I have a small oil leak I am trying to fix behind the lower timing cover. I pulled everything off last weekend and everything is pretty dry with the exception of one small area where you can see oil runs down the inside of the lower timing cover starting roughly where the hydraulic tensioner for the the timing belt is. There is no oil getting on the timing belt.

I checked all the bolts around there to make sure everything was tight and did find one bolt that was maybe just a hair loose. I also put permatex on two bolts that were in question near the area.

Well I put everything back together and it is still slightly leaking. I am going to tear it back apart and pull off the hydraulic tensioner to check the one bolt behind there yet.

My two questions are has anyone had a similar problem like this?? It really has be baffled as to how the oil is hitting the inside cover. There was no oil on the block and it does not show any signs of it splashing around. Its a may 1/8"-1/4" wide run mark starting around the hydraulic tensioner on the inside of the cover

If I remove the hydraulic tensioner is it as easy as putting it in a c-clamp putting the pin in it and re-installing??

Thanks for any help!!

 

Anytime I have seen this the bolt is loose as it is through to an oil passage so....

 

you mean one of the two bolts that hold the tensioner to the block? I checked both of them and they were good. Maybe I will take them out and permatex them?

 

Check the motor mount bolts as well, there are 3 bolts that are in a diagonal pattern that hold the mount to the block, I believe its the middle one that requires thread sealant. I had a similar leak and it drove me nuts for about 2 months. I put thread sealant on every motor mount bolt and I've been leak free since.

 

Yup, do that.

 

Okay if I take the tensioner off all i need to do to put it back on is put it in a C clamp and compress it till the holes line up, insert pin, reinstall, and remove pin??

When I take this off I dont have to worry about the timing belt coming off do I? Sorry if these are dumb questions but havent messed with this before.

Thanks

 

Some blocks have that hole drilled too deep and you have to put some sealant on the bolt thread. For som reason on my block the robot didn't drill through to the oil passage. Go figure.

 

Murphy's Law is probably in effect here. It says that if anything bad can happen it will happen. So, I'd suggest turning the engine until all the timing marks line up and then painting a mark on each sprocket and out onto the belt so you know if anything jumps time. Also, be familiar with how to reset tension and be prepared to do it before pulling the tensioner.

Thinking about it, there is a small chance that if you pull one bolt at a time to dope the threads, the tensioner won't move. However, I wouldn't count on it.

 

Haha thanks! Yeah I am going to try to remove one bolt at a time and hope it does not move but with my luck I am sure that is not going to work. I am going to give this a shot later today if I get some free time. Thanks for the help!

 

A little update...

I permatexed the bolts for the tensioner and now there does not appear to be any oil behind the the lower timing cover. Apparently that was not the only leak though.... I seem to have one other small one that is around the same area. Oil is on oil cooler lines, oil filter, and on lower timing cover (outside). I took everything back apart thinking it was the same thing but there are no signs of oil behind the lower timing cover.

I checked everything and cleaned everything off and let the car run for about 20 mins and no signs of any oil leaking. It sat for probably a good 5-6 hour till I took it for a spin later in the day. When I got back there was oil dripping around that general area again. So it has to be oil pressure related... I think? Anybody run into anything in this general area of the car that has leaked like this??

Anything in particular I should be looking??

 

Well, there's the motor mount as mentioned above. Also, (a story) I got married a few years back and my bride brought a Pontiac to my garage that produced a big oil spot on the floor. But, before I got around to fixing the leak, it stopped. What I figured happened was that the oil changer place she had been using was dumping some oil in the engine and some on it. It took a couple months for all of this oil to dry up and stop dripping.

 

The very bottom of the timing cover is the highest point that is wet. Everything was cleaned and dry prior to this oil appearing. This car has been such a pain.

 

Google search

 

Yahoo/google search ftw!

How about oil pump sprocket seal? Its at the lower part of the cover and has to do with oil pressure....but if your saying its wet on the outside of the cover and dry on the inside I don't see why youre still looking for leaks on the inside?

 

Inside is good now. Its on the outside somewhere I just have not had time to look. Car has been parked. Did not say I was still looking behind the cover.

I googled a lot before posting this... Is this not what the forum is for??