oil leak @ dizzy

[dlb]

found a slow leak coming from the distributor from around where it contacts the head. not a big deal, mainly cosmetic--i just hate seeing an engine covered in crap. my question is: is the likely culprit the little o-ring shown at the bottom of page IG-7 in the FSM? it looks like it but i thought i'd ask before i go ordering parts.

[xirdneh]

The "O" rings get hard over time and can cause oil leaks. They are somewhere around 1" in diameter. Valve cover gaskets get hardened too. That's worth checking. When you remove the valve gasket bend it to see if fine cracks appear or it may just break.

[dlb]

yeah, i guess it could be from the valve cover gasket if it was just leaking in that one corner. i'll try to dizzy first and see how that goes.

incidentally, the diagram on the FSM page lists the pin and driven gear as non-reusable. it looks like i'll have to take them off to replace the o-ring so should i replace them at the same time or can the o-ring just slide over the gear?

[splatterdog]

It will clear the gear.

[Petros]

best is a new o-ring of course, but you can also smear Permatext form-a-gasket on it (use the non-hardening type so it does not glue the distributor in place). I did that and it worked, all the o-rings on my spare distributurtors were just as brittle and stiff as the one in my car, if I tried to take it off it would have cracked. I did not have a replacement o-ring so I put sealant on it. Use the sealant on valve cover gasket too, they always seem to leak even with a new gasket.

[dlb]

exceptionally helpful. thank you all!