Loose, Leaky Cam Seals

[googoogjoob]

I've recently done a timing belt and headgasket job and everything seemed to be fine until I noticed a puddle of oil in the driveway. I thought it was just the oil pan gasket but the more I looked, it seemed like it was coming from behind the timing belt cover so I figured it was most likely the cam seals. I thought I had put them on backwards or something. Anyway I just took off the valve cover to check them and they seem to be loose. Like I can pretty easily push them back and forth on the cam. Should I just rub some rtv on them? I didn't do that before. And the open part where you can see the spring, should be facing the inside of the motor right?

 

[talonDSMerr]

The open part with the spring should face the inside of the motor. RTV wouldn't do much to help the leak because you need something that can apply constant pressure on the camshaft (i.e. the little spring inside the seal). RTV will just get scraped away once you start the motor again and the camshafts move and the leak will reappear. I would replace those cam seals, no real way around it.

 

[googoogjoob]

I think I'm going to try and position them the best I can and slap it all back together just to see. It's just such a pita to replace them, that's why I did it when I did the headgasket job. The little spring seemed a little off center on one of them so hopefully that will do something too. Thanks for the info

Oh, and can I reuse my valve cover gasket?