Oil Problem

[CBZED101]

I know its been talked about numerous times, but my Camry has a massive oil leak. We're talking 2 quarts of 5w-30 every day. I believe its the oil pump leaking, as searching has led me to believe. So I looked up the seals I'd need to do the repair and thought it'd be a quick job similar to replacing the alternator, then I read the DIY article and my heart sunk. I'm just wondering of those who have done this repair, how long did it take you from start to finish? I know that while I'm doing this I might as well replace the other seals and timing belt and tensioner / idler pulleys and all that junk. This repair seems to be a little more involved than what I'm used to, but I'm spending almost $150 on oil every month for my car (not to mention the increased suspension bushing deterioration / wear), and since I rely on my car for work (delivery driver) I really need to get this fixed. Any help / tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Also, since its so involved, I decided to get a quote from a shop to do the repair for me, and they quoted me $640 before taxes x_x

[Silent Runner]

I'm trying to think about how an oil pumpleak can cause two quarts of oil to leak outside of the engine a day. Where is the oil leaking from, on the outside the engine? Must be pretty visible.

[carsrus]

I did my 3rd one in 4 hours start to finish, taking my time and being really anal since its my moms ride.

Replace timing belt, water pump, both tensioner and idler pulley, oil pump shaft seal and o ring, cam seal, crank seal, and valve cover gasket set. Remove valve cover and remove cap over camshaft oil seal. This will make your life 100x easier. Replace alternator and power steering belt at the same time.

using quality parts from RockAuto or Napa will be about 200$ish total, if you start early in the morning you should be able to get it done by the end of the day. Since your timing belt is not broken you can just mark the old one and mark the new one the same and slip it on. No need to spend time realigning the engine, which most people find the hardest.

Only "specialty" sort of needed is 19mm impact socket and air gun. You can do the starter method to loosen the crank bolt but the gun makes it a piece of cake.

[Mister_Perkins]

If the timing belt is good, mark it on the cam side, and crank side with a paint marker when you pull it off and line the marks back up (re-use the belt).

If your experienced it should take about 1.5 hour to complete

If your not, figure 2.5-3 hours

Helpful hint. When removing the oil pan, use an air wrench with extensions, Also remove the plastic piece between the Sub-frame and the radiator for easy access to the exhaust downpipe bolts. Remove the first exhaust hanger (two 12mm bolts) too so you can slide the exhaust around easily. Another helpful hint is to Get the #1 and #4 cylinders at Top Dead Center before removing the timing belt.

You will need the following tools to complete the job:

Sockets

10mm (Timing cover "upper and lower", Oil pump / oil housing bolts, Subframe/Radiator Plastic Shroud "Under car")
12mm (Exhaust hanger, Alternator Serpentine belt, Power Steering Belt3)
14mm (Dog bone, Dog bone Bracket, Engine to transmission Bracket, timing tensioner, and idler pulley)
17mm (Exhaust Bolts)
19mm (Crankshaft Pulley bolt)
21mm (tires)

Wrenches
14mm Ratchet Wrench (Regular if you dont have a ratchet wrench)

You may need a Harmonic balancer Puller as well to pull the harmonic balancer off.

Good luck!

[CBZED101]

Originally Posted by Silent Runner

I'm trying to think about how an oil pumpleak can cause two quarts of oil to leak outside of the engine a day. Where is the oil leaking from, on the outside the engine? Must be pretty visible.

Well, I drive a lot. Back when I was a general manager and only drove to my store and back home 5 quarts would last me 2 weeks or so, but now that I'm logging almost 100 spirited stop-and-go miles a day its leaking like a sieve. From just looking under the car and through the passenger fender well you can see that the oil is coming from around the oil pump(theres a very clean spot where the oil has cleaned off the engine block from constantly running down)

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Hopefully I'll be able to do the job in around 4 hours the next time I have a chance to work on it. This will be the furthest I've ever actually dug into my engine, other than simple stuff like the valve cover gasket.

[zythr]

Originally Posted by CBZED101

Well, I drive a lot. Back when I was a general manager and only drove to my store and back home 5 quarts would last me 2 weeks or so, but now that I'm logging almost 100 spirited stop-and-go miles a day its leaking like a sieve. From just looking under the car and through the passenger fender well you can see that the oil is coming from around the oil pump(theres a very clean spot where the oil has cleaned off the engine block from constantly running down)

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Hopefully I'll be able to do the job in around 4 hours the next time I have a chance to work on it. This will be the furthest I've ever actually dug into my engine, other than simple stuff like the valve cover gasket.

I hope you get it fixed. I don't know where you live, but in some places the police will stop you if there is something wrong with your car (ie excessive smoke, etc) , and in some instances will issue a citation.

[howlinwolf]

im having trouble removing the seal on the cam shaft/ any help?

[Mister_Perkins]

If you remove the camshaft cap it makes the seal come
Right out. You have to remove the valve cover in order to gain access though

[howlinwolf]

the one on the end doesnt seem to bolt on. ill take a closer look. thanks!!!

[howlinwolf]

durrr figured it out. now im searchin for the torque spec.

[JohnGD]

Check Autozone's free repair guide. Bolts like these are typically 14 lb/ft. make sure you use some RTV like Permatex Ultra Copper or Ultra Black on the cam cap as specified or oil can seep out of there. You also need to use RTV at the specified points when installing the valve cover gasket.

Originally Posted by howlinwolf

durrr figured it out. now im searchin for the torque spec.