Last night I removed my cam covers and found this oil down the front of the engine. I'm guessing it's from the rocker cover gaskets leaking rather than the cam seals as going on Jeff's thread the other day I would have seen oil on the top of the covers but they were spotless, as is the belt and gears. The gaskets were pretty hard. Give me your opinions before I go any further please.

 

 

Last night I removed my cam covers and found this oil down the front of the engine. I'm guessing it's from the rocker cover gaskets leaking rather than the cam seals as going on Jeff's thread the other day I would have seen oil on the top of the covers but they were spotless, as is the belt and gears. The gaskets were pretty hard. Give me your opinions before I go any further please.

 

 

 

leaking inlet cam pully.the rear of the pully has a machine pressed hub and its this that leaks...in the worst cases you can actually turn the inner hub.Ive just had to replace one of mine that was dripping like a tap it was that bad

Last night I removed my cam covers and found this oil down the front of the engine. I'm guessing it's from the rocker cover gaskets leaking rather than the cam seals as going on Jeff's thread the other day I would have seen oil on the top of the covers but they were spotless, as is the belt and gears. The gaskets were pretty hard. Give me your opinions before I go any further please.

 

The oil is just misting at the moment, the cam seals are still suspect but just in early stages, as said above the pulleys themselves can leak at the rear or even if a line has been caused in the seal location but this would show more like a more fuller leak rather than misting, from the pics the oil has yet to get on the belt which is why there was no tell tail signs at the top of the cambelt covers.

 

Jeff ex Zedworld

Bugger that's not what I wanted to hear didn't want to have to take the belt off.

 

Thanks for the replies chaps, what's the recommended course of action? Belt off - gears off - replace camshaft seals and check for scratches in seal seat. If the hub is leaking will it be loose in the back of the gear or what? I'm not familiar with these at all.

Can anyone give me any pointers on this before I get started please? Is it going to be blatantly obvious if these hubs are shagged or not or is there a way to test them?

Can anyone give me any pointers on this before I get started please? Is it going to be blatantly obvious if these hubs are shagged or not or is there a way to test them?

 

pretty straight forward bud...you do need to disturb the belt but thats simple iff you take your time. To remove the pully undoe the 4 small screws on front pully cover,be ready for the vvt spring to jump out and some oil spillage.then to save taking cam cover off to lock camshaft i use an impact and i think its a 17mm bolt,undo and withdraw the pully off the cam.Check the rear hub around the pressed seal as this is where it leaks.Some look ok to the eye untill under oil pressure and the worst you can grip the rear and turn it which is self explantatry.Its better to just replace a suspect bad one with a used known good one and before you put it back on the cam ide replace the camseal as this can be pulled out and pressed in from the front not forgeting to grease the seal face on the pully and carefully slide the pully in to the seal so as not to damage the lip.Be very carefull iff you have to put the main bolt back in with an impact as it can catch you out by spinning the pully and shearing the locating pin.belt back on and normal belt/pullys alignment procedure and jobs a good one ......think thats it really as all is reversal of stripping.

youtube have vids on the VVT pullys and what to look for:thumbup1:

Edited July 8, 201312 yr by znut

Sweet that's just what I needed mate:thumbup1: Thanks alot

When my Zed suffered oil leaks in that area and despite changing the seals it still leaked, with engine running and covers removed place a large piece of paper above each sprocket at a time.

Fine Oil should spray onto the paper from which ever sprocket is leaking!

hth

Smithy

think i have this issue.. got oil around the top of the pulley/belt cover. what are the consequences of this leak? and how urgently will it need dealing with? I have a spattering of oil on my garage floor, but its taken 18 months to really look like much.

think i have this issue.. got oil around the top of the pulley/belt cover. what are the consequences of this leak? and how urgently will it need dealing with? I have a spattering of oil on my garage floor, but its taken 18 months to really look like much.

 

well mine went big time and developed into a drip off the bottom of motor every 5 seconds,that bad i thought ide popped a oil cooler pipe.Its in the oil pressure circut too so the harder you rev the more you,ll lose iff it got as bad as mine

Brian when you say grease the seal face on the pulley do you mean the front face of the seal you can see once its installed? Do the seals need anything on the inside around where the cam spins? I've seen this done before but on the rear main seal?

Brian when you say grease the seal face on the pulley do you mean the front face of the seal you can see once its installed? Do the seals need anything on the inside around where the cam spins? I've seen this done before but on the rear main seal?

 

smear the rear hub or iff your not sure the seal its self not to much but just to give protection untill oil gets up to the cam boxes and take your time sliding it in slow and square as to not damage the seal lip..