Hello everyone, my car's camshaft seal is leaking oil. However, finding the proper one is a little difficult for me. Since One has a CVVT Cam Gear Actuator, the other does not. My car is the 2000 v40 1.9t. How am I supposed to know which one to get?


The image below is only an indication of the location. This isn't from my vehicle.

 

If a front cam seal is leaking you should replace both. A common thing that causes the seals to leak is too much crankcase pressure due to a clogged or partially clogged PCV system. So new seals will be a temporary fix if the PCV is a problem. Keep in mind that on the sv40 1.9 4 cylinder of that vintage - the VVT pulleys leak oil and it's almost impossible to tell if the seal is leaking or it's the gear. A new gear is the solution, preferably before the new cam belt is damaged from oil continuing to leak from the VVT after you have replaced the front seals! The 5 and 6 cylinder VVTs seem to rarely leak - but it is common with the 4 cylinder engines.

 

+1. Keep in mind that the work requires the removal of the timing belt so with that out of the way, its a good time to replace the belt/tensioner unless they are recent, any suspect seals, inspect the water pump/crank seal, and the gear. If I recall correctly, the shop time for replacing the timing belt itself is something like 2 1/2 hours give or take, and doing the seals and gear is a minor add-on not counting part costs. Do this right and you should be good for another 10 years/120K miles.

 

Hello, and thank you so much for your reply. Yes, I'm thinking of replacing all of the belts, tensioners, idler, and water pump because the timing belt will need to be moved. Is there anything more that may be a nice little extra?

 

With the timing belt off, you will also be able to check out the serpentine belt and related idler/tensioner parts as well as the accessory pulleys. At a minimum I'd put on a fresh belt since its not a big $$ item.