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2G Oil leak behind power steering

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drthorp

Proven Member
75
35
Oct 22, 2019
Trussville, Alabama
just bought this beauty not that long ago with expectations of fixing some oil leaks. This is the first one to address as it is the most mysterious to me. Seems to only leak with good oil pressure and seems to come from the area below the timing belt and behind the power steering pump. It’s got about 110k miles so I’m sure the seals could be worn, but I’d like to hear some opinions on how to go about tackling this leak.
 

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Cam seals or water pump. You’ll have to remove the cover to see exactly where. Recommend tbelt service if it hasn’t been done. Good luck
Are you referring to the timing cover? Anyone know of a good link to a previous cam seal service? never done that particular job on these since its always been valve cover and oil pan issues. Im just not sure what involved in replacing those seals. And yeah the timing belt has NOT been replaced and that's my next focus. I checked it for frays and imperfections and it seemed fine but I guess ill make the swap since I guess ill be digging into that area anyways. Thanks for the timely reply.
 
Tony has you on the right track, thanks Tony!!!
I used a 1 7/16" socket to press my cam seals in flush on the GSX last week. Take the front cam cap off after you have the sprocket off and remove the seal. Put the cam cap back on at 15 ft/lbs (double check that spec) and then lube the inside of the seal and press over the cam and into the recessed area that the old one sat in, making sure that it is bottomed out and even. Be sure to clean that area before putting the new seal in. That is how I did mine last week. Hope it helps get you fixed up.
 
Tony has you on the right track, thanks Tony!!!
I used a 1 7/16" socket to press my cam seals in flush on the GSX last week. Take the front cam cap off after you have the sprocket off and remove the seal. Put the cam cap back on at 15 ft/lbs (double check that spec) and then lube the inside of the seal and press over the cam and into the recessed area that the old one sat in, making sure that it is bottomed out and even. Be sure to clean that area before putting the new seal in. That is how I did mine last week. Hope it helps get you fixed up.
Thanks guys! Ill be sure to reference my service manual for specs for this. Im hoping my typical hand tools with and impact will do fine since I don't have many specialty tools for pulleys/gears and such. Wondering if i should go ahead and get this kit and replace all i can?
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I would suggest the Gates TB167 kit and an OEM hydraulic tensioner. I JUST did this stuff last week, and the non OEM tensioner was blown out, not holding the belt tight anymore and timing had jumped 2 teeth so I was certainly lucky to have saved her. Also, I recommend the Gates water pump. It has an alignment pin for the pulleys to line up on.
LOOSEN THE WATER PUMP PULLEY BOLTS FIRST THING!
You don't have to remove them all the way, hell just take the harmonic balancer off, but you won't get them loose if the belt is already removed. A 10mm box end wrench (or ratcheting wrench) is your friend here.
 
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...05806,engine,timing+belt+&+component+kit,5759
The Gates kit is what I used and feel comfortable with.
Gates Water pump here......
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...harged,1205806,cooling+system,water+pump,2208
And they are a supporting vendor and have a 5% coupon also
5% Discount Code: 09C2CFC43817FE
Expires: February 12, 2020

OEM Timing Tensioner....Make sure it is for the correct year
https://stmtuned.com/collections/1g...-2g-dsm-and-evo-4-5-6-7-timing-belt-tensioner
The timing tool kit that @tk106 mentions is not a must have but it sure as hell makes this job easier. :thumb:
 
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Yes I already have that exact kit on the way since this timing belt has so many miles on it! And I am going to do my best to follow all the advice you guys have given me for this, and I thank you. Ill go ahead and grab the gates kit for the belt and the water pump, but as for the oil leak is there a preference for the seals I need? I don't see a complete front seal kit with belts from gates (might just be missing it), and I would hate to lowball on these parts and have to reseal the engine all over again.
 
