Defender Source Forum banner

Oil Coming From Timing Belt Cover

Tags
cover
1K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  CMSgt Bo 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been dealing with what eventually turned out to be several head cracks since last Fall. I have a 300 Tdi with 28,000 miles since its rebuild and install in 2010. In the process of troubleshooting through several parts catalogs I've been thru 2 head gaskets, 2 exhaust gaskets, a set of head bolts, a turbo (upgraded to a VNT unit) 2 water temp senders, a thermostat, a VDO water temp gage, 2 oil changes, a coolant flush, and finally a head (upgraded to a TE unit) and radiator service.

I got the truck back on the road the day before Rovers on Wintergreen and drove the truck 6 hours each way and about 8 hours on the trail. On the trip up I went through almost 2 quarts of oil and only .5 quart on the way home. Upon my return I pressure washed the underside to pinpoint the leak. From all indications it was coming from the left side of the engine (facing the truck) forward and low. My diesel mechanic thought it was seeping through the oil pan as it appeared to be wet all around the seam between the pan and block. To rule out the Timing Cover area I installed a fording plug.

The leak eventually subsided until yesterday when I was doing some routine fluid level checks and removed the fording plug. At first I thought I pulled the wrong plug because close to a half quart of oil poured from the timing cover drain hole. So apparently I have either a camshaft seal leak, crankshaft seal leak or both.

My questions; since the timing belt has been exposed to (more like bathing in) engine oil for a couple of weeks can I let the oil drain out and drive the truck, spray brake/carb cleaner into the drain hole until it comes clean and drive the truck, or have it flatbedded to a local diesel mechanic who hasn't fixed anything right the first time yet?

In the morning I'll be ordering:

Cover Seal (ERR 4576)
Crankshaft O Ring (ERR 4710)
Camshaft Seal (ERR 3356)
Crankshaft Seal (ERR 4575)
Timing Belt Kit (STC 4096)

Am I forgetting anything?
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
With all the the work you've done on the top end, I'd suspect it's the cam shaft seal that's leaking.
Unlikely to be the crank unless it was damaged upon installation.
The belt is toast, I would not turn it over, except by hand, until you nail down the leak & install the new belt.

On my wade port on the front cover, I have a brass, barbed hose fitting & 6" of clear vinyl hose to keep an eye on just such leakage. I keep the floor clean in my garage and always check for leakage spots & repair them quickly.

Changing the timing belt is not difficult, it'd serve you well to learn to do it yourself.
 
#3 ·
I second the camshaft seal leaking but can't rule out crank seal 100%. Consider your timing belt pooched, DON"T run it...more damage will be created. By the sounds of your comments I doesn't sound like you are having any luck w/ your current mechanic. The work you need done is pretty straight forward but if you are not comfortable diving in yourself than I would start looking for another mechanic.

I'm not 100% familiar w/ the 300tdi...I believe you need to first remove the water pump to be able to remove the timing cover so you'll need a new water pump gasket.

Good Luck
 
#4 ·
No need to remove water pump. Really it's just the fan and serp belt to get to the timing cover. Having the radiator out makes it a lot easier to see everything but you don't have to.
Pickup the crank pulley tool from rdavisinva, it makes the crank pulley removal way way easier.
I would do all the seals like you listed since you're there. Genuine if you can swing it. LRdirect.com is really reasonable. Or Zach at RN is solid as well.
I was able to get some plastic pipe reducers and couplers that made a good seal drift.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the feedback so far.

I've got 30 years experience on turboprop, turbofan and straight jet engines, but very little on small diesels. This would be a fun project if I had the time and space to do it. I'm leaving for Orlando in a few days and will return a week before going to Portsmouth Island with Doug and his merry band of crappy truck owners, so time is of the essence.
 
#7 ·
We're talking about putting our Orlando trip off until later. I've got parts coming in by weeks end and will probably end up doing the work myself. I really wish there were someone close by with experience fine tuning these engines.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top