oil leak after timing belt...what the?

**tomsmx6t91** · 2-7-02, 1:12

i have just changed my water pump and my timing belt along with the other belts. now there seems to be oil coming from the back of the crank pulley that is dripping onto the oil sump and on the ground. anyone had this prob after changing the pump and belts?
another thing , i did notice some oil around one of the water pump bolts as i was removing it. could it be not torqued hard enuff? or perhaps something else. i did torque it to spec but?
any help would be appreciated.

**jamin** · 2-7-02, 10:36

oil leaks can be hard to diagnose. probably is your front crank seal leaking.
front of my alternator and belt are oily.
i suspect my front crank seal behind the pully/harminic balancer needs replacement, but its a job to do at timing belt change time and not a job to consider immediatly after.
if i keep my car i would plan to changeout the front cam seal also, but again, the sprocket under timing belt needs removal.

**tomsmx6t91** · 2-7-02, 20:41

thanx jamin for the info.
so that front crank seal, is that like what they call a rear main seal in rwd cars?

because our engines are east-west i thought perhaps its the same thing?

ok now that the seal is leaking wht do you recommend aprt from the obvious?

i mean how long can i drive it like that?

will the oil cause my timing belt to slip and#$%@ the motor?

how much oil are you losing?

reply appreciated!

thanx again.

**jamin** · 2-8-02, 7:54

front of your engine is timing belt/crank area(passenger side).
i doubt that some oil on timing belt will cause slip as there are rubber cogs.
i'm getting oil drips on ground but not enough to fix yet.
my main oil use is probably thru valve seals as i have excessive ash deposits on plugs after only 10k miles usage.
if you loose a lot of oil to ground or have drivability problems will require earlier fix.
small leaks are not a reason to do expensive fixes on higher mileage engines if no other problems are created. oil is cheap, but drips can be messy if one wants a clean parking space.
good luck.

**tomsmx6t91** · 2-10-02, 18:28

yeah i have decided to put it off up until later. i have the seal just in case.

today will be the deciding factor as i will be driving it heaps in the heat.

thanx again.