Oil in distributor cap

[dave255]

1995, 2.2L, 248,000miles

So two weeks ago I popped the distributor cap and found that about a tablespoon of oil had seeped into it. I removed the distributor housing and saw the o-ring was extremely dry and brittle, it actually shattered into several pieces when I removed it from the shaft. I thought it should be a quick fix. I got a new o-ring from the local Toyota dealership, and installed the distributor back on the engine. I thought the problem was solved.

A few days later I looked inside the distributor cap to see if the new o-ring had stopped the problem, and much to my frustration there was still oil leaking in!! It was much less volume than before, but still there nonetheless. I wiped it out with a rag and put everything back together. I checked again a few days later, and the oil had returned again!! I am getting pretty frustrated with what I originally thought was an easy thing to fix.

Is there anything else besides a faulty o-ring that can cause oil to leak into the cap? Thanks in advance.

[frankjc]

Sounds like you need a distributor. Oil leaks up through the shaft when they wear out. There are no replaceable parts inside the shaft.

[RichieRichJP]

^Wrong, there are replacement parts! Toyota doesn't sell them, Kbox does.
Order them through twosrus.com

[frankjc]

interesting.....I still recommend OEM!. never heard of kbox. probably could have used their stuff a few times. distributors have always been a hard sale, due to the price.

[agni]

Originally Posted by dave255

1995, 2.2L, 248,000miles

So two weeks ago I popped the distributor cap and found that about a tablespoon of oil had seeped into it. I removed the distributor housing and saw the o-ring was extremely dry and brittle, it actually shattered into several pieces when I removed it from the shaft. I thought it should be a quick fix. I got a new o-ring from the local Toyota dealership, and installed the distributor back on the engine. I thought the problem was solved.

A few days later I looked inside the distributor cap to see if the new o-ring had stopped the problem, and much to my frustration there was still oil leaking in!! It was much less volume than before, but still there nonetheless. I wiped it out with a rag and put everything back together. I checked again a few days later, and the oil had returned again!! I am getting pretty frustrated with what I originally thought was an easy thing to fix.

Is there anything else besides a faulty o-ring that can cause oil to leak into the cap? Thanks in advance.

I have the same problem, though it sounds like your leak is worse than mine. There is a small internal "rotary" seal around the distributor shaft. Available from kbox HERE. There is a how-to HERE. It is specifically for a 3S-GE/GTE distributor, but the process is the same.

[RichieRichJP]

Originally Posted by agni

I have the same problem, though it sounds like your leak is worse than mine. There is a small internal "rotary" seal around the distributor shaft. Available from kbox HERE. There is a how-to HERE. It is specifically for a 3S-GE/GTE distributor, but the process is the same.

The reason why I suggested to order from twosrus versus Kbox is import tax and more expensive shipping.
TwosRUs a U.S. distributor for their products. They're located a days or two of shipping from him which is all the while better...

[dave255]

Hmm this is interesting, looks like I'm going to have to pull off the distributor and look more closely. Has anyone replaced this internal seal before?

[RichieRichJP]

I replaced it today on the Camry and it was easy. The only part that was hard, and VERY hard, was to remove the pin that goes through the rotating assembly that plugs into the camshaft.
It took me about 2hrs to hammer that bastard out before on the distributor I built for the MR2. This time, I snapped the rotating assembly in the vice and had to go pull another unit from a junkyard, then took both to a garage and get those pins punched out and swapped it over. Helps to have the right tools, which I don't necessarily have.
Everything worked out fine. Once I got back home with the assemblies, I cleaned the rebuilt one inside and out, and replaced everything in less than an hour. I sprayed the engine down of oil and I'll check for more oil leaks over the next month.
Make sure you mark everything the best you can when you do this and refer to the owners manual because there is a divet on the rotating assembly and line on the housing you need to keep an eye on.