New to me cruiser and doing my baseline and have quite a bit of caked on oil all over the front of the engine. Thoughts on where this is actually leaking?
Crank Seal Gasket Leak, Oil Pump, Gasket Leak, or Both???
- Thread starter hisandhers80s
- Start date
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No way to tell without first cleaning it off but assume a large part of the oil is from the oil pump cover gasket, it's a very a common area to leak. The front crank seal rarely leaks but it is always replaced at the same time as the oil pump cover gasket as the harmonic balancer has to come off for both.
The distributor housing O-ring is known to leak but that usually drips down onto the alternator and yours looks fairly clean.
The timing chain cover itself can leak where it mates to the block, usually a small seep above the oil pump cover but you won't know
until you clean the front and left front side of the engine off.
A few tips: you can clean the front lower section of the engine (timing chain cover) without doing any harm (other than killing some little fishies somewhere)
but don't spray water on the top of the engine, directly into the alternator, or any other major harness bundles.
Or, clean it by hand using something like a plastic scraping tool, cleaning detergents, paper towels, etc, etc,
FWIW the alternator belt idler pulley looks worn, if it sounds rough when you spin it now's a good time to replace it. NGK makes a high quality replacement (RockAuto). Check the AC tensioner pulley (OEM) while you're in there also. Ditto for the water pump (Aisin RockAuto), fan clutch (ditto), Thermostat (OEM or Aisin), alternator, ---
The distributor housing O-ring is known to leak but that usually drips down onto the alternator and yours looks fairly clean.
The timing chain cover itself can leak where it mates to the block, usually a small seep above the oil pump cover but you won't know
until you clean the front and left front side of the engine off.
A few tips: you can clean the front lower section of the engine (timing chain cover) without doing any harm (other than killing some little fishies somewhere)
but don't spray water on the top of the engine, directly into the alternator, or any other major harness bundles.
Or, clean it by hand using something like a plastic scraping tool, cleaning detergents, paper towels, etc, etc,
FWIW the alternator belt idler pulley looks worn, if it sounds rough when you spin it now's a good time to replace it. NGK makes a high quality replacement (RockAuto). Check the AC tensioner pulley (OEM) while you're in there also. Ditto for the water pump (Aisin RockAuto), fan clutch (ditto), Thermostat (OEM or Aisin), alternator, ---
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there is also o-rings in the timing cover that seal oil pressure, They can leak pretty good when they're bad.
- Thread starter
- #4
That’s what I was afraid of. This baseline is going to turn into me just going ahead and pulling the head to do the head gasket and timing chain…
I guess I am about to get a real education on this engine really fast.
I guess I am about to get a real education on this engine really fast.
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
I'd spend some time washing the engine first.
- Thread starter
- #6
So this is more encouraging than I originally thought. It looks like it is probably the oil cover gasket and the distributor and maybe the seal around the crank seal. Let me know what you think?
- Thread starter
- #7
Short answer:
Clean that area again, especially the area around and above the oil pump cover and at the seam where the timing cover and the block mate together.
Include the power steering pump as there is an O-ring between the PS pump and the block.
Controversial part (because your cooling system is not intact): with the engine oil full and oil filter installed you could run the engine for ~30 seconds to see if the leak reappears, adding a UV dye to the oil first may help find the leak quicker. If no leak/dye shows up, let the engine cool down completely, idle it again ~30 seconds, (proceed at your own risk), watch for the leak to appear.
Some potential engine oil leak sources at the front of the 1FZFE engine (IME) in order sorta (large to small, common to less common):
Oil pump cover gasket
Distributor housing O-ring
Power steering pump O-ring (between PS pump and block)
Valve cover gasket
Timing chain cover pry slot (O-ring and/or sealant)
Timing chain cover to block mating surface (sealant)
Front crank seal
Upper oil pan front arch (sealant)
If any leak is coming from the timing chain cover pry slot one "cheat method" is that you can stuff some FIPG sealant into the slot.
Been discussed before but FWIW that slot (deep inside and along the mating surface) must be absolutely squeaky clean for the quick fix to work.
Clean that area again, especially the area around and above the oil pump cover and at the seam where the timing cover and the block mate together.
Include the power steering pump as there is an O-ring between the PS pump and the block.
