Oil Leak gone wild

[civic619]

Hello guys,

Here is my situation:

- Faint Squeeling noise during WOT and Upper RPMS
-Oil leak coming from the timing belt area.
-Saturated T Belt and BS Belt

Here is what I have done:

-Changed Main oil seal
-Changed T belt and BS belt
-Found out my crank was 1 tooth off in relation to the Cams, retimed.

Here is the outcome:

GOOD
-Car pulls so much hard due to timing correction
-T belt is not saturated anymore

BAD
-Car still leaks oil. This is after 3K miles from the TB, Main Oil seal change
I have inspected that area (removed the timing belt cover) and it doesnt
like the oil seal is leaking. I did find a nice accumulation on the arm tensioner.

-The faint squeel seems to be getting louder and louder. Could this be related to
the oil leak?

Questions:

1. Besides the Main Oil seal and the Cam seals, where else could OIL leak in that
general area?

2. What other external sources could be a potential leaking spot? (oil pan, oil filter
housing,...?)


Thanks

 

[RoasT BeeF]

The only other things that could be leaking in the timing belt area are front timing cover gasket (not the plastic one), balance shaft oil seal, or oil pump seal.

Where is the leak dripping down at?

If the hydraulic tensioner is leaking it needs replaced.

 

[civic619]

I found where the leak is coming from... Its behind the oil pump sprocket. This only happens at 3K RPM.

Is there a seal behind this sprocket like the main seal???

Could my oil pump be damaged? If the pump is damaged, what are the signs usually?


Thanks so much for your reply guy...

 

[RoasT BeeF]

Yeah there is a seal behind that sprocket just like the front and rear mains. I believe you can get a whole gasket set which includes the Balance shaft, oil pump, and front main for like $13 at auto zone.

I doubt your oil pump is shot. A good sign would be low oil pressure but that could also be the sending unit itself or a real dirty engine. All the oil pump consists of is two gears that spin together and suck up oil. The only real way that your oil pump could fail is if one of the teeth on the gears broke off. Its possible, but I doubt it.

 

[civic619]

Hey roast beef,

YOu are the MAN! Thanks a lot for your info. im going finish up on her tomorrow. That is if i Can get that seal.. I called all over the place and they seemed clueless...

I called it an oil pump seal, silent shaft seal and oil sprocket seal.. Autozone didnt know what I was talking about. I assumed this was a dealer item but since you brought it up well, what other name could I call it since they dont know what the hell im tlaking about??

again thanks for your help bro....

 

[RoasT BeeF]

Hm I just explained to the guy at the store that there were three oil seals in the front timing cover that sealed the front main, oil pump sprocket, and balance shaft sprocket. If they cant seem to figure it out you might just want to try the dealer. They can bring up pics of the car and you can point out exactly what you need. I cant imagine they can be to expensive even from the dealer but they will probably have to order them.

Glad I could help.

 

[spoolinawddsm]

hey, my car is leaking from the same area... just wondered if you got this fixed or not?

 

[civic619]

Yes, it turned out to be the front case plug seal.

 

[spoolinawddsm]

Yes, it turned out to be the front case plug seal.

im not familiar with this. I just got the car two days ago and it was a mess. The kid I got it from did a bs eliminator so im thinking that might have something to do with it.

Do you have a pic or a link or something?

thanks

 

[92awddsm]

Quick tip for everyone with an unsolvable oil leak.

Go to NAPA or most other auto parts retailers and get some oil system dye. Next, go to any lighting store and get a blacklight. Now, put the dye in the engine, run for a minute, then use the blacklight around where the leak is and you will see the dye seeping from the problem area. This is the easiest way and the dye will show up as a bright orange color in blacklight. I know how frustrating it is because I spent time replacing my rear seal to find that my leak was a crack in the oil pan.

 

[civic619]

The seal that is circled lavender Purple is the seal that was leaking in my case. Before I found that this was the culprit of 1 qt of oil a week, I first replaced the main seal (red) and the oil pump sprocked seal (yellow)

Clean everything and run the car to find your leaks. THe dye and black like also helps but usually you can find it if you pay close attention.

 

[spoolinawddsm]

excellent, im going to see if i can find it right now. Thanks for the help guys. Ill let you know what happens

 

[spoolinawddsm]

just pulled the timing belt off and took the oil pump sprocket off, I wrecked the oil pump seal taking it off because i thought it was the leak, where can I get one autozone, napa?


also the above mentioned plug didnt have a gasket or anything in it when i took it off. Is something supposed to go in there, it has a groove and such but no gasket. Im guessing that is my leak. Thanks

 

[civic619]

You can go to Napa, Kragen, Pepboys, or the dealer. most likely the dealer will have those seals. As for the plug seal, there should be an O-Ring. Some people use gasket sealant or RTV. I used both the rubber seal and RTV.

 

[spoolinawddsm]

excellent. Thanks a lot.

 

[streetraceboi]

my car has the same oil leak prob. ive already replaced the oil pump seal and it still leaks. i know it isnt my main seal cause no oil is coming from that area. it doesnt leak at idle, just when i drive it around and get on it a little, then the oil shows. also, my motor is making a vibration/rattle noise at 3-4k rpm. it sounds as if the rear balance shaft is out of timing, but ive eliminated the balance shafts so what could it be? its never done it before. any help would greatly be appreciated.....

 

[reveal1123]

theres three seals that you should replace while you are in there: main crank seal front balance shaft seal, and the oil sprocket seal.

I purchased my entire gasket/seal set from mitsubishigraveyard.com which is based out of new york. He can do overnight shipping if you want. This guy was great.

 

[hellotbone]

Can these seals be changed without removing the engine for starters in car? 2 what would cause a leak on the Transmission side of the car I have a leak coming from both sides

 

[spoolinawddsm]

oil was leaking out from my tranny side also due to the oil pan gasket. Yes you can do the seals with the engine in the car.

 

[reveal1123]

Can these seals be changed without removing the engine for starters in car? 2 what would cause a leak on the Transmission side of the car I have a leak coming from both sides

rear main seal? im not sure that this seal can be replaced while the engine is in the car without dropping the tranny, but i'm not 100 percent sure. You can change the seals on the front case though. Just remove the sprockets and you can access them easily.

 

[jott5555]

pull your engine and tranny ( about 1 day) freshed up your engine w/ new seals ( a night or day at the most) out it back together ( another day) your done...

 

[civic619]

There is no need to drop your engine to replace any seals. Its absurd and to much work unless you plan on rebuilding the entire motor.

To get to the rear main seal, yes, you have to drop the tranny and ONLY the tranny. any of the front case seals, theres more that just taking out your "sprockets." You would need to know how to take out your Tbelt and put it back CORRECTLY. This is very important and maybe the MOST important thing when getting to your main front case seals.

 

[hellotbone]

I did my own timing belt no biggie there. Im gonna have to have a look then and see where its leaking it could be as simple as leaking from the BS tensioner pulley bolt we didn't RTV it or anything maybe its seeping around the bolt and its an easy fix. As for the trans side ??? gonna have to pull it apart I have already had the pan off and resealed it up.