Hey guys Ive had an oil leak for quite a while and have done multiple things to fix it including have shops give me thier advice on the issue. I finally found 1 source of the leak is coming from the cam seals. So Im going to replace these but I was wondering if the cam seals would leak a lot of oil. Its not really a huge leak because my oil level doesnt drop but it does leave a puddle everytime I park the car. The oil is splattered all under the car from the lower timing belt all the way to the test pipe.

I first thought it was leaking from the oil filter housing gasket but Ive already replaced this but Im thinking of just replacing it again just in case and adding oil silicone gasket to the new gasket.

Im wondering is there any other possibilities where it could be leaking from? Im not 100 percent sure where the oil originiates from but it starts dripping from the lower timing belt cover so its somewhere behind it.

The only other thing I can think of is the main crank seal but seeing as it has never been touched I dont think it would fail. So what do you guys think.

 

Did you lift it up and look under it? Maybe something over torque or crack?

 

I dont have a lift. But I have thoroughly inspected that area of the car. I re did my whole timing belt job because I thought the shop messed it up but I couldnt find anything broken or cracked. When I had the timing belt apart I couldnt tell that the main seal was leaking but then again I didnt really inspect it. The only suspect I had was the oil filter housing gasket which I already replaced. I recently barely found out that the cam seals were leaking but Im not sure that they would cause a leak this big.

 

That's sounds weird now, hummm i can think of few basic things cause a leaking if gasket is bad ( or gasket not sit properly), crack or not enough torque.

 

So you dont think that the cam seals leaking are the only problem?

I want to make sure that I dont have to rip apart the timing belt area twice because something else ends up being the cause. Thats why I plan on replacing the cam seals and the gasket to the oil filter housing. I dont really want to replace the seals on the oil pump casing because it seems like a lot more work and I dont think they would be leaking.

 

Did you set everything properly when you re-installed timming belt? I feel like it can be oil pump tho, but what do i know.

 

Ive never touched the oil pump and I dont think its gone bad on its own yet but that will be on my list of things to look into. I just dont want to spend 180 dollars on something I dont need.

and yes everything was reinstalled properly. I retorqued everything according to spec I just didnt replace the cams seals.

 

If you think it's leaking from the seals then it probably is. Could be a scratch or they could have gotten a little sideways when they were installed. O rit could just be a leak in the corner of the end caps at one of four places where sealant is needed on that side

 

Hmm well I bought some toyota oil silicone gasket stuff (its supposed to be really good) should I just put this on all the parts I replace.

 

I use the permatex stuff designed for rocker cover. I just dabbed a little on each side of the end caps. Done it about 3 or r seperate times I took the cover off and never leaked

 

check ur hydraulic tensioner. oil will leak if its not tightened down.

try to avoid oil on ur timing belt region i would hate to hear the belt slipping!

 

Yeah, replace the cam seals and see if it stops. BTW, it might not stop right away. My wife, before we were married, was taking her car to the dealership for service and it appears they were putting more oil on the outside of the engine than into it. It took that engine about 3 months to stop dropping oil. I thought it had a bad leak but actually it didn't leak at all.

Hmmm, who does your oil changes?

 

I do my own oil changes.

Im probably going to power rinse my engine area afterwards to get rid of any oil residue to make sure that the oil is not leaking.

 

Pressure wash first. let the car sit overnite with cardboard underneath (why park in a spot that already has oil spots? U want to see new ones.) and then go back out and look for the tell-tale signs and follow the trail back to the source before going out to buy anything. My inclination is the front main seal or the oil pump. Those bolts do back out and i have seen it happen before. Hope everything goes well.

 

1.) Purchase some UV oil dye.
2.) Pour oil dye into your engine oil.
3.) Run engine for 5 minutes in a garage. (make sure you have ventilation)
4.) Turn off the lights.
5.) Go into your bong room and grab the black light.
6.) Turn on the black light in the completely dark garage. The Source of the oil leak will be revealed.

Happy 4g63'ing