadratec ↗Amazon ↗
Engine gaskets & hardware for 1993–1998 Grand Cherokee ZJQuadratec ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.