Seals and oil leaks

[autobahnsho]

Safety inspection time is coming up soon-

I've been losing about 5-6 drops of oil when I park the car for the night. So I tore it apart Monday and replaced the cam seals and front main.

Now I have an immediate wet spot when parking the car, of more than 10-20 drops. (just a ballpark on the numbers.) Looks like it's coming from the right cam (when looking at the engine from the passenger wheel) and dripping all the way down the engine.

This was the only one I didn't struggle a ton putting back in- I think I greased the outside AND inside, since the other 2 were so hard to get in. Does greasing the inside cause any leaks?

I'll tear it apart in a few days after Autozone makes some more $$ off me- to make sure the others are good and fix whichever one(s) is(are) bad. (Bad- I mean installed imperfectly. )

Thanks,

 

[sdpatt]

If you do confirm that it is the front bank intake camshaft seal that is leaking and not the valve cover seal, that was one of the easier to access cam seals. Is there a chance that you touched the camshaft with a tool or drill bit that was used to remove the old seal? Just how loose was the seal when you installed it? It should have been a very firm fit and shold have required much more than finger pressure to install. The Fel-Pro seal set that I installed instructed that I use RTV around the exterior surface of the seal.

 

[bkmonster]

At the service garage that I work at, when a seal needs some **** to get put into place, the guys use vasoline. It seems to work very well, and it burns off fairly quickly after the engine warms up. I don't know if this is the best, but it has never let me or the other mechanics down.

Hope that helps.

 

[autobahnsho]

sdpatt:
If you do confirm that it is the front bank intake camshaft seal that is leaking and not the valve cover seal, that was one of the easier to access cam seals. Is there a chance that you touched the camshaft with a tool or drill bit that was used to remove the old seal? Just how loose was the seal when you installed it? It should have been a very firm fit and shold have required much more than finger pressure to install. The Fel-Pro seal set that I installed instructed that I use RTV around the exterior surface of the seal.

I didnt' use any RTV- I don't think I scratched or harmed any of the metal on the camshaft or block. I just used the punch to pry it out.

That one was hard to go on, just like the rest. I used regular grease to **** them when I put them in.

I'll have to try the vaseline- seems like it would be slicker, making the seals easier to go back in.

I just can't believe that this is the first job I'll have to re-do...... headbang

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[autobahnsho]

I got the new gasket set from autozone, and pulled the car apart today.

When I got the upper timing cover off, the front bank (towards front of car), cam seal had rolled when I put it on. I didn't notice since it was under the cam, where it's harder to see.

So I put a new seal on, and now I'm not gushing oil. Needless to say, I triple-checked all of them..

Thanks for the replies, guys.