Replaced cam seals and they're still leaking... HELP!

[allezgrand]

I replaced both of my cam seals and all of the other seals on the side of the engine except my crank seal because I could not get the pulley bolt off. I think that it must be the cam seals, because the only part that was wet after a short drive was the inside of the pulley. The t-belt was still dry.
My dipstick has also been popping up, so I thought that it might be excessive crankcase pressure. I did a compression check and all cylinders were between 120 and 125 which I thought was low, but when I take off the oil cap, I can lay a piece of paper on the opening and it does not blow away... it doesn't even flap much.
I have also been getting boost creep which I mentioned in another post, and don't know if these might be connected, although I'm not sure how...
Please help!

 

[jrivard00]

did you use RTV sealant on the outside lip of the seals?

 

[BUCK]

Ensure your PCV Valve isn't clogged or Vac hose kinked - Only other thing I could guess would be if possibly you installed the Cams Seals reversed - We all need new Dipsticks.

 

[allezgrand]

My PCV valve only has a couple hundred miles on it, and I checked and it is working fine. No hoses are kinked, and I am positive that the seals are installed the right way.
I had not used RTV on the outside of the cam seals although I did on all of the other seals, so today I put some RTV on them and let it sit for about an hour and then took it for a drive... the seals are still leaking!
Has anybody else ever had problems with brand new seals leaking??

 

[BUCK]

It's kinda late & it's been a while but I could swear when I replaced ALL my Oil Seals the Manual called for pulling the Cam Shaft - or at LEAST the Top of the Outer Cam Bearing - Is that what you are doing?

 

[allezgrand]

Yes, I did have to pull the top of the outer cam bearing in order to replace the cam seals.

 

[jrivard00]

defective seals maybe?

 

[GSXanimal]

Originally posted by jrivard00
defective seals maybe?

or if it was like my car the exhaust one leaked after replacement and when I pulled the cap off I found a tiny piece of the old seal I left on the head and the new seal was slightly offset in the bore.

 

[allezgrand]

thanks for the ideas. I made sure to clean all the surfaces very well before I put them in, so I know it's not that. I'm not sure why the seals would be defective, but that seems like that might be the case...

Only other thing I can think of is that the cams are slightly warped at the ends and are rotating in a slightly elliptical pattern although it isn't obvious just by looking at them... has anybody else experienced that?

Any other ideas are still welcome. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[BUCK]

the cams are slightly warped at the ends and are rotating in a slightly elliptical pattern

You'd be wiping those Aluminum Bearings surfaces in a Heartbeat - That can't be it...

 

[crankbender]

Stupid idea here but could it be that you are leaking at the valve cover and running down onto the shaft from there? unlikely but easily checked.

Maybe try sticking some paper to that area and idling the car. Where the leak is will get wet first.

 

[allezgrand]

Originally posted by crankbender
Stupid idea here but could it be that you are leaking at the valve cover and running down onto the shaft from there? unlikely but easily checked.

Maybe try sticking some paper to that area and idling the car. Where the leak is will get wet first.

I suppose that is a possibility, but a) it only does it after running it hard for a few minutes, and b) I'm not sure how to get a piece of paper down in there and press it against the seal with the camshaft pulleys spinning.

 

[crotchkiller]

If your dispstick is blowing out you have excessive crankcase pressure. You can't check it with the oil cap off because the crankcase is vented with it off. Do you still have the breather hose connected that goes from the valve cover to the inlet that leads to your throttle body? If that is blocked or restricted crankcase pressure will be high. Also, if you are under boost and release the throttle the built up pressure could be causing it. May want to install a open element breather to the valve cover where the vent hose connects if you haven't already. Excessive crankcase pressure can make seals leak and even blow out.

 

[project94tsi]

BTW those compression #'s are really close to the service limit. Just letting you know.

 

[allezgrand]

Crotchkiller: So by "open breather" you're saying to put a breather on and not reattach the hose to the intake? I had checked the hose several times and there is no restriction, but I haven't put a filter on yet.

What are the service limit numbers, and why would mine be that low with only 60k on the car?

 

[project94tsi]

the service limit #'s are 121, and you said you are ranging inbetween 120 and 125.

 

[project94tsi]

before you go do anything to serious do a leakdown test and try using a bottle of that restore engine stuff i have heard good things sbout it.

 

[crotchkiller]

Compression ratio and crankcase pressure are two different things. And yes you can install a breather at the end of the valve cover, not to be confused with the PCV valve. You can have 200psi cylinder pressure and no positive crankcase pressure if your rings and everything else in the cylinder and combustion chamber are ok. You probably need to do a cylinder leak down test to verify the condition of the rings, valves etc. There is a lot of confusion about how to do a leak down test so make sure someone qualified does it.