RMS leaking

[XPLORx4]

My Pathy's rear main seal has been leaking for a quite a while, but recently it's started to worsen, and I think it's time to be fixed. Does anyone know what is involved in replacing the seal? I know the tranny and engine have to be unmated and the oil pan dropped, but I'd like to know what steps are involved with this repair. I will probably be having a shop perform the repair.

 

I know that removal of the oil pan will require dropping the front diff. I will remove the front diff myself easily enough.

 

However, to remove the tranny, what has to be removed? Does the t-case need to be removed separately? T-case shifter linkage disconnected/removed? Are all of the tranny-to-engine fasteners accessible from underneath the truck, or do you have to access some of them from inside the truck through the shifter console? What about the tranny crossmember? Does that have to be removed as well?

 

I don't want a shop to start disassembling my truck before I've ensured that all of my customizations have been moved out of their way, so they don't screw something up.

 

Thanks.

[88pathoffroad]

IIRC the oilpan stays put. You have to remove the RMS retainer and then the RMS, which is a one-piece seal like the crank seal in the front. Have you got a FSM for your year?

[Mookie]

Just adding on to '88s' comments - Some people even pry the seal out of the retainer as they say removing the retainer disturbs the seal/gasket around the pan. I removed it all including dropping the pan as I had to replace all my leaking gaskets.