I have an 01 TJ with about 67k miles, I am starting to get a small drip of oil in my garage, it seems to be coming between the engine and transmisson, I am thinking it is the rear main seal. This morning I drove the jeep to work, around 15 miles, when I got there all I can smell is a burning oil smell, when I got out of the jeep. I guess my question is am I correct in thinking it is the rear main seal, and if so what is the fix and how much money would I be looking at to fix the problem?

I've had a little leak like that for 30k miles now, I keep meaning to get around to fixing it. Doesn't seem to affect much, only drips a little in my garage after a long run. Could be the rear main, hard to tell from your description, don't know if you are auto or manual, for one. If it is the rear main, it's expensive (if you take it to a shop) and involved (either way). That's the main reason I keep delaying my fix.

If you main seal is leaking - it will wip off and
land on the exhaust pipe and you will get the burned smell.

The main seal is a pain - if you are planning on
doing it - you will have a good solid weekend of
work to do - plan on putting a new oil pump in any
time the pan is off.

Monitor the engine and the transmission oil to make sure it is not from some other area. Some
leaks can come form way far away - you want to be sure it is the main seal and not a head gasket or a valve cover gasket. Clean the engine off ( cover any sensors so they remain
dry and clean) and do a general engine leek checkout.

Last time I did this the main seal was 28 the pan gasket was sixty nine - use the best ones you can buy - and the oil pump was 149 for a high pressure one.
Add oil, a filter, about get can of break cleaner so you can clean the oil pan - and that would be
the min.

The process requires you to jack the car up high and lower or remove most the front axle cross over arms. Air tools are nice for removing the pan bolts - have several types of sockets and extensions - because the pan is long and hard to work on. You will also have to take the starter motor off in most cases. Do not use air tools when putting the pan back on - you need to not strip any bolts.

I meant to say about TEN cans of brake cleaner...

There are cheap valve cover gaskets and there are good ones - The cheap gaskets cost a few bucks but do not last - and leak too much - the good stuff has the metal internal form - so the gasket can be stuck to the pan - and will maintain its form when it is put on the engine - the pan and the valve cover are long and unwieldy so you bump then into things when you do the install - and you have to have the gaskets in the right position or it was all for nothing - so get good ones and get GOOD gasket sealer and let the stuff get real tacky so the gasket sticks to the pan - the back end of the pan is real tricky - and having the jeep high up on a lift or on stands helps a lot.

I used to have a T-shirt that got covered in evil orange - from a oil pump replacement that I did ten years ago ... It never seems to go away.

You need a clean area to soak and clean the pan - and you really need to put a new high pressure oil pump in any time the pan is off and you have over fifty K on the engine.

I'm the kind of guy that never even blinked at doing my own gear changes and installing my Detroit Lockers, or ARBs. When I had trouble in the past with my 5 speeds, I just pulled them out and rebuilt them. Simple things like lift kits, Ujoints were just part of ownership.

But there are some things I honestly think may be best left to the dealerships. Seal replacements fit into that category.

From that, you do need to discover the source of the oil and where its burning. You do that by getting dirty. You take a drive, then crawl under the jeep and use your eyes and nose. Be aware that oil burning can be a fire hazard. If you can fabricate a shield or defector, you may be able to put off the work for a significant length of time. Just make sure your insurance is paid up.

If you decide to have someone do the work, shop around to the different dealers in your area. Some will charge so much that it'd be cheaper to buy a new jeep. Depending on the miles on the engine, it might be cheaper to find a good junkyard motor with low miles.

And I am a - my jeep has never seen a dealer - in ten years ...

That being said if you are a wencher it is still a long and difficult job if
you do not have the right tools or the time. The first time I did it I spent
the entire weekend at it and screwed the gasket seal at the back of the pan -
it was one of the old pan gaskets made of cork and it did not go in clean so
I had to do it two weekends later.

If you do the checks and clean the engine - MAKE SURE YOU COVER EVERY SENSOR
and keep them dry - the throttle body ones are prone to dieing from brake cleaner
or engine cleaner - and you do not want to make the problem worse.

Clean the engine and then run it for a few minutes 10-15 and then look for the leaks.

I had one all the way up front and it crawled all the way to the back of the engine and
looked like the main seal - but was just a small divot on the front lip...

Oil can leak from the valve cover gasket down the side of the engine - the back of the long
six cover is prone to do this - but be sure not to over torque the valve cover - most people
put way to much on the bolts and distort the cover - and it leaks more.

The head gasket can leak - you would clean the engine and then use light to see if oil is coming out form the gasket - would only take a run to warm up to see this most time.

The pan itself is prone to dings unless you have a shield and its big and long - the bolts
should not be over-tight or else you can bend the pan - I had an old Cherokee that leak
like a sieve - when I pulled the pan off I had to use body hammers to bang the divots in
the pan back so I could put the pan back on.

If you have over fifty K or have lowering oil pressure - you need to change the oil pump.
Get a Really good one from NAPA or some similar place - and be sure to clean the down
pipe and the pan religiously - otherwise the junk that was in there just floats around again.

The main seal is a weird two piece thing that requires you to use the new seal to push the
old half out - the most time consuming part is taking the oil pump out -if you are not on
a lift with most of the front end bar removed it is a pain.

The pan is big and unwieldy and if you are doing it in your garage without a lift you are
prone to banging the gasket in the back of the pan and not getting a clean seal.

I use high tack and almost glue the thing to the pan so it does not dislodge. It helps
to have another set of hands if you are doing it yourself.