oil leak, cam seals?

Digital_Import · Post by **Digital_Import** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:02 pm

I got a steady oil leak, get about 3-5 drops a nite after driving, took it to the mechanic and he informed me that its possible the cam seals are old and need replacing and are causing the oil leak. He said that this is a common problem with the magna V6's.
Anyone else had this problem on an FTO and any info would really help as getting the cam seals changed will cost me a lot of money

Digital_Import · Post by **Digital_Import** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:31 pm

i read a few of the older posts on here about oil leak problems, im starting to think its possible the wrong oil was used, last owner changed the oil before i bought the vehicle so i dont know what he used. The leak is coming from the left side cams on the engine.

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:53 pm

very common problem - had it myself... you need to find out what caused the seals to leak... are they worn? or is something more sinister going on? In the case of my car - I am suffering positive crank case pressure, pr blowby, so when pressure builds in the engine the seals are the first thing to give way... having said that, i was never losing 4-5 drops a night. That sounds a fair bit, as most of the leaks will get caught in the engine cover.. so if its making it to the floor you may have a severe leak?

one thing to avoid, is jsut getting the seals replaced without the mechanic investigating further.. otherwise you will find that in 2-6months etc that the car is leaking oil again ... the problem with even just replacing the seals is that the labour is $$$

Post by **Supplanter** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:38 pm

I waited until I had my 100k service before fixing this, got all seals replaced, hopefully it won't start leaking again

I was only getting 1-2 drops a day, if that... so your problem might be worse.

Digital_Import · Post by **Digital_Import** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:47 pm

i hope its only the seals, mechanic said its going to be a lot of labour cause he has to pull a lot of parts off to see where the problem is coming from, he suspects the seals. In general i dont like this problem at all and the fact that you say its a common problem cant be a good thing for fto owners

I was going to try changing the oil before i take it in just in case its just the oil that was used, ive read that the wrong oil used will leak from where the cams are which is happening in my case.

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:01 am

yes and no..

a thinner oil may "seap through the seals" but still shoud not leak

if you have blowby.. and your using a thicker oil, you may have more chances of an oil leak as coupled with the increased pressure in the engine pushes anda thick oil, the seals give way.

the suggested oil is 5w-30, but many members use a thicker oil then that... I was told taht due to the FTO being a free reving engine, that a thinner oil will be much better for it, and that most damage occurs on start up, so you dont want a thick oil... people have different opinions on this..

Remember that your car is probably ten years old.... and most ten year old cars will leak....a little...

if you do go ahead with the inspection - like i said earlier, please make sure that whilst the engine is apart they investigate compleletely! Get a leak down test etc, and make sure all the cylinders are firing properly, that way you dont have to pay for mroe labour again if the car starts to leak once the seals are replaced.

Breza · Post by **Breza** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:50 pm

Personally, I had a small (less than 1cm) spot of oil under my car each morning.

Under my car was a complete mess so had to have it detailed before having my 100k service and have them replaced. Big $$$

5,000k's later (after driving from QLD to TAS) it was still leaking oil. Turns out one of the cam seal hadn't seated properly and my crank seals (fronmt and rear) were seeping as well. Got my mechanic to strip the engine down and replace all the seals plus a few other bits and pieces. Even Bigger $$$

So if you are going to do anything about it. My suggestion is to do it once and get everything done at the same time, you will save a packet on labour in the long run.

Cheers

Chris

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:25 pm

too true breza..
but whilst they are doing all that, just make sure they have a look for 'the cause' of the oil leakage not just fix all the seals...

Digital_Import · Post by **Digital_Import** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:37 pm

Thanx for the insight, the mechanic I go to is one in a hunderd, he's a good mechanic and goes through everything with me ans is honest

He told me himself that just replacing the seals may not fix the problem, 2 months or so down the track the car will begin to leak oil again. One more question, approx how big $$$ we talkin about in labour did you guys pay?

EURO · Post by **EURO** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:30 am

well it depends... if he just goes in, takes the engine out, and does just the cam seals, crank seals, sump seal etc. it may be like $600-$1000? seals i think are only $20 each or so... but your looking at around $600 just on labour... But normally, when you go into the engine they will do timing belt, ac belt, all the other belts, spark plugs etc.. which may or may not take it too $1400 or so.... it then depends if there is any other things that need to be done... it will depend how many kms your car has done and if any of the major timing belts etc have been replaced yet.

Some people have paid in excess of 2 grand (urs truely. but i had my brakes done too).

GET A QUOTE FIRST... for best case scenario, worst case scenario...