Camshaft seal help

maxford · Jan 20, 2017

95 2.3L, 5spd.

I'm planning on installing a new timing belt in the next week or two. I've installed a few belts on other makes and some chains before. So, after reading on the forum about the mark line-ups it looks easy. I will also install a new water pump, thermostat, and belt tensioner while down there. Its a high mileage engine and I see some evidence there is likely oil seal leakage behind the belt cover. I've also noted that many of the timing belt kits come with two seals. One is for the cam and the other is for what?

Is there a thread that explains how to do this? Logic dictates the gear comes off, then a unique puller is used followed by a unique seal press that can work around the shaft still in-place.

Look for any and all feedback.

thanks,
Greg

tomw · Jan 20, 2017

The obvious candidate for the second seal at belt replacement time is the auxiliary shaft as it is also 'available' when the belt is removed.
What do you consider 'high mileage'? The lima will go a long time before it wears out if it is given minimum lube & coolant maintenance. 300k is not unheard of.
Before you replace the tensioner, check the new one. Sometimes imported bearings or assemblies will have bearings in poorer condition than used ones. If your current bearing is smooth, you can smush grease behind the bearing seals to insure it is lubed for another couple hundred thousand miles. Spin the two and compare.
You will have to hold the cam in position as you remove the cam sprocket. I'd look for a spot to clamp on a vice-grip and let it rotate against the top of the cylinder head. The old seal can be removed using a sheet metal screw and slide hammer. The new, I guess tapped in with a small hammer. If it is barely seeping, I'd be tempted to leave well enough alone. The sealing area may have a groove worn by the old seal, and avoiding that groove with the lip of the new seal may be a question of luck. If your new seal falls into that groove, it may leak worse than the old one. Same deal on the auxiliary shaft seal. Do you get drops on the parking area from seal leakage? Or is it just a slight seep that grabs onto the slight bit of rubber 'dust' formed from belt wear, and has covered the inside of the belt area with a dampish coating?
tom

maxford · Jan 20, 2017

great answers.

The Truck has 225k on it. The seepage I'm seeing isn't horrible, but has collected a lot of dirt all around the front of the motor. Problably the dirt is keeping it from leaking more... But seriously, the engine isn't burning or dropping oil on the ground. So maybe I'm better off leaving it alone then? I may do that. I also hadn't considered a groove issue like Ive seen on small block V-8 cranks. On those you could buy a sleeve to go over the crank and an OD seal. I'll watch closely. Regarding the clamp to keep the cam from moving if I did remove the gear... can you elaborate a little more?

tomw · Jan 21, 2017

With the timing belt removed, the only think keeping the cam from rotating when you apply torque to loosen the sprocket retainer bolt is the tension of the valve springs. I suppose you could loosen it while the belt is still installed, under tension, but you are trying to loosen a bolt that will be held by a belt, which will put more tension on the belt's teeth, and the belt, which may be more 'springy' than a different 'locking' mechanism.
I thought of using a vice-grip around a section of the camshaft what was not one of the lobes, and allowing the cam to turn in the 'loosen' direction until the vice-grip ran into the top of the head. The cam would then not turn, so you could apply more torque to loosen the bolt.
If you leave the old seal in place, you don't have to do this. To stop the crankshaft from turning, put a manual transmission in 4th gear, apply the parking brake. If that doesn't work or you have an automatic, remove one of the spark plugs, and stuff in a bunch of rope, leaving a tail. Turn the crankshaft in the loosen direction until the piston jams into the rope, stopping rotation. Loosen the crankshaft pulley bolt, and do the rest of the belt change. You may(will) have to remove the rope to rotate the crankshaft two turns after belt installation so you can check the timing one final time, and then re-install it to tighten the crankshaft pulley bolt.
tom

maxford · Jan 23, 2017

Those are great suggestions. Thanks. About 20 years ago I had a friend that broke a valve spring on his small block V-8 in a corvette. I stuffed the cylinder full of long cotton rope through the plug hole and rolled the car (manual trans) until the valve was held up tight. It allowed us to change the spring and keepers without dropping the valve inside. It worked great. I had forgotten about that...getting old.

Camshaft seal help

maxford

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tomw

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maxford

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tomw

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maxford

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