Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[dodgy]

Hi all,

I have been looking into the oil leak on my 2.2 X reg estate. It appeared to be coming from the front as the drive belt and the cover at the lower front of the engine was covered in oil. I took the plunge and removed the cam belt cover and cleaned up the worst of the oil. After making sure all was out of the way I started up the engine and the oil appears to be coming from the behind the inlet side cam pulley.

The question is how is is coming out from there ? Is there a seal of some kind at the end of the camshaft or the pully ?

How do you change this seal ? cam cover off, remove cam shaft, replace and reassemble or can it be replaced from the front by removing the pully ?

regards

Dodgy :-/

[Matchless]

Sounds like one of the camshaft oil seal has split.
Has it been apart recently? We have had bad experience with pattern oil seals which leak after a month or two.

You can change the seals without removing the camshaft but I would remove the cam to be sure that the correct sealant has been used under the front bearing caps.

Set the crank at 90 deg before TDC and remove cam belt.
Remove cam cover and undo camshaft sprockets using 24mm ? spanner on camshaft HEX to counter hold.
Remove front camshaft bearing caps. (do not turn the cam until the bearing cap is back in place)
Clean head and bearing cap mating surfaces with cellulose thinner then apply a THIN smear of green sealant between head and bearing cap in area of oilseal apperture. Refit cap.
Press in new oil seals using a socket or pipe etc, old seal can be used as a buffer to protect new seal.
Refit cam sprockets then turn cams to timing margs and fit a locking tool.
Fit a new cam belt (old is oil contaminated) If you dont know the mileage since last change (40K max) then fit new tensioner, idlers and water pump.
Use a new camcover gasket unless the old one is still soft and protruding above its groove. Use black sealant around corners of 'D's and corners of cambearing caps.

[omegalyn]

Hi there Dodgy, It’s worth checking that it’s not the cam cover gasket that has gone in that area first, I had a leak that I thought was the cam seal but went away after I changed the cam cover gasket and cleaned the breathers and ICV.  
Otherwise Its as Matchless describes

[dodgy]

Thanks Guys,

It looks like I'll have to start with the cam cover gasket and work from there ;-)

Its good to know that there is actually a seal that could be the issue rather than say a crack in the head.

Regards

Roger