crankshaft seal leak

[4x4 rav]

hello everybody,

this thread supersede my other thread titled " oil pump housing".

i wanted to be 100% certain that the oil leak was or wasn't from the oil pump housing. so i crawled again under the rav4 with engine running. the leak was originating from the timing belt cover bottom part. the top part of the cover where the cam is located was dry all around, and the cam seal was done recently. so it has to be the crank seal.

Can the crank seal be replaced by just removing the lower timing cover and crankshaft pulley? i thought once the pulley is removed, and a new seal installed, the Timing belt could be slid over the crank pulley with a little force.

i welcome all advices.

thank you for your inputs.

[Ken Allistone]

I would not try, you could damage the cam belt, it should be tensioned and should not come off this way. Behind the crankshaft pulley is the crankshaft timing sprocket, this drives the cam belt, it has to be pulled straight out, the belt should prevent you doing this. You also risk pulling the belt off the oil pump sprocket just above to the left of the crankshaft.

[4x4 rav]

the engine mount on the side of the TB cover is a challenge to remove and re-install ( the 3 bolts accessible from the wheel well), because there isn't enough space to insert a ratchet with a socket on it. Is there a dedicated tool for that engine mount? if so where is available?

thanks again.

[Mikester]

May I ask, why do you believe the problem is the camshaft seal, and not your oil pump housing o-ring? Unless you remove everything and run the engine, I know of no way to figure what the source of the problem would be.

[Ken Allistone]

Sorry, