3SFE oil seeping through distributor? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Rebound91 · 08-22-2007, 08:57 PM

'91 3SFE, 172k miles.

I replaced my distributor cap recently and when I pulled the old one off, I found a small amount of oil in the distributor. It's also dripping down the rear of the engine onto the transmission (not alot, but I've still got to keep my eye on the oil level). At the time, I also replaced the valve cover gasket because it was leaking badly, which is where I guessed the oil was coming from. Cleaned everything up and I'm on my way.

A little bit of time goes by and I'm still getting an oil leak right near the distributor. The valve cover gasket is no longer leaking (cleaner engine bay and the car is losing less oil). I pulled the cap off and there was oil in it again! Is there a seal inside the distributor that can fail, or is it time for a new distributor?? Thanks in advance.

atobe · 08-22-2007, 09:12 PM

you can get the distributor seal kit like so
http://www.kbox.ca/catalog/product_i...4b7066ea1c268f
or replace the whole thing it's up to you.

Rebound91 · 08-22-2007, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atobe

you can get the distributor seal kit like so
http://www.kbox.ca/catalog/product_i...4b7066ea1c268f
or replace the whole thing it's up to you.

That is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for the quick information!

scribby · 08-22-2007, 10:29 PM

I've replaced the seals in my distributer, was a pain in the ass to do but its worth it.
Post back here if you have any troubles and ill try and help ya.

ChevelleSSLS6 · 08-27-2007, 03:16 PM

mine seeps as well... is this a possible cause for misfiring and bucking? See thread below http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t206905.html

IvanHoe · 08-27-2007, 07:25 PM

I just replaced the distributor rather then doing the kit.....foolproof

ChevelleSSLS6 · 08-30-2007, 12:50 AM

since the coil is in the distributor, does a new distributor come with a coil?
just wondering, getting pee'd at the Camry and it's bucking.

can seeping oil cause a short as well? Just wondering if this is a possible cause for the bucking/severe misfire feeling.

wiccanferret · 08-30-2007, 08:34 AM

If the oil is actually on the contact points for the distributor then it could definitely cause bucking. And, no, the new distributor will not come with a coil unless you order it that way and pay far more then they're both worth.

ChevelleSSLS6 · 08-30-2007, 10:17 PM

no oil on the inside of the cap, contacts on the distributor, or wires that go to the coil. When I replace the coil, the dist. seal is just a simple o-ring, right? I'm a noob to these cars so bear with me. (all my previous cars had no distributor, and my Jeep needed nothing besides a cap and rotor)

***CharmCityES*** · 08-30-2007, 10:19 PM

theres a seal gasket in the distributor, and eventually it rots and causes a small leak
its an easy and cheap fix

IvanHoe · 08-31-2007, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChevelleSSLS6

since the coil is in the distributor, does a new distributor come with a coil?
just wondering, getting pee'd at the Camry and it's bucking.

can seeping oil cause a short as well? Just wondering if this is a possible cause for the bucking/severe misfire feeling.

distributor comes with a new coil.....and some even come with cap and wires....atleast mine did!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorCamrySE

theres a seal gasket in the distributor, and eventually it rots and causes a small leak
its an easy and cheap fix

I found it near impossible to pull the little wobbly end piece off of the distributor and get to that seal.... I just replaced the whole distributor and never looked back....."she" runs like a top!

Kep · 09-01-2007, 01:32 PM

You can buy the distributor through Toyota as just the body (you will need to use your old wire harness and coil or buy new ones) or as a complete unit (I forget if you can option the cap, wires & rotor. I think that they are separate.)

You can buy aftermarket products (may or may not be as good as you hope)

You can buy e-bay or junk yard used parts. While these may be as bad as the one you are trying to replace you will now have one to work on while you can still drive the camry. If you decide to rebuild one I believe that you need to drill out/remove a rod at the bottom so you can disassemble the saft to put in the new seal. Not rocket science but you can't be sloppy. There is a supplier on the WEB that carries the seal and replacement rod and gives more thorough instructions. Toyota doesn't sell the internal seal. Do a search on this forum and maybe the other Toyota forums for similar posts.

Kep

Rebound91 · 03-01-2008, 08:12 PM

Post resurrection alert!

I finally got around to rebuilding the distributor and it worked great. That new pin for the "wobbly" piece on the end sure went in there harder than the old one came out! It still wobbled properly, so I guess it was just a snug fit. Plus, the gasket around the base of the distributor was definitely the culprit for the oil leak. I literally flaked it off with a screwdriver.

There's one thing I don't understand. I've got the 1991 Camry factory service manual and it says that if the air gap between the little pickups in the distributor aren't in spec, then the whole distributor has to be replaced. Now, I removed both of those pickups when I rebuilt the distributor and I just set the air gaps with feeler gauges upon reassembly. I dabbed a little threadlocker on the screws and some Torq-Seal on the screw heads and off I went, problem free. Anybody know why the manual would say to replace it when you apparently don't need to??