Just get something name brand. No cheap Chinese stuff. If you can find them, Fel-Pro are some of the best gaskets out there (maybe IMO).
Just ordered the gates water pump (still need the gasket I guess), the TB kit, and the timing tool kit, now Ill just investigate some good seals for the cams and the best OEM replacement for the tensioner I can find... Thanks a million for the help guys! I'll update this eventually with how this job is going for a timing noob like me. haha
 
Just ordered the gates water pump (still need the gasket I guess), the TB kit, and the timing tool kit, now Ill just investigate some good seals for the cams and the best OEM replacement for the tensioner I can find... Thanks a million for the help guys! I'll update this eventually with how this job is going for a timing noob like me. haha
Oh, one more thing! BE SURE YOU BUY THE TENSIONER FOR THE PROPER YEAR MODEL. THEY ARE DIFFERENT SIZES PER YEAR!!! :)
 
Thats a very typical oil mess on these engines, most used ones have oil and grit stuck to it all over the water pump like that, its important when installing the valve cover gasket to use sealer in all four corners and around any area where there is a square bend such as on both ends and especially around the cam caps where the rubber gasket meets the cam caps, this is a prime area for oil leaks and they can be misleading if leaking here, for seals I only use Mitsubishi seals since I dont like doing those more than once and don't like playing the game of finding quality ones, some things are worth spending the money on...this is one of those things. Have you checked your power steering pump for leaking seals? they are a known leaker from both the seals and the O-ring on the back where the lines connect, I would just plan on replacing those at this time anyway because if they aren't leaking, they will be. Remember that oil can leak and blow backwards from wind, causing the oil to appear that its leaking from somewhere else. Clean everything up well with some Gunk engine de-greaser and a hose or low pressure wash setting at the car wash, then dry it off and add some oil dye and use a blacklight after driving it a few miles to make sure your leaks are fixed.
 
Add 3-4 drops of oil dye and run it for 10 mins or less, maybe 5 or less, then get your UV/Black light out for A/C stuff and shine it all around. You will see a bright glow where the oil leak is at and track it back to where it starts.
Its potent shit and comes in a small bottle so be careful to not WASTE it for future use.
Cheap Amazon UV flashlight will be your friend!
 
Are you referring to the timing cover? Anyone know of a good link to a previous cam seal service? never done that particular job on these since its always been valve cover and oil pan issues. Im just not sure what involved in replacing those seals. And yeah the timing belt has NOT been replaced and that's my next focus. I checked it for frays and imperfections and it seemed fine but I guess ill make the swap since I guess ill be digging into that area anyways. Thanks for the timely reply.

It’s not hard at all. You just need basic tools, floor jack, jack stands and a breaker bar. Just keep organized. The water pump pulley can be installed backwards so just keep that in mind. Once you get the belt off, spray it down with degreaser, a lot of it and clean it off before installing new parts. You’ll be amazed how clean it’ll get. Also keep track of the timing belt cover bolts as some are different.
 
The dye test has been suggested enough times im most likely going to try it out. The timing belt is going to be replaced too very soon. Its in great shape when inspecting it, but it has like 100k on it... And this is the worst engine leak it has (meaning the leak somewhere on the timing side near the cam seals, but not the only one. I don't have any degreaser yet but I get ill be cleaning this baby up when I get home today. Thanks for the advice guys! Ill post some photos when I get things opened up and get some opinions.
 
Just a quick update. Both cam seals were, in fact, leaking after 3k rpm and Im still waiting on parts. Also a small leak at the front right VC bolt by the timing belt. Nothing too terribly bad but it will all be addressed. Thanks a again for the info guys, ill post some more on this thread when im getting things back together.
 
Ok so I finally got all the parts and tools that I have ordered so far, and began the teardown process. Just looking for an opinion on something... so the felpro kit I bought for all the seals I'm installing came with a front crank seal as well, which is NOT leaking in its current state. Should I make an effort to change it as well while I am resealing the rest? Or should I stick to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra? If I should replace it, how much more involved is this process since im already changing all belts and cam seals?
 
Ok so I finally got all the parts and tools that I have ordered so far, and began the teardown process. Just looking for an opinion on something... so the felpro kit I bought for all the seals I'm installing came with a front crank seal as well, which is NOT leaking in its current state. Should I make an effort to change it as well while I am resealing the rest? Or should I stick to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra? If I should replace it, how much more involved is this process since im already changing all belts and cam seals?
The crank seal should look similar to the cam seals. The little rubber circle. All you have to do is pull the crank sprocket off, pop the old one out with a screw driver, and put the new on in with a little black rtv to hold it in place.

^This is assuming you have the timing belt off
 
Just another update with some "before images" of the oil and cam conditions. Its been leaking for a while from just about everywhere.... cams/lifters looks pretty good for 150k though. Any thoughts?
 

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