Common gen2 I4 oil leaks?

[jamesm113]

My 89 Camry I4 with 156k is leaking a lot of oil. Originally it was leaking about 3qts every 3000 miles, and then i replaced the oil pan gasket with some permatex ultra black gasket maker. Since then, it's leaked about 1qt over 1500 miles.

What are the common types of oil leaks that would cause this much leakage?

It's possible i might have rubbed off some of the gasket maker when i put the oil pan in - how well do the fel-pro cork gaskets work?

Thanks!

[white90dx]

Popular leaks:
Valve cover
Distributor
Front/rear main seals + cam seal
Oil pan

Are you sure its all leaking? My alltrac burns about 1qt every 2500 miles while probably leaking .25qts over a oil change...

-Charlie

[jamesm113]

Originally Posted by white90dx

Popular leaks:
Valve cover
Distributor
Front/rear main seals + cam seal
Oil pan

Are you sure its all leaking? My alltrac burns about 1qt every 2500 miles while probably leaking .25qts over a oil change...

-Charlie

yes, i'm positive it's all leaking - it's all over the engine compartment.

Valve cover was replaced 21k ago, and i didn't notice any leaks -
distributor looked like it might be leaking a bit, but would that be causing that much oil to leak?

I will check the front/rear main seals and the cam seal

edit: front crank seal was replaced with 104k in jan 2000, don't have a record of the rear one or cam seal

[mcx]

"speghetti" seal in the oil pump was a major leak on my car!!

[66conv6]

"Batwing" oil pump cover O-ring was the major leak on my car at 1qt every 150 miles. Replaced O-ring, oil pump shaft seal and crankshaft seal while I was at it and new timing belt for that "while you're in there" stuff. Cost $500 as I didn't have the time or place to do it myself. I think I'm now using a qt. every 12-1500 miles with no more identifiable leaks. Have 203,000 miles now and car runs great except for starter grinding and really bad paint.

[Tom 2000]

- I had a leak from around the distributor. Replaced O-ring.
- I still had a leak from there and found out the oil was leaking through the distributor. Replaced it with a good used distributor, but found out later you can buy a rebuild kit like this for a lot less.

http://kbox.ca/catalog/product_info....roducts_id/232

- I changed the front main & cam seal with the timing belt, so I never had a leak there. Never had problem with the rear main seal.

- The last leak, which I never fixed was the head gasket. I had a small leak towards the back of the engine near/behind the #4 cylinder.

The car also had worn valve seals.

I added a quart or two of oil between oil changes.

I sold it at 146K miles.

[gregzbutt]

The oil pump "batwing" or "spaghetti" seal and the oil pump shaft seal were the bad leakers for me. I went from 1 qt lost every 400 miles to 1 qt every 1000 miles after I got around to fixing it. The distributer is still leaking though. I think the oil pump seals and the distributor shaft seal are the most common sources of leaks. I'd say you're pretty good with the permatex ultra black on the oil pan too. As long as you do a good job of cleaning the mating surfaces, and your oil pan edges aren't all warped, it should last you a long time. I actually had a really hard time getting my oil pan off after I sealed it with the same stuff. It would not let go!