Ptowndon

Need some guidance, please. Terrible oil leak mainly from (a) driver side front of engine and (b) front crankshaft seal.

I initially thought the valve covers were leaking and I replaced the gaskets. Still leakage on the driver side. I am suspecting the oil is coming from around the camshaft seal. If so.... to change the camshaft seal, do I have to dismantle the entire front of the engine like I do to replace the water pump and the timing belt?

If I do all this work, I would also like to replace the front crankshaft seal. Can this be done without dropping the oil pan?

Thanks for your guidance.

Don

Arsenii

Hello,

Impossible to tell anything from a given description, we will need at least some pictures to guesstimate where the leak is coming from.

Either way, if it is the Camshaft seals that are damaged, yes, you will need to take the entire front of the engine apart, including the Pulleys and the Rear Timing Belt Cover. Camshaft seals are held in by the Camshaft Caps, may be easier to take the Valve Covers off and unscrew said caps if the seals prove difficult to get pulled out normally, with that, make sure to only install the seals with those caps in place and fully tightened, as otherwise you will pinch the Seals Outer Surface, not seating the cap correctly, which can cause a lot of damage.

Crankshaft seals in pressed into the Oil Pump on the front of the engine, it's pretty easy to replace once all the pulleys are removed, you won't have to dig any further. With that, there aren't any caps that could make the process easier like with the Camshaft seals, so make sure to be very careful not to damage the Crankshaft surface while pulling the seal out. Installation is the same procedure for both Cranks and Cam seals.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Ptowndon

Thank you, Arsenii..............

I did drive the car up on ramps and wiped it down as best I could. Then started it up and let it run while still sitting there. Definitely oil is coming down from the driver side (below the valve cover) but still high up above the AC compressor mounting. Then, I also see it running down above the front crank seal (and dripping from the bottom of the seal area.

With all the work you have described, I will wait until major belt change time to correct this. I have had the car since new (32 years now); can't expect seals to last forever.

I appreciate your timely input!!

Don

Ptowndon

Just curious....... if I tear down the front of my engine as shown in the attached picture, can I remove the driver side camshaft pulley without further dismantling? With that pulley off, I should be able to change the camshaft seal. Am I correct in this??

Don

Arsenii

Not exactly..

I mean you can try to take the pulley off, but that will require taking the Belt Tensioner off at least, and at that point, there is no reason to keep the belt in place. Aside from that, you will also have to take the Black Shield behind the pulley off to access the seal. With all that, it seems like you will end up taking it all apart anyway, so might as well start now before it will cause a number of issues.

As for waiting until the belt wears out, make sure that the oil that leaks out doesn't get onto the belt, and preferably onto the Belt Guard, as it will start eating away at both, turning the seal into a jelly, and greatly reducing the lifespan of the belt.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

Ptowndon

Good advice; and, I appreciate it! Sounds like there is no shortcut that is reasonable.

My mistake was that I did not change these seals when I did a timing belt replacement and water pump about 40,000 miles ago (6 years).

Thanks again!!

Don