Controversial part (because your cooling system is not intact): with the engine oil full and oil filter installed you could run the engine for ~30 seconds to see if the leak reappears, adding a UV dye to the oil first may help find the leak quicker. If no leak/dye shows up, let the engine cool down completely, idle it again ~30 seconds, (proceed at your own risk), watch for the leak to appear.
Some potential engine oil leak sources at the front of the 1FZFE engine (IME) in order sorta (large to small, common to less common):
Oil pump cover gasket
Distributor housing O-ring
Power steering pump O-ring (between PS pump and block)
Valve cover gasket
Timing chain cover pry slot (O-ring and/or sealant)
Timing chain cover to block mating surface (sealant)
Front crank seal
Upper oil pan front arch (sealant)
If any leak is coming from the timing chain cover pry slot one "cheat method" is that you can stuff some FIPG sealant into the slot.
Been discussed before but FWIW that slot (deep inside and along the mating surface) must be absolutely squeaky clean for the quick fix to work.
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Malleus
Far west of Siegen
After you get it ALL clean, I'd replace the distributer O–ring, just because. It's not like it's expensive or time consuming, and yours is old anyway. This is the easiest stop–leak project on the engine. It'll be hard, without dye, to find a leak, if it's really a geyser. Best practice is to start at the top.
...or just pour dye in the oil and light it up.
...or just pour dye in the oil and light it up.
Agree, if you're going to replace anything while it's apart then do the distributor O-ring, oil pump cover gasket, and front crank seal
at a minimum. Getting it clean first will make it easier to see where any other leaks/dye show up.
Tip: while the distributor is removed do not blast the internals with Carburetor, Brake, or Throttle body cleaner, those solvents are too harsh on plastic
and rubber components including the rotary shaft seal and bearing inside the distributor housing and the sensor pick-ups. Use electronics cleaner
if it needs to be cleaned a bit internally (under the cap).
at a minimum. Getting it clean first will make it easier to see where any other leaks/dye show up.
Tip: while the distributor is removed do not blast the internals with Carburetor, Brake, or Throttle body cleaner, those solvents are too harsh on plastic
and rubber components including the rotary shaft seal and bearing inside the distributor housing and the sensor pick-ups. Use electronics cleaner
if it needs to be cleaned a bit internally (under the cap).
Your there, mine was the same.
Just replace crank, distributor, oil pump cover, valve cover and spark plug seals.
Done and done. Mine is still spotless clean after 25k miles after doing those.
Just replace crank, distributor, oil pump cover, valve cover and spark plug seals.
Done and done. Mine is still spotless clean after 25k miles after doing those.
- Thread starter
- #12
Thank you all for the advice! I think I am going to replace the crack seal, oil pump seal, distributor shaft seal, and change the power steering pump and hoses, and clean and fill the pry mark on the timing cover and hope for the best. If still leaking afterwards, then will look at timing cover if necessary. May go ahead and do head gasket at that point since it has 338,000 miles and PO said he had not done head gasket in the 180,000 miles he has had it.
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
You're fortunate someone hasn't gotten to the cover before you and replaced the JIS screws with SHCS. People who do that also Loctite them in. If I ever find the guy that did that on one of mine...
I highly recommend the Rein power steering pressure hose from Rock Auto.
I wouldn't touch the headgasket unless I had to. There's so much "while you're in there" there; you're opening up a huge can of worms. Just pull the intakes and throttle body and clean them, and maybe replace the vacuum hoses and spark plug tube gaskets. That way, when you're faced with actually needing to replace the headgasket, the fiddly stuff will already be done, and you'll save a lot of time.
There are lots of head work opinions here, but I for one will never again pull a head off a 1FZ-FE block attached to the frame. All the rest I do are going to be with the complete drivetrain out.
I highly recommend the Rein power steering pressure hose from Rock Auto.
I wouldn't touch the headgasket unless I had to. There's so much "while you're in there" there; you're opening up a huge can of worms. Just pull the intakes and throttle body and clean them, and maybe replace the vacuum hoses and spark plug tube gaskets. That way, when you're faced with actually needing to replace the headgasket, the fiddly stuff will already be done, and you'll save a lot of time.
There are lots of head work opinions here, but I for one will never again pull a head off a 1FZ-FE block attached to the frame. All the rest I do are going to be with the complete drivetrain out.
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^^^^ This !!!
