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5SFE Oil leak at Dist - can I fix it myself??

8K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  fred9x 
#1 ·
96 Camry wagon with 117,000 miles. I bought it new. I'm NOT a mechanic. Other than fluids and spark plus, I have replaced valve cover gasket (to stop an oil leak). But I'm retired and considering trying to do the repair myself. I now realize oil leak is over one year old. Not burning oil - 12 months and 6,000 miles and dip stick level only got to Low notch. Also no oil on pavement (Yet?). But fresh, glistening oil's highest point is bottom of distributor.

I read there are two O rings/gaskets - one external and one internal. I'm not interested in trying to rebuild the dizzy to get to the internal gasket. The full new oem distributor, #19100-74230, ain't cheap but would replacing it be similar to this video about an MR2?



I've also seen discussion of just replacing the distributor housing, part # 19235-74230. Would doing so replace both O rings/gaskets?

Lastly, should I first take off the dist cap to look for oil in it? And if there is oil in it does that indicate the internal O ring/gasket is leaking?

Thank you.
 
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#2 ·
96 Camry wagon with 117,000 miles. I bought it new. I'm NOT a mechanic. Other than fluids and spark plus, I have replaced valve cover gasket (to stop an oil leak). But I'm retired and considering trying to do the repair myself. I now realize oil leak is over one year old. Not burning oil - 12 months and 6,000 miles and dip stick level only got to Low notch. Also no oil on pavement (Yet?). But fresh, glistening oil's highest point is bottom of distributor.

I read there are two O rings/gaskets - one external and one internal. I'm not interested in trying to rebuild the dizzy to get to the internal gasket. The full new oem distributor, #19100-74230, ain't cheap but would replacing it be similar to this video about an MR2?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcuYmz4mzzQ

I've also seen discussion of just replacing the distributor housing, part # 19235-74230. Would doing so replace both O rings/gaskets?

Lastly, should I first take off the dist cap to look for oil in it? And if there is oil in it does that indicate the internal O ring/gasket is leaking?

Thank you.
There is an external o-ring that prevents leakage out of the hole in the head, easy-peasy. There is a dust gasket where the cap mates to the distributor body, also easy-peasy. The internal shaft seal is a bigger problem...if that is leaking, you will see oil coming out of the weep hole.

I had the internal seal leaking, so I bought a kit from Twos-r-us to redo it. Long story short, it's more trouble than it's worth and if it's leaking you should get a new or OEM reman distributor.

Long story: the shaft was so worn that after installing and aligning everything, it still leaked and I bought a Cardone reman from RA. That solved the problem. HTH
 
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#3 ·
Thanks for your "real life experience" Mr Insight. :))

I'll try to look closer for weep hole leak but as of now I'm leaning towards RA complete distributor for $203 delivered.
 
#4 ·
Nooooooo

...judging by your price, I'm guessing you're looking at the Cardone Select (new) distributor. Avoid it and the other aftermarket new ones...get an OEM reman (the Autoline option). Trust me, I forgot to mention: before my Cardone reman, I tried a Spectra, a WPS, two Cardone Selects. None of them could adjust to the proper timing advance (10 deg BTDC...closest was the second Cardone Select, it got to 9 deg at max travel). I know the '96 is the non-adjustable, ECM-set electronic ignition (with the stopgap distributor before they went to full DIS in '97), but still. Reman is your best option IMO.
 
#5 ·
From your picture I'd say leak is from the shaft o-ring where the distributor shaft goes into the head.

I had the same leak for a long time and attempted fixes like new o-ring did not work. What worked was a new distributor. However I would first attempt just a new shaft o-ring, then the distributor if that is not successful.

I purchased a new aftermarket distributor and it was fine.
 
#6 ·
Yes, Mr Insight, I was looking at the SELECT product on RA. The only A-1 Cardone REMAN they list is "Distributor, housing". it does not include the cap or rotor. It's $147 plus & $75 core fee(refundable). RA says it's Toy's 19100-74230 but that's the full number for the "full" Distributor. Toy's number for just the housing is 19235 - 74230.

Thank you Stillrunning, for your real life experience too!
 
#8 ·
Just put a RA dizzy in my '94 5SFE. The coil finally gave up the game on the original dizzy. Spectra Premium is what I installed from RA. Complete assembly all the way down to the shaft o-ring. Make a mental note of the rotor's position before you pull the dizzy. Lube the new o-rig with motor oil, align the new rotor in the same general position and push it into the head. It only goes one. Check/set timing when engine is up to operating temp, trans in neutral, jump the two connectors in the diagnostic port and dial her in.
 
#9 · (Edited)
My Two Cents

Valve cover and distributor both were leaking on my 96 Camry Sedan 5S-FE (4 cyl).

I installed new Cardone Select 8474427 distributor for about $187 from Rock Auto in December 2014. I replaced valve cover gasket and spark plug tube nut seals at same time. Car has never leaked oil since; runs perfectly.

You ask good questions, which I will attempt to answer. Here are my opinionated comments:

I used a Haynes Repair Manual and the forum to develop step-by-step guide to make this repair. Before undertaking this repair, make sure you have access to Haynes or Toyota service manuals. With these documents in hand, yes you can make this repair.

Yes, there is an internal o-ring and an external o-ring that can leak. An external o-ring comes with a new distributor. Buying a new or re-manufactured unit means not having to deal with an internal o-ring repair. I personally only buy new and depending on what it is I sometimes only buy Toyota OEM parts. Repairing distributors is uncommon for most, in case you don't know that. And yes, typically oil inside the cap means the internal o-ring is leaking.

My repair was way, way more involved than the MR2 video. Here’s why: First off, I removed spark plugs, turned crankshaft to set engine at TDC (removed front left tire to get at crank) prior to pulling distributor, removed valve cover, and also removed air intake box and hoses/wires to move them completely out of my way – to make access to distributor and top of engine easy. I did all this in part because I spent time on making sure I stopped all oil leaks from valve cover area.

I spent serious time and effort cleaning the valve cover head mating areas (including the half moons) since this is a common area to leak oil on the 5S-FE. I would not replace a distributor without doing a proper reseal on the valve cover because it may be hard to identify where oil is leaking from if you continue to have leaks. I think it is best to clean it all up and then closely watch for leaks after this repair.

To be honest, installing the replacement distributor with the valve cover off makes it a trivial effort, since you can plainly see where the distributor shaft is to mate up with the camshaft slot (and assuming you know how to align distributor with engine at TDC). So, think about whether you want to make this real easy on yourself. Clearly not a mandatory step (valve cover off), but sure makes it easy to quickly install distributor if you're new around engines.

I took two full days to make this repair. Here’s why: The valve cover has four mating areas, plus the half moons assuming you remove them, which require Permatex sealant (most others would likely use Toyota FIPG instead of Permatex). Permatex needs time to set up, which most mechanics ignore because they are time constrained. I let the Permatex setup for four hours after application, then gently set the valve cover into position on the head during the overnight hours, then waited until the next morning to torque the tube nuts to 10 pounds, then at the 24 hour mark (late in day) I did the final torque to 17 lbs. I used red, high temp Permatex. Not a single drop of oil has leaked since this repair in 2014. (I’m guessing not everyone does things my way.)

Also, it is important to check the torque on the tube nuts a couple of weeks after this repair, as the new valve cover gasket may have compressed a little. I faithfully check the torque on these tube nuts every six months.

Hope this helps.
 
#10 ·
Dang. When I did my VC gasket I just put some FIPG where it was needed and just put the VC right back on. I didn't do it to save time, I just didn't know otherwise. My thought was where there was a gap the sealant would stay and where there wasn't it would just come out. I also thought it should be tightened before it set so it would conform to any gaps and not dry to form an uneven mating surface. What did I miss and what happens when you do the slow timed compression of the FIPG?
 
#11 ·
What did I miss and what happens when you do the slow timed compression of the FIPG?
well, I'm guessing this question was aimed at me given my earlier comments about Permatex.

And my reply: I didn't investigate FIPG that thoroughly because I trust Permatex (used it for many, many years). With that said, I am the first to acknowledge that what I do is not what most others do. I think most others do exactly what brianappj does, which is sort of the "standard" way. I'm just not sure it works consistently though. On two separate occasions, by two separate "Toyota" mechanics, I have seen "repaired" valve covers leak again within weeks of the original repair. Not impressed.

So, I follow my method and will continue to do so since it works for me. If you read the instructions on red Permatex it takes about 24 hours for it to fully set. I also acknowledge that properly cleaning the mating surfaces is helpful, and I know for sure that no mechanic spends much time cleaning these surfaces in detail since that involves increased labor time and increased costs.

I mean it when I say not a drop of oil leaks from my engine. I'm going to continue sealing valve covers my way.
 
#12 ·
KCAM22, thank you for your "real life experience". I replaced the VC gasket 2 years ago and so far so good. I agree the nuts have to be checked per my pasted below my comment on a another recent thread. I guess if you are finding then loose at 6 months I should check more than annually.
+1 as Hooter says - tighten the valve cover via nuts under plugs to 17 Ft-lb. Two years ago I replaced leaking valve cover gasket. At that time someone here said to re-tighten each year. Sure enough 12 month later and then 12 months after that I've been turning each nut a little at a time (maybe full turn in total). My hindsight says maybe I didn't need a new gasket, just needed to tighten nuts?


Glad to hear another owner saying that oil in dizzy cap means internal gasket is bad.
 
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