Engine oil leak

[Logbear]

I've been chasing an oil leak that's left me baffled. Oil leaks down the front of the engine and drips off the front of the oil pan. I put in a new front seal and the leak continues. When I think that maybe the leak has stopped it's because there is no more oil registering on the dipstick. The plastic timing belt cover has oil on the outside of the cover.

I just pulled the plastic cover and confirmed that inside is nice and clean. I wiped it down really clean the last time I put it back on. I can look down behind the pulley and see a the little bit of the blue permatex I smeared around the front seal. The blue is still bright blue. (No oil). The timing belt is dry, so no oil is getting spun around in there.

I also smeared permatex around the front of the oil pan, and that's oily, but if that's where the leak was I wouldn't think it would spread around so much.

Besides oil on the outside of the upper cover, there is oil on the side of the water pump, and just about everywhere outside the plastic cover. And of course there is oil on the outside of the lower cover. I just haven't bothered to remove it, but like I said I can see down to the timing belt gear and it's dry in there.

The leak is bad enough that it goes through a quart of oil in less than 20 miles. If I add oil and start the car, I'll see a puddle in a few minutes.

Where oh where could this leak be coming from?

[dlb]

if it's coming over the top and outside of the timing belt cover and the water pump, my first guess is the valve cover gasket. that sounds like too much oil to be coming out of there but that's my first guess. it's easy to replace.

i see you have EIGHT tercs! that's formidable. i had a tough time finding where getchell, WA is but i finally did and it looks quite close to lake goodwin, which is where we're having the T4 meet on june 23rd. you should multiply yourself and bring the four running tercs to the meet. here's the link for the meet if you're interested.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7577

[xirdneh]

I would do what dlb says
check the valve cover gasket
when you take it off bend it sharply in a few places
if its bad you will see hairline cracks
the next place to check is the distributer "O" ring
you have to pull distributer
pry "o" ring off and do same test (above)
they get hard with time
also check oil sender (just fwd of oil filter)
wipe off block underneath sender and check after driving for fresh oil
you have already covered the front main seal and camshaft seal
worse comes to worse get some oil dye at parts store

[Logbear]

Thanks for the input. I never thought about the oil dye. This afternoon I'll put the cover back on, clean everything up really good, and put in some oil and dye and try to find out where it's coming from.
I checked the valve cover early on and that's not it. The distributor leaks a little but not much.
I'll report back when I find the cause.
Could the oil dipstick leak that much?

[larry mcgrath]

These engines ane noted for oil press sender leaking ( located on the block right under the altonator ) an easy fix, easy to replace .

[Logbear]

Well after cleaning the engine with gunk and spraying it all nice and clean at least I confirmed where it's not leaking.
The distributor, the oil sending unit, valve cover are all fine.

The oil starts to collect right on the front lip of the oil pan. Nothing above that point. Enough so that 5 minutes of idling makes a 3 inch diameter puddle on a piece of cardboard.

I'm guessing it's the front seal even though I replaced it just 2 weeks ago. I must have put the front seal in wrong somehow. Time to do it again. Practice makes perfect I guess.

[dlb]

i had a leaky CV seal a year or two ago. replaced it and was very careful about the specified depth but it continued to leak. figuring i had done something wrong, i pulled it out and put it in again. still leaked. redid it again. frustrated as all hell, i ordered another CV seal. put it in, no leak. it was a good lesson that some new parts are bad from the get-go.

[Lil Beast]

Check the oring of the dipstick by the same time!

[larry mcgrath]

The lip of the seal goes tward the fluid your trying to contain. also the surface that the seal contacts (HARMONIC BALENCER the front pully) surface needs to be smooth not GROOVED where the seal rides, if it is grooved you can buy a part thats called a speedy sleve that slips over the flange on the balencer,gives you a new seal surface REPAIRED

[Logbear]

Well I'm getting pretty good at what is essentionally a timing belt job, but the oil leak continues. I think I put the seal in with the lip not facing in like it should be and the shaft is scored.
Do you know where I can get the Speedy Sleave in the Seattle area? What size would it be, or can they look up the 3AC engine and figure it out?

[larry mcgrath]

go to napa or any good parts store and they can fix you up ,call ahead you might need your balancer so they can mike it Larry

[xirdneh]

i had a leaky CV seal a year or two ago. replaced it and was very careful about the specified depth but it continued to leak. figuring i had done something wrong, i pulled it out and put it in again. still leaked. .

there is a spring inside the CV axle seal
two times the spring has popped out when installing the axle

[xirdneh]

the oil dipstick tube has an "O" ring on the end where it plugs into the block
it get hard and loses its seal
but i doubt it would produce the size of your leak

[Logbear]

First of all, thanks for the support. It helps when I'm getting frustrated.

I'll be working on this oil leak again in a couple of days. I think when I put the seal in I wasn't careful enough to get the lip pointing in. I imagine that you have to kinda of wiggle it on sideways somehow to get the lip to go inwards and then keep pushing it in. I used a piece of PVC pipe to tap it in. But I wasn't careful about the lip.

I think I'll just try a new seal before I try the speedy sleave. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

[Petros]

logbear,

Even if the place where the seal rides on the front pulley is messed up, I have found that taking some fine sandpaper to it usually is good enough, a repair sleeve is rarely necessary. Use 400 grit or finer wet and dry, by hand, with some solvent, should clean up good enough. Also, grease the inside of the seal surface before you push the pulley back on, it will help prevent damage to it.

You might also check for other souses of leak around the engine, like the oil filter gasket or the fuel pump gasket. Often the oil will follow the oil pan gasket around the bottom of the engine and it looks like the leak is coming from somewhere else. Just double check before you pull it all apart.

I could drop by Tomorrow or Wed mid day if you will be around and take a quick look at it for you, you are almost on my way back from Everett (I have to go to Everett tomorrow and Wed.).

Good luck.