Distributor oil leak

[bellysoldier]

I just replace the inner o ring in the distributor of my 1989 camry.
Oem has put some it seems paint around the screw shown on the pic.
Do you know what it for and what kind stuff of it ?

[drugal]

That's torque-seal of some kind. It can prevent the screw from turning, or let you know if the screw has moved. It was used since those screws are critical for the distributor and you don't want them coming out.

I used a small blob of rtv silicone on each screw when I rebuilt my distributor. It isn't necessary, but I would recommend it.

[bellysoldier]

Does the distributor need High Temp rtv silicone ?

[johnjohnchu]

Hi,
my 1991 V6 camery has an oil leak near the distributor. Probably need to replace o-ring on the distributor. What kind of o-ring (high temp etc.)? Can it be replaced easily?
Regards,
John

[Zembonez]

That paint on the screw is a tamper resistant item. It shows when something has been taken apart... sort of like breaking a seal. Very common in electronics. It may also keep screws from becoming loose.

If a distributor is leaking oil externally, the o-ring / gasket is likely the problem. It it leaks oil internally, the shaft or bushings in the housing are likely worn out and allowing oil to flow past them.

[PaulPR]

As was mentioned, if the dist is leaking externally, it's likely the simple O ring that goes around the outside of the housing. If it's leaking internally, there's a conventional shaft seal. The hardest part about replacing the shaft seal is removing the pin that holds the drive gear at the bottom end of the shaft. Unless you've done a great job of cleaning yours, it doesn't look like you have an internal leak.

There's a company in Canada called KBox Engineering that sells the seals/o ring/gaskets.