3F-E timing cover backing plate-do all the bolts come off? (2 Viewers)

[belouder]

Hey!!

Back at my oil leak project.

My leak appears to be behind the timing cover backing plate right above where the oil pan joins the block on the drivers side. Hopefully what I’ll find when I remove backing plate is a gap in the gasket.

My question to all of those in the know-based on the pic below do I remove all the fasteners that I can see? The FSM doesn’t show a lot of bolts on this and there are three recessed fasterners with torx inserts-do I remove these along with the bolts holding the cam thrust plate along with the remaining two hex head bolts? Or do the torx head bolts remain?

And I’m removing this are there things that will be exposed I need to be careful with?

If it’s not obvious where the leak is I might go ahead and remove the pan and put a new gasket on that.

Thanks!

Bri

 

[Mark W]

Leave the oil squirter in the plate. Remove all the fasteners. Nothing sneaky behind it.

Mark...

 

[belouder]

Mark

Thx for reply. All fasteners removed and plate removed.

Question-the paper gasket I purchased doesn’t have the thin green raised lines in it as did the one I removed. In looking at ordering options, I see this is available. Is having this extra bit on the gasket worth getting g a different one? I plan on using Toyota black RTF on the timing cover gasket but wasn’t sure about this one.

Also, now that the plate is off, I’m not seeing anything obvious as possible leak with regards to oil pan-it looks like the leak was behind the plate above the pan-in a line with the oiler-which wasn’t screwed in too deep BTW.

I’ve never done an oil pan gasket and a visual shows no obvious leaks. If I’ve gone this far should I just do the pan also? I’ve heard it can be challenging getting the new gasket to stay in place and seal properly.

Thoughts?

Bri

 

[BlackCat]

the snout of your cam looks really bad.

 

[belouder]

Yes-cam not so good. It appears that someone before me drilled and tapped three holes in cam gear so it could be pulled without removing the cam itself. Looks like the puller center bolt either walked out of the center or the PO did some drilling on the cam to get a dimple for the puller. Is the cam center typically flat with no dimple.

BTW-motor runs well with 370K miles with just this oil leak as an issue (that I can find). I’m going to assume the cam is good.

Really don’t want to pull it.

Thoughts?

 

[BlackCat]

Yes-cam not so good. It appears that someone before me drilled and tapped three holes in cam gear so it could be pulled without removing the cam itself. Looks like the puller center bolt either walked out of the center or the PO did some drilling on the cam to get a dimple for the puller. Is the cam center typically flat with no dimple.

BTW-motor runs well with 370K miles with just this oil leak as an issue (that I can find). I’m going to assume the cam is good.

Really don’t want to pull it.

Thoughts?

I’ve pulled mine, it’s not super hard but it’s also not fun. For the timing plate gasket just make sure the bolts go back into the right spots. It’s very easy to create a leak by putting a longer bolt where a short one should go and pushing the timing plate off the back of the block, creating a leak.
Also make sure when you put the timing cover back on that you snug the crank pulley before tightening the outer bolts. The crank/balancer centers the seal. If you tighten the outer bolts and then torque the crank pulley on it’ll leak oil.