98 Camry oil leak need fix

[Ichiban Rhino]

Hi all. Newbie here.
I have 98 Camry 2.2 5SFE engine. it leaked oil so bad that i have to add oil to it every 3 day. the leak(s) came from passenger side, on the back of the engine but it 's hard to tell exact location where the leak comes from. Couple of years ago, it leaked slowly, but now it worst i did research and find out that this is a common problem for this type of engine. I've checked Valve cover gasket, it seems dry on the back of the engine. I suspect the leak may come from places lower than the valve cover gasket. Anyone has any idea or suggestion about fixing the leak, i appreciate. Thanks in advance.

P.S. the car has 112 K. The timing belt was replaced at 98k. Valve cover gasket was replaced 2 years ago ( all done by local repair tech). This time i plan to do it myself.

[carsrus]

Start from the top and go down. It'll be easiest.

Do valve cover first. Reseal half moon slugs and distributor plug. If still leaking, take off timing cover and do all those seals.

Many places skip on replacing the oil seals because a bad tech can mess up easily. Trick is to remove valve cover and unbolt Camshaft cap over the oil seal. This makes doing the camshaft seal a pretty simple job. Lube all the seals with grease and make sure you dont lose the circle springs during installation.

Usually the oil pump shaft seal and o ring leak the worse. They are the easiest to replace.

[inzel]

I just had that exact same issue repaired. The parts are really cheap, but the job is a long one. It turned out that my oil pump seal was leaking pretty bad. It got to about a quart a day with very minimal driving. It was basically a constant leak whenever the car was running. There is a good guide here on changing all the seals in that area. You can always add some UV reflective additive to your oil to see where it is coming from too, then you just have to make a UV light. There is a tutorial on that in the same section as the seals guide.

BTW... I have the same year and motor as you

[gyjoe]

When I had an oil leak on the back of the engine, passenger side, it was the valve cover gasket. My memory is foggy, but I think I paid around $15 for a new one at the Toyota dealer, and putting it in is certainly a job you can do yourself.

[Ichiban Rhino]

Thanks for advises, guys. Since it's still lil cold here in PA. I'll start tackle the tomorrow. Will update with you, guys to see how it goes.

[ShawnTRD]

Originally Posted by Ichiban Rhino

Thanks for advises, guys. Since it's still lil cold here in PA. I'll start tackle the tomorrow. Will update with you, guys to see how it goes.

Well what did it end up being?

[Ichiban Rhino]

Well. The Valve Cover Gasket replaced. still leaks
reseated half moon plug. no help
reseal distributor plug. no luck. Still leaks
Followed Inzel guide. replaced oil pump seal. half fix. Still leaks but not as bad as before.

What else need to be replace before i dig into main seals?

[ShawnTRD]

Have you degreaser the motor really well? Might need to start from scratch to see what's still leaking.

[JohnGD]

The cam, crank, and oil pump seal/o-rings should be replaced with every timing belt change as part of a complete package.

Pump shaft seal and o-ring: $5.02
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2007576

Or just get a Fel-Pro for $5.45+shipping. Also includes pump housing-to-block gasket. Fel-Pro is a fave:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=128254

Here is the $3.65 cam seal:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=261061

Originally Posted by Ichiban Rhino

Well. The Valve Cover Gasket replaced. still leaks
reseated half moon plug. no help
reseal distributor plug. no luck. Still leaks
Followed Inzel guide. replaced oil pump seal. half fix. Still leaks but not as bad as before.

What else need to be replace before i dig into main seals?

[fenixus]

If the leak comes from timing area (is timing belt wet?) then I would suggest complete replacing the timing area maintenance items, so next would be cam seal, crank seal, mentioned oil pump seals and also replacing the timing belt and water pump and both idlers (and a spring for no.1) at same time and be good for next 90k miles or so.

make sure it's not the intake manifold runners to head (big gasket) leaking somehow or one of fuel injector grommets to head, bad those wouldn't cause oil leaks I guess... wipe it all clean and trace it to the source.

[Hajoca]

Sometimes the oil pump housing gets warped, even with new oil pump o-ring.
I will check the housing for deformation next time.
I have similar problem and think that I will try using RTV at next timing belt service.

[pmx007PL]

Sometimes, o-ring will just jump off from correct position during assembling everything back.
That's why o-rings should be glued on their place (with some grease or "RTV" silicone).