front cam seal leak?

[elstraitjacket]

hey guys,
i've had a leak for a while now. it's on the front (drivebelt side) of the engine, but i haven't been able to pinpoint it. it only seems to be leaking when the engine is running. i thought it was the front crank seal, but upon further inspection it looks like it's coming from higher up...i was thinking maybe it was the front cam seals. i'll try, weather permitting, to pull the timing cover tomorrow and see if is what i suspect, but i wanted to throw this post up to see if anyone else has had this problem, or knows of it being a common occurrence. thanks in advance, guys...

 

[mirrorimg]

Its probably either the valve cover gasket, or the cam seals next to the gears. You may not have to pull the cams out, but you need to slide the timing belt off, and unscrew the cam bolts to get at the seal.

 

[SpooledupRacing]

If you have not done the timing belt and/or water pump now would be a great time to replace the timing belt, water pump and both cam seals and the valve cover gasket...

not a long job just gotta do it right

 

[elstraitjacket]

yeah, the valve cover gasket is definitely leaking, says the inch of oil in the spark plug tubes. i pulled the vc and upper timing belt cover off and ran it this morning, but i couldn't find anything. i had a timing belt/water pump job done about 30K miles ago (it has 247K + on it right now). if i do this, do you guys think i should replace the timing belt again, just since i would already be in there? also, how do i turn the cam bolt without turning the cam sprocket?

 

[mirrorimg]

Theres a special tool that will hold the cam sprockets together, and it fits between the two, interlocking the gears. I shoved a piece of wood in there when I put my motor back together, certainly a more ghetto way.

I wouldnt worry about the timing belt, but thats me.

The spark plug tubes have different gaskets, the plug tube seals. They should come in a gasket kit, or you can get them individually. They certainly do need to be replaced.

 

[elstraitjacket]

yeah, i think the tube seals come in a set with the valve cover gasket. so if i remove the cam sprockets i have access to the seals? will i have to reset the timing?

 

[mirrorimg]

You will need to realign the timing marks on the crank and the cams.