[Mk2] [NA] Still leaking oil...

[TheBaker]

So back at the start of January I changed the RC gasket because it was leaking oil into the 2 middle spark plug holes and I thought it was causing general oil leak spillage. It leaked all the oil the oil tank could hold in 2 months.

So I changed it and it no longer leaks into the plug holes, good. However, my friend overfilled it afterwards and it was still leaking which I thought was due to overfilling, now 3 months later it's still leaking and it's no longer full.

Where could it be leaking from? It's quite hard to tell because it's everywhere and it's not just dripping at one point in the ground, it's in different places which leads me to believe it's higher up...

My only idea is it's the rocker cover due to the bolts being all mangled, maybe they've not screwed in enough but they are tight..

Any ideas or advice to help diagnose is appreciated.

Thanks.

[SFLee]

i think you can change all the rc bolt to allen key head and torque it down to the correct setting (ebay sell them )

factory screw one alway fook when you try to tighten it

[JJ]

Oil leaks dont go upwards, so best thing to do is get under in.. and have a good peak around under the inlet manifold. If the block below it is covered in oil, then the oil leak is above...

In many cases, it is the cam cover as the rubber perishes with age, and those screw heads dont help by loosening themselves either... Cam cover leaks generally give you that all over leak down the back of the engine...

As the engines canted, you'll find the oil will reside at the joint between the cam cover and the head... so it will always loose oil...

Change cam cover oil seal, get the engine steam cleaned ! Then see what else you're dealing with ...

[TheBaker]

If it was the Rocker Cover, would it still leak when the car has been sat stationary for hours?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toyota-3S-GTE-Sta ... 3caa565f39

These one yeah? Didn't see them on there when I changed it otherwise I would have got them.

If I find it's the RC that's the problem I'll definetely get them..

What else could it be that high up?

Cheers.

EDIT: JJ, what is the cam cover oil seal?

[JJ]

what is the cam cover oil seal?

Same thing everyones talking about... rocker cover / cam cover... Technically you dont have any rockers in the engine hence cam cover !

If it was the Rocker Cover, would it still leak when the car has been sat stationary for hours?

Yes, thats what my earlier not referred to.. as the engines canted / on a tilt, it accumulates oil in the joint between the head and the cam cover and as the seal is perished, you'll find it'll weap past there even if static..

Main culprets on the 3S engines... Cam cover ( low pressure ), 2x Camshaft oil seals and the front crankshaft oil seal ( high pressure - leaks when running only )

Hence changing the cam cover seal, wash the engine, if you're still getting a leak at the drivers side of the engine..... replace the 2x cam shaft oil seals and the crankshaft oil seals ! Leak ended !

[toxo]

O ring in the dizzy can go too but that would result in an oil leak down the gearbox-side of the head. Only other one I've had was the oil seal going on the pulley shaft on the oil pump which just spread oil EVERYWHERE!

[TheBaker]

Looking at it I think it is the cam cover, so will the bolts above work? Says their for the 3SGTE but the cam cover is the same yeah?

Cheers.

[TheBaker]

what is the cam cover oil seal?

Same thing everyones talking about... rocker cover / cam cover... Technically you dont have any rockers in the engine hence cam cover !

I don't get what you mean by the seal??

I changed the bolts over to the Allan bolt ones today but it's still leaking.

Pretty sure it is the cam cover leaking, surprising since I lined the inner of the cam cover with silicon to stop leaking.

[JJ]

Pretty sure it is the cam cover leaking, surprising since I lined the inner of the cam cover with silicon to stop leaking

The cam cover has a rubber seal / gasket all around it, so as you're bolting it down against the head, it seals.

Unfortunately you can't get away with sticking a fine film of silicone all round the existing gasket as it'll be porous in many places.

[TheBaker]

Pretty sure it is the cam cover leaking, surprising since I lined the inner of the cam cover with silicon to stop leaking

The cam cover has a rubber seal / gasket all around it, so as you're bolting it down against the head, it seals.

Unfortunately you can't get away with sticking a fine film of silicone all round the existing gasket as it'll be porous in many places.

Ok, well, that's what I changed in Jan, possibly the gasket slipped off, pretty sure I fitted it properly though.

I'll take it all apart again and take the cover off.

Anything else I should check/do when it's off? Shall I remove the lining of silicone I put round it.(I know you mentioned about it being pourous but surely tightening the bolts down will compress the silicone?

Cheers.

[TheBaker]

Well I just spent another 2 hours opening it up and taking it off, no issue with the gasket, stuff right on, I lined the inside of the gasket with sealant, not on top like i described before..

It's obviously leaking from the bottom lower section, I cleaned off some dirt around it and tightened it up to hell(by hand, but got it as tight as possible, wouldnt have been able to do that with the screws) so hopefully it stops..

It's still dripping but hopefully that's oil from before and hopefully this is my last post in this thread.

Cheers guys.

[JJ]

Well done, it is a pain on the NA engines... There are some other areas, but you'll need to get your head around the timing gear before attacking that one... as it can take half day+ in changing them out !

[TheBaker]

It's still leaking.

Guess I'll have to find a place that can steam clean the engine and then figure out exactly where it's coming from. Pretty certain it's from around that area though.

The only reason I can think of as far as the cam cover gasket is maybe it's a crap one? I got it off Ebay, I've seen in posts before that there may be differences between them and the OEM ones.

Cheers.

[JJ]

Theres a problem that I've seen more common with the earlier steel sumps rev 1/2 engines, those that are missing the splash guard start to corrode and they do start to become porous, so check the oil is simply not weaping directly from the sump - mainly the exhaust side of it...

Steam clean a must , you need this to see where it evolves from, otherwise just guessing !

[jit112]

hey

I have had the same problem, and am going to try a new rocker cover too....
Could you tell me where i could get one from?

Have a MR2 rev2 import n/a g limited. Some sites, only do it for some models and i cant find one for my model.

Help would be appreciated.

Jit