Toyota Conquest 2e

Question

Please help out. Oil is leaking from the cam seal. I replaced the seal 4 times. When the mechanic pushes in the seal, it gets in easily with no effort. After that, you start the engine and the seal kicks out. What can be worn here? Any problem with the cap?

Answer 1

The easiest way I've found to deal with this is to pull the old seal out, then completely dry the area of all oil. Put some sealant on the metal part of the seal or around the where the seal mounts. When good and coated (be generous, but don't slop it on), put the seal back into place. Allow the sealant to completely dry. This will take from 8-24 hours depending on the sealant. The key here is to not put too much sealant on the seal, but enough to capture, hold, and seal the metal portion of it. Don't get any on the rubber part of the seal as when the engine starts, it will most likely tear the seal up and you'll be back at square one. There is a product called The Right Stuff which would work really good for this application.

You also want to check the area of the cam which rides on the seal to ensure there's no rough spots (nicks, gouges). If you can run a fingernail across it and feel something, it's too much. Usually there won't be anything wrong here, but you should always check.

As long as you let the seal dry in place before you start the engine, you shouldn't have any issues with it. Just be patient with it and don't jump the gun.