All these things make replacing the gasket a relatively expensive maintenance item. Often, things like the alternator, power steering pump, and air conditioning compressor must be moved or removed to change the timing cover gasket. The timing cover gasket can be expensive to replace due to its location and the accessories surrounding it. Also, as you drive, the timing chain whips oil from down on the crank all the way up to the top of your engine so a leak could appear anywhere from the bottom to the top of your engine making them difficult to diagnose. Since the timing cover must surround the entire timing chain, which runs from the engine crank up to the camshafts, it’s a large cover with a large gasket. If you having a timing belt and notice an oil leak coming from the front of your engine, try reading our article about camshaft seal replacements to see if that is where your leak is. If the list of required maintenance items includes replacing a timing belt between 50,000 and 100,000 miles, then you have a timing belt and won’t have a timing cover gasket leak. To tell which type of engine you have in your car, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual. If your vehicle has a timing chain, there will be a cover over the chain and drive gears to contain the engine oil so it is very possible that is where your leak is coming from. If your vehicle is equipped with a timing belt, then it will be mounted external to the engine’s lubrication system so your engine won’t have a timing cover gasket to leak. On the other hand, timing chains take a little more energy to run but they are extremely robust since they are lubricated by your engine oil and rarely if ever, need to be replaced. Belts are quiet and efficient but require regular replacement to keep them in good condition since they are not lubricated. To keep these things in sync, some engines use a belt that runs from the crankshaft and drives the camshaft to keep things in time, while other types of engines use a chain. It’s important to keep the timing between the crankshaft and camshaft consistent because the cam drives the valve train and it’s important to keep the valves opening and closing in proper relation to the piston’s movement to maintain the maximum engine efficiency. There are two main ways an engine keeps the timing consistent between the crankshaft and the camshafts. To start to determine if you’ve got a timing cover gasket leak, you’ve got to figure out if that is even possible on the motor in your car. On the other hand, a timing cover gasket leak can spread oil over most of your engine, leave drips in odd places, leak sometimes, but not others, and be generally elusive. For example, if you’ve got an oil pan gasket leak, it’s obvious because you won’t find any oil above the oil pan gasket, meaning your entire engine will be clean except for the oil pan. Many leaks leave obvious indications in certain places that make it quick to tell what the problem is. time will tell.Timing cover gasket leaks can be one of the most elusive leaks your vehicle can get. I don't have a pulley holder tool so I just used the electric impact wrench. The Toyota manual recommends 104 ft lbs torque to tighten the pulley bolt. Also be careful when tapping the oil seal back in. The instructions also say that if you do scratch the metal when removing the oil seal to use 400 grit sand paper to smooth it out. You need to be VERY CAREFUL not to scratch the inside with the screwdriver so that's why the Toyota manual says to cover the tip of the screwdriver with some tape. Now the Oil Seal is difficult to take out. I used an electric impact wrench and it came out really easy. When removing the Crankshaft pulley nut I didn't using any tool to hold the pulley. That's why lots of people MISTAKENLY diagnose it as a timing chain gasket or some other gasket or think they failed doing the Timing Tensioner O ring properly. When the oil leaks from the crankshaft seal it gets on to the pulley and flings it all over the place. HOWEVER, if you still have an oil leak and the oil still exists at the bottom of the timing tensioner it is MOST LIKELY the crankshaft seal. I used RTV sealant in addition to the new O Ring and it worked fine. So the first step is to do the easiest and change the timing tensioner O Ring. You really CAN'T tell where the oil is coming from. Crankshaft pulley Oil Seal (aka camshaft pulley aka harmonic balancer) (Toyota Part No. Doing a ton of research on Corolla and Matrix cars it looks like these are the two most likely culprits:ġ. so I had an oil leak that was very hard to diagnose since it's splattered all over the rear passenger side area of my 06 Pontiac Vibe (150K miles).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |