Help Identifying Leak Please

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97wrangler

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Hi - thank you in advance for your help here. Looking to purchase a JK and noticed this leak while at the dealership. It’s dropping onto the exhaust from that seal above. I thought it was an oil or transmission fluid leak but the dealer (not a jeep dealer) said they checked it and that it was coming from the AC compressor/condenser.

I was skeptical and wanted to check with this group of JK experts. Does anyone know for sure what this is? Does the dealer story check out?

Thanks!!

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Was the a/c on when you checked out the Jeep? It looks dark in color from the pics. Your a/c drip would be clear. I know my a/c drip does not hit my exhaust on my 15.
 
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Yes, the AC was on. It was difficult to be certain but it doesn’t appear to be clear in the photo. This is a 2016 manual for reference. There was clear water dripping further forward which I would have thought was the AC. Sure would be nice to just be able to trust these dealers and. It feel like complete honesty is a luxury. The jeep is over an hour away so reexamining in person is more difficult. May have to head back and crawl under with a rag to be sure.
 
97wrangler said:
Yes, the AC was on. It was difficult to be certain but it doesn’t appear to be clear in the photo. This is a 2016 manual for reference. There was clear water dripping further forward which I would have thought was the AC. Sure would be nice to just be able to trust these dealers and. It feel like complete honesty is a luxury. The jeep is over an hour away so reexamining in person is more difficult. May have to head back and crawl under with a rag to be sure.
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For me it's hard to pinpoint exactly where the spot is on the Jeep, I have headers on mine so I can't crawl under it and look.

But isn't that the crossover pipe at the rear of the engine where the oil is dripping?
 
BLACKJKU said:
Same as I thought, or doesn't the oil cooler drip down that area also?
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To be honest, I don't know. I just had my oil cooler replaced a few weeks back because of a small leak, yet it never put the first spot on my driveway.

Seems to me, with the amount of oil on the exhaust, that it would be readily identifiable by the smell or smoke, or both, right?
 
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Appreciate everyone’s input. Here’s a wider angle pic to show the location. I think that’s the back side of the transmission. The front of the vehicle is to the left in this photo.

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97wrangler said:
Appreciate everyone’s input. Here’s a wider angle pic to show the location. I think that’s the back side of the transmission. The front of the vehicle is to the left in this photo.

View attachment 127157
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No way that's the AC leak way back there, has to be the rear main or oil cooler. But to me it looks like it's coming from the drain hole in the bottom of the bellhousing.
 
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Okay, that's not the rear main.
Adapter seal or transfer case seal? Maybe I'm thinking those are a bit further back.

But, if it was at the bell housing, wouldn't it be transmission fluid and not oil?
 
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Anybodyhome said:
Okay, that's not the rear main.
Adapter seal or transfer case seal? Maybe I'm thinking those are a bit further back.

But, if it was at the bell housing, wouldn't it be transmission fluid and not oil?
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Bell housing could be rear main seal, oil cooler oil running down from above, or trans input seal. But I doubt it's the trans input since it's a Manual trans.
 
I'm gonna turn my ac on when I leave work and see where exactly it drips from to rule out ac drip or not.
 
Sorry for the delay. Circled is the ac drain. It's located driverside above the tranny on the firewall.

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97wrangler said:
Hi - thank you in advance for your help here. Looking to purchase a JK and noticed this leak while at the dealership. It’s dropping onto the exhaust from that seal above. I thought it was an oil or transmission fluid leak but the dealer (not a jeep dealer) said they checked it and that it was coming from the AC compressor/condenser.

I was skeptical and wanted to check with this group of JK experts. Does anyone know for sure what this is? Does the dealer story check out?

Thanks!!

View attachment 127153

View attachment 127154
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Have too agree with the others ..a/c drip would be clear and the a.c. probably would stop working ..looks like oil,tranny fluid,or power steering fluid
 
I didn’t think manuals came with an oil cooler? Am I missing something? Just trying eliminate options. That far back seems like it may be transmission or transfer case. The bottom side of the transmission looks clean. Unless is is working its way back on the top side of the transmission.
 
Danarch said:
I didn’t think manuals came with an oil cooler? Am I missing something? Just trying eliminate options. That far back seems like it may be transmission or transfer case. The bottom side of the transmission looks clean. Unless is is working its way back on the top side of the transmission.
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The engine oil cooler.
 
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