Getting ready to change the cam seals and timing belt due to a nasty oil leak somewhere on that side of the engine. The car has 148,000 miles. Before taking off the piece of grooved metal that the camshaft sensor reads I marked it with a bit of nail polish just to be safe (I did not know if it was keyed). Anyhow while loosening the center bolt it moved the camshaft a bit. I don't think it skipped any teeth as the belt is tight. Will this cause any problems?

Now about the crank pulley. Why is it necessary to remove this? When you remove the hydraulic belt tensioner does that not leave enough slack to remove the belt? Thanks.

Adam

 

No. There's some "play" in the camshaft because of the VVT

You need to remove the crank pulley to change the belt.

Also, do you know if the water pump has ever been replaced? If not, now would be a great time to do it since you have everything out of the way. And it's only about $50.

 

So you're doing this job without a camshaft locking tool? Bad idea.

 

Thank you for the quick reply. The service book shows that the 105,000 mile service was completed by the dealer. So I'm pretty sure it was changed then. I called the dealer to try and verify but they said it happened too long ago and their records were purged This is a really high end dealer as well.

ES6T: You need to remove that camshaft sensor piece before you can even install the locking tool. I'm buying some steel pieces today to make one. Something like this. It gives me a reason to use my Harbor Freight welder

 

So 43kmi since the service & the cam seals are leaking? Maybe the oil trap is due for replacement. (it should be changed every 40kmi)

 

Ah I thought you meant the center bolt for the CVVT. My bad. Definitely use a cam lock tool though.

The breather box does not have a mileage replacement interval.

 

My bad. Didn't want to give out false info. I read somewhere (and I can't remember where) that the oil trap and hoses should be replaced every 40kmi.

 

I wish! I could make a killing recommending that on cars based on mileage.

It really depends on maintenance of the car, to be honest. If the owner is not changing the oil often enough, it will certainly plug up eventually. I don't recommend them based on anything other than crankcase pressure. If I get a car with leaking cam seals or a rear main, I check the crankcase pressure to see if it needs a breather box.

 

I'm sure there are some places that do. They tell the customer that it's "highly recommended" to prevent other problems.
I did mine since I didn't know it's history and it's real easy to replace while I was doing the head gasket.

 

Yeah well, unfortunately, there are always places that don't do the right thing.

Doing it with a head gasket sure is a good idea, though. The parts are cheap and like you said, it's simple while you're in there.

 

I serviced the flame trap right before starting this, because everyone says that is the main cause of oil leaks. Everything was completely clear, no crud blocking any of the openings on the block or that long aluminum tube either. The box was just about empty but since I had already bought a new one I replaced it. I've only owned the car less than a year but keep up with oil changes and run synthetic.

This all started with a large puddle of oil by the passenger tire after driving to work. Oil was all over the inside of the timing belt cover and frame underneath. The turbos and oil cooler lines looked ok. If it turns out not to be the cam seals then I'm stumped.

 

Large puddle of oil? If not the cam seals then maybe the main seal (crankshaft). If you haven't taken everything off yet, I'd remove the timing cover and spray everything down with brake cleaner (it's a great de-greaser). Then start up the engine and see if oil is spraying out from the back of the pulleys.

 

This oil leak is very frustrating. The passenger side of the car has been on a jack for a week now. I just noticed a large oil puddle under the driver's side

Something was leaking oil in the timing belt area originally. The cover had lots of oil inside it and so did the frame underneath. It left a large puddle two days in a row. The crank seal looks clean enough but I haven't removed the timing belt yet. I don't see much evidence of cam seals leaking, as oil would be dripping down from the top. Most of the oil was around the hydraulic tensioner. I'm not sure what to do at this point.