Distributor oil leak Options

[95CelicaRacer]

I was just wondering if anybody has had any problems with their distributors leaking through the o-ring. I have tried to everything possible to stop it, but nothing works. I have a high volume oil pump, and I wonder if the higher oil pressure is causing it to leak through. Any ideas would be helpful.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

I had the same problem and just replaced the o-ring. That did the trick. Wear did you get a high volume oil pump? You should put an oil gauge on your car to see what it's running to make sure it's not plugged up somewere and causing really high pressure. If it runs over 65, it could be plugged. I hit that pressure when cold and a fresh oil change, but usually it's less. That's measured off the head.

[95CelicaRacer]

I have replaced the o-ring, and it still leaked. I thought it might be leaking through the cap that holds the distributor in place, so I put some RTV sealant between the surfaces, and it still did not work. Right now, I am running 10w-30 racing oil, and I wonder if the oil might be too thin causing it to leak through.

[95CelicaRacer]

Oh yeah, I got the high volume oil pump through [url=http://www.importperformanceparts.net ] and it is made by Toga Racing.

[bindertch]

Well for one you are supposed to be running 10W30 according to Toyota specs unless you are in below zero temps and then 5W30. I would check your oil pressure. If your high vulume pump has more than 4psi at idle and 36-70 at 3000rpm then you need to see if you can set it to a lower pressure. If it goes above that pressure then you might also blow out your rear main seal.

[Agent21]

10w30 you say.....so that 5w20 I run might be an issue here in NC? Because my dizzy leaks like a mother and has 3 o rings seals on it. Custom.

[presure2]

10w30 you say.....so that 5w20 I run might be an issue here in NC? Because my dizzy leaks like a mother and has 3 o rings seals on it. Custom.

the oil your using is not an issue.
the distributor has a series of seals in it, not just the rubber o-ring.
toyota does not make a seal kit for it, but you can get one in the aftermarket.
twosrus sells there here:
http://www.twosrus.com/catalog/product_inf...;products_id=98

[Agent21]

Nah mine has a toyota seal on it (along with a few aftermarket ones) and it doesn't leak into the dizzy, it pours out between the head and the housing for the dizzy and NOTHING has sealed it yet.

[95CelicaRacer]

I have good news and bad news. Good news is that the distributor has quit leaking. I ended up sealing up the entire shaft with RTV. I already know I cant adjust the timing any more though. Bad news is that the rear main seal is leaking like crazy now. I know it cant be bad because the motor only has a 1000 miles on it. It doesn't have a oil pressure gauge on it and how can I put one on it?

[bindertch]

I have good news and bad news. Good news is that the distributor has quit leaking. I ended up sealing up the entire shaft with RTV. I already know I cant adjust the timing any more though. Bad news is that the rear main seal is leaking like crazy now. I know it cant be bad because the motor only has a 1000 miles on it. It doesn't have a oil pressure gauge on it and how can I put one on it?

Just unscrew the stock oil pressure sender and screw in a gauge. But I can already tell you that you have too high of pressure from the pump. You need to ask the manufacter if there is a way to back off the pressure. You still might have to install a new rear main seal.

[95CelicaRacer]

I finally got an oil pressure gauge and readings were:

Idle (cold): 60psi
Idle (warm): 38 psi
1500rpm: 62psi
2000rpm: 63psi
3000rpm: 65psi

It seems that oil pressure is within the normal range at 3000rpm, but at idle it is way too high. The main difference between Toga's oil pump compared to a stock pump is the size of the rotor. That is what determines the amount of oil the pump can move at a given rpm. Unless that is what's causing the high pressure at idle, I don't know what is going on. This is a guess, but could the spring in the pump be causing the high pressure?

[bindertch]

It could be. It should have a check valve but that would only limit the highest pressure. The seals can hold up to probably what the stock pump could push at it's max. Are you sure of your readings? The pressure would have to be higher to do what it has.

[95CelicaRacer]

I'm pretty sure of the readings, but the oil pressure gauge is about 25-30 years old. It reads up to 80psi but it might be worn out or just too old. Would the spring on the pump give more pressure at idle or at 3000rpm? Oh yeah, where would the check valve be located on the pump?

[alltracman78]

Hold on a sec.
The dist oil seal isn't under direct pressure.
It only recieves splashback from other sources.

The main seals are similar, though they are closer to pressure [next to main bearings].

As for 38 PSI at idle, it's not too high...
Toyota has a minimum range, but no max at idle.
As long as it's below the max at 3k RPM, it's fine.

Is this a remanned or rebuilt engine?
You need to be paying more attention to the condition of the leaking seals, as well as the metal surfaces around them.....

This post has been edited by alltracman78: Feb 14, 2007 - 2:07 PM

[95CelicaRacer]

I rebuilt the engine myself not too long ago, and when I installed the main seal, the matting surfaces had no flaws in them. About 2 months ago, I took the motor back out to fix a few problems that appeared after the rebuild, and I checked the seal to see if it was leaking and I found no oil coming out from it. When I put the motor back in, the seal just started to leak some, then it just got worse recently. I know oil pressure is within specs, but could 65psi at 3000rpm be slightly high for a range of 36-70psi? Don't you think that is on the borderline range just a little bit?

This post has been edited by 95CelicaRacer: Feb 14, 2007 - 2:59 PM

[alltracman78]

It's on the high side, but definitely still in spec.
It SHOULD be to the high side with a fresh rebuild. Especially since you have a higher flowing pump.

That seal doesn't directly see oil pressure anyways, so that shouldn't effect it.
Did you CLOSELY inspect the crank for wear?
Rubber WILL wear into steel.
Is the seal correctly installed?
How does the oil pan seal look right there?
How about the rear of the main seal housing?

[bindertch]

I have been doing some reading. You need to check your PCV valve to make sure it is working. Remove it from your valve cover and connect a hose to the valve cover side. Blow air into it and make sure it flows easy without restriction. Change the hose to the intake side and blow air in. Make sure that it flows with restriction. The idea that I have is that you are getting "blowby" and your PCV isn't letting it vent and it is building the pressure inside the crankcase.

[alltracman78]

^
Very good point.
That can and will put pressure on the oil behind the seals.....

[95CelicaRacer]

I checked on the PCV valve last night and it is still working just fine. I am positive the seal is installed correctly and the crank had no wear on it either and the main seal housing was also good. The leaking was never coming from the seal during the rebuild of course I never revved it past 4000rpm. After the motor was broke in, I started revving close to 6000rpm. That is when it began to leak pretty bad. Unless the oil pressure spikes at that high of a rpm and it ended up blowing out the seal, I don't know why it would be leaking then. What do you all think?

About the PCV valve, could I put a breather on it to allow more air to escape from the crankcase? Or would it not be of much help?