OIL Leak\Thump on startup - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

keba · 03-05-2007, 08:58 AM

hey everybody,

96 LE I4 164K

OIL LEAK

Im having a bad oil leak from the passenger side of my Camry(2Qt a week).The lower half of the timing belt cover seems to be wet.However it only leaks when the engine is running.It stops within a minute or so after the engine is turned off.

I crawled underneath it and the oil seemed to be dripping from the pan gasket area , around the timing belt cover but from the rear side of the engine.Its a steady leak,about a drop every second.I bought a new gasket and was about to change it but the stupid exhaust is in the way(and I dont have a flex joint for the pan bolts ,or a extension for the exhaust).

So am I being misled here with the pan gasket or is it more serious like a oil pump seal or front main seal?

Thump on startup
Im having a thump when the engine just starts turning over.It only happens on starts,comes from the passenger side.Recently changed the dogbone mount(was fine for two months after till recently

Thanks,
keba

hooRAH · 03-05-2007, 09:26 AM

Oil leak sounds like the oil pump housing o-ring. Search my name, or search for oil pump o-ring. Its been discussed before.

You're basically looking at a timing belt job + all front engine seals.

hooRAH · 03-05-2007, 09:27 AM

Oil leak sounds like the oil pump housing o-ring. Search my name, or search for oil pump o-ring. Its been discussed before.

You're basically looking at a timing belt job + all front engine seals.

hooRAH · 03-05-2007, 09:29 AM

Oil leak sounds like the oil pump housing o-ring. Search my name, or search for oil pump o-ring. Its been discussed before.

You're basically looking at a timing belt job + all front engine seals.

keba · 03-05-2007, 09:37 AM

thats what I was afraid of..The only part where things would get sticky is with the bolting and unbolting the crankshaft pulley.

I know i can take it out with the starter method but how would you torque it back on?because there is nothing preventing it from spinning....

abew330 · 03-05-2007, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hooRAH

Oil leak sounds like the oil pump housing o-ring. Search my name, or search for oil pump o-ring. Its been discussed before.

You're basically looking at a timing belt job + all front engine seals.

changing the front engine seals hard?

abew330 · 03-05-2007, 09:44 AM

i have the same kinda leak...
i havent checked it cuz its not that bad but anyway my leak is a bit smaller than the size of a dime
coming from pass side strut tower area..
i finally got around to change the valve gasket so i know its not that..

keba · 03-05-2007, 10:10 AM

read a buncha threads on this freakin oil pump thing.seems like all seals,timing belt plus kitchen sink is only way out.anyway if im gonna do it might as well do it correctly,the parts at rockauto being dirt cheap and all...

but it so hard without a garage and its 20 outside....

anyone know what the thump is??

Pimpinda93camry · 03-05-2007, 10:23 AM

If you are desribing what i think you had the smae thing as me. like they said oil pump o-ring.

when i was doing my timing belt i removed the plugs and since it was leaking oil on 95 i stoped and didnt have a funel so i sp[illed it into plugs. been doing this for a while. like when it cranks then as sun as it starts it thumps. after i rempoved the plugs the oil that was there it was put in cylendar. so i cranked it and i it hasnt had it do it since then.

hope this hjelps

hooRAH · 03-05-2007, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abew330

changing the front engine seals hard?

Depends on how much wrenching you do. There have been a handful of threads detailing how difficult a timing belt change is on this car. Given that you can't permanently mess up the head (non-interference), I'd say its pretty easy, but you'd better have been around a few stuck bolts and clearance issues to be able to work your way out before you try it.

Undoing the crank pulley bolt was the easiest part of the process if you only count the time spent removing the pulley, not TRYING to remove it. My impact gun wouldn't take it off, so after several attempts, I used the 'bump starter' method. Worked real easy. Just go straight to that step. As for torquing it on, I used my impact gun.

After the timing belt is done, removing the engine seals is easy.

ghettosled · 03-05-2007, 11:51 AM

the thump on startup sounds like a bad engine mount somewhere. does it do this all the time when starting, both when the engine is cold and warm? start the engine with the hood up and see how much it shakes and see if the thump noise coincides with the inital shake of the motor.

in terms of the leak, if it only leaks when the car is running, i dont think its the oil pan gasket. that would continue to leak even after the motor is turned off as the oil drains back to the pan. take off the timing belt cover to see for sure where the leak is coiming from. it is probably the oil pump, but can also be the crank seal or even some from the cam seal, but not likely.

keba · 03-05-2007, 12:16 PM

about the thump,yes it does it all the time...,but if its successive start ,it sounds like a thum,thump thump and then when the mtor catches ..it goes away.

I dont have a second person around to help me watch the motor,but is there a place on the wiring block wher i can jerry rig the starter relay?

Im going to order

crank seal
oil pump o ring
oil pump seal
timing belt or maybe a belt,tensioner,idler kit...
power steering,accessory belts..(why not if Im in there already)

chain wrench - this is supposed to help with the crank pulley when the old accesory blt is wrapped around it to protect the V's

I figure more is better because I dont have a second car around plus the price for all these ends up like 140 with shipping.(much less without the timing belt kit)

Lemme know if something more will help .

appreciate all your help .

keba

hooRAH · 03-05-2007, 02:52 PM

I wouldn't buy the chain wrench. My impact gun claimed up to 350 lb-ft of torque and was not able to get the crank pulley bolt off. I highly doubt you're going to be able to hold the pulley with the chain wrench in one hand and turn a breaker bar with the other.

I would use the bump starter method of taking the bolt off and invest in a cordless impact (or borrow one) to put it back on.

keba · 03-05-2007, 07:00 PM

Update - Fixed the Thump Noise.
Dog bone had worked loose (on the body side).Tightened up and it fixed it.

oil leak still exists(i thought high viscosity oil might do the trick) .seems like the insides of the timing belt are messed up with oil.Im just gonna take the bus till end of the week and try to look at it this weekend.

hoorah ..you may have thought of this ,but if your impact wrench couldnt take off the pulley bolt with all its torque,but you used the impact wrench to put it back on....isnt there a torque difference in there .....

Novice_cardude · 03-05-2007, 09:25 PM

We've changed a few timing belts at the shop recently... all on hondas, but basically the same obsticles. I didn't think about the bump starter method for the Acura TL (V6) that was in the shop, and two different Mac and Snap-on 700+ ft/lbs impacts could not take the crank pulley off.

We just sprayed it with PB blaster, let it sit about 30 minutes, and the impact took it right off.

I'd try the bump starter method tho, seems a lot easier.