random oil leak

hottscennessey

DONT BE A BITCH!
Jun 3, 2005
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Richmond, VA
The past couple days i've had a very strange oil leak. It seems to be very unpredictable. I know that my hose from my valve covers down the the block is cracked at the top, this leads to a small ammount of oil on the driver's side of the block. The real problem is the leak near the timing belt. A couple days ago i popped my hood and saw oil covering my timing belt, I cleaned it up so that there was no more mess and watched it for a couple days. It seemed to go away so i just figured it came from the cracked hose i previously mentioned. I drove it this morning, i was in a rush so i didnt let the car warm up as much as i normally do (cold oil has higher PSI), of course i didnt get anywhere close to possitive manifold pressure, but when i popped the hood my timing belt was covered again. Where could it be comming from? It doesnt look like its comming from between the head and the block (where i neglected to apply rtv sealant during my MHG project, easy step to forget). I'm losing very little oil, barely noticeable if i wernt so anal. Could the oil be comming from somehwere around the lower timing belt cover? What are the options here? Thanks everyone.
 
N

NDBoost

Guest
front main seal possibly or maybe even that rtv sealant area..
 
N

NDBoost

Guest
oh hell no lol, Just pull the front timing plate and the crank pulley :)
 

hottscennessey

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Jun 3, 2005
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ok cool, i was reading and it looks like it could be the front main seal, the lil area with the rtv sealant (but doesnt look like it), OR the cam seals? I realize the cam seals are pretty easy, so i'll have to keep a watchful eye on it and see exactly where the oil is comming from.
 

hottscennessey

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Jun 3, 2005
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okay i found the leak, and now its really pouring out.
The leak is from behind the exhaust cam gear. Is this the cam seal or like johnathan said, the cam cap? I can litterally see the oil behind the gear, in front of the metal black cover. can someone give me guidence?

I've never heard of the cam caps johnathan, is that different from the cam seals?
 
Oct 11, 2005
3,816
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Thousand Oaks, CA
If the seal is old, it is certainly bad. They get baked hard in the exhaust side of the head. If the seal is new, then it may have been damaged during assembly, or you have a leak through the cam bearing shell like Johnathan said. Note that the bearing shell needs FIPG goop applied during assembly or it will leak.
 

hottscennessey

DONT BE A BITCH!
Jun 3, 2005
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Okay, i have a few quesitons.
1) Do i have to remove the valve covers to do the cam seals?
2) How do i remove the cam gear without it moving? Whats the best way?
3) If it were the cam bearing shell leaking, wouldnt i have oil behind the metal plate between the valve covers and the cam gears?

Thanks a lot guys, this will help me out so much.
 
N

NDBoost

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hottscennessey said:
Okay, i have a few quesitons.
1) Do i have to remove the valve covers to do the cam seals?
2) How do i remove the cam gear without it moving? Whats the best way?
3) If it were the cam bearing shell leaking, wouldnt i have oil behind the metal plate between the valve covers and the cam gears?

Thanks a lot guys, this will help me out so much.
1) not sure but i would think it would be a good idea
2) you use an impact gun loosen the bolt there should be a cotter pin that holds the cam gear to the right spot on the cam. Dont lose the pin (when you re-install the pin goes in the center hole).
3) idk
 

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
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hotts: what's your address? I'll send you my special camshaft holder tool thinger. It's wicked easy to make, all you need is a bolt, nut and two washers...
 

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
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No, your street address. I'll send the contraption over if you wanna wait a few days.
If you want to get it done this weekend, I'll grab it tonight and post up what you need for washers and so forth.
 

hottscennessey

DONT BE A BITCH!
Jun 3, 2005
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I was going to take advantage of having the weekend off, but thank you for the offer. If you could show me what i need that would be great! No rush tho, I work tonight so i wouldnt get started removing the cams until tomomrrow morningish. once again thanks!
 

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
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I just sent you a picture hottscenblahblah.. I just made one up here at work that'll give you an idea of how it works. you make one like that, and it goes between the cam gears, binding them together, and they won't move when you loosen the bolts. Just make sure to keep close tabs on those tiny dowel pins.