I was supposed to leave Michigan this morning for a 2 month trip to FLA. I have a 1997 Xplorer 230XL, a 20' Class B on a dodge ram van 3500 chassis. I had noticed a small oil spot under my engine & took it to my nearby dodge dealer who has worked on it for over a decade. I have spent $2500 on repairs this past year there. (I plan on keeping it for another 15-20 years & take immaculate care of it). The service manager said it was a small leak at the engine's rear main seal. He then told me he had talked to the dealer owner and they would no longer do any big engine work on my vehicle due to it's age and mileage, a 1997 with 180,000 miles. I was shocked. If it's every needed I'm willing to put in a new engine. A few years ago they quoted a price for that. Now he said they would not do that work either. He said they would do small repairs that do not require taking the engine apart or other heavy work. They said it could open a can of worms showing other costly work to be done. I said I would pay for all repairs.I plan on taking it to another local shop this morning to see if they will do the job. They have a good rep, but do not know if my 9' height will allow them to work on it. I have a 2nd place I could take it for an estimate.Does anyone know if this is a big deal or could I still take my 2 month, 4000 mile trip & just check the oil levels? I do not want to have to be broken down on this trip.

Seems modern business still wants our money, but they now want it only on their terms. "Customer is Always Right" has gone to new levels. Below Zero: "Customer has No Voice"Are you sure it's Engine Oil and not Transmission Fluid? Transmission Vent is in the Bellhousing area, not on top of the transmission like GM. We have a several-hundred page thread about these Dodges. I'd suggest you click "Notify Moderator" and ask to move it there. Failing that, edit Title to include "DODGE" so it triggers the Dodge Gurus to look.If somebody pulls the engine, have them replace the Transmission Front Seal as well. I cannot remember if these engines have a one- or two- piece rear seal. If it's Two Piece, the PAN probably has to come down. I also don't know if the Block you have (Big like a 440, Small like a 360) makes a difference. You might be able to tell by looking up Rear Seals on RockAut.com, where there are Pictures.In the meanwhile, I kinda like Plan B:steveh27 wrote:...still take my 2 month, 4000 mile trip & just check the oil levels?...

I had a car one time with a rear main seal leak. It poured out one quart of oil every 200-miles, but I had places to go. I made it fine...

Oil is cheap, get on the road and check every time you get fuel. I would try some type of Lucas product that says it will stop leaks....even for power steering.PS: The weather is great in Florida and it's going to get really cold again in MI, the NE, and TX.

If your dealer doesn't want your business any longer, it sure sounds to me like you'd be well served to find a repair shop that does. I suspect there are a number of independent shops around that would be quite happy to take care of you.In the mean time, I also would not hesitate to take the trip. It might be a classy gesture to stick something under the rig when at a campground to catch the drips, like a piece of cardboard perhaps.

I had an 2002 4 cyl front wheel drive car that left oil spots. It really didn't use that much oil so I wired a small pad of that oil absorbent material under the bell housing area and changed it every couple months. Probably drove it 60K miles like that. I didn't even jack it up, I just drove one tire up onto a curb. Of course we cant go this far with an on the road vehicle but I have seen more than one piece of slow moving industrial equipment with a sheet metal drip pan fastened under it.

Rear main seal leak | Good Sam Community

j-d
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2018
Seems modern business still wants our money, but they now want it only on their terms. "Customer is Always Right" has gone to new levels. Below Zero: "Customer has No Voice"

Are you sure it's Engine Oil and not Transmission Fluid? Transmission Vent is in the Bellhousing area, not on top of the transmission like GM.

We have a several-hundred page thread about these Dodges. I'd suggest you click "Notify Moderator" and ask to move it there. Failing that, edit Title to include "DODGE" so it triggers the Dodge Gurus to look.

If somebody pulls the engine, have them replace the Transmission Front Seal as well. I cannot remember if these engines have a one- or two- piece rear seal. If it's Two Piece, the PAN probably has to come down. I also don't know if the Block you have (Big like a 440, Small like a 360) makes a difference. You might be able to tell by looking up Rear Seals on RockAut.com, where there are Pictures.

In the meanwhile, I kinda like Plan B:

steveh27 wrote:
...still take my 2 month, 4000 mile trip & just check the oil levels?...
Gulfcoast
Explorer
Jan 30, 2018
I had a car one time with a rear main seal leak.

It poured out one quart of oil every 200-miles, but I had places to go.

I made it fine...
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jan 30, 2018
Oil is cheap, get on the road and check every time you get fuel. I would try some type of Lucas product that says it will stop leaks....even for power steering.
PS: The weather is great in Florida and it's going to get really cold again in MI, the NE, and TX.
DrewE
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2018
If your dealer doesn't want your business any longer, it sure sounds to me like you'd be well served to find a repair shop that does. I suspect there are a number of independent shops around that would be quite happy to take care of you.

In the mean time, I also would not hesitate to take the trip. It might be a classy gesture to stick something under the rig when at a campground to catch the drips, like a piece of cardboard perhaps.
azrving
Explorer
Jan 30, 2018
I had an 2002 4 cyl front wheel drive car that left oil spots. It really didn't use that much oil so I wired a small pad of that oil absorbent material under the bell housing area and changed it every couple months. Probably drove it 60K miles like that. I didn't even jack it up, I just drove one tire up onto a curb. Of course we cant go this far with an on the road vehicle but I have seen more than one piece of slow moving industrial equipment with a sheet metal drip pan fastened under it.
MFL
Nomad II
Jan 30, 2018
A rear main seal leak is quite common on an older engine. It can take quite a while to leak a quart of oil. I'd take your trip, and then shop around for a quality repair at your convenience.

Jerry
j-d
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2018
Hey OP... I posted above from the perspective of having owned a 1971 B30 (one ton window van long wheelbase not maxi) for 21 years. Replaced 318 engine with 360, changed transmission and timing set a few times...

Oil... Owner's manual offered several Oil Choices. I think the main ones
were 10W-30 and single weights according to a temperature scale. Towing our boat, I found less oil loss with 30 HD oil. Even tried 20-50 Castrol (to inventory less oil types for our home "fleet") and the 30 worked best. I know you probably don't want to run straight 30 on the Michigan end of a winter trip...
steveh27
Explorer
Jan 30, 2018
The oil drip seems to land on the hot exhaust pipe from the engine. I worry about the fire potential. I had small leaks from other seals that never dripped on the ground & didn't need to add oil until early last year when I had them replace those seals. But this small leak does hit the ground after the hot pipe.

Leaving now for the next shop. Thanks for the input.
John_Burke
Explorer
Jan 30, 2018
Check your PCV valve to see if it is stuck closed or if it is weak (just replace it). Closed PCV will let pressure build up in the crankcase and push oil/blow-by out the weakest and lowest point. The rear main. First thing to do is replace the valve. Spend maybe 5-10 dollars and maybe problem goes away.
BFL13
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2018
I have a 1996 car with that. To fix it would cost more than the car itself is worth. However there is a bottle of "rear main seal" stuff you can put in and it actually works. ( Not a phony product like some of those) A bottle of that and just add oil every so often (not often now) and you are good to go. Helps with small leaks in other places in the engine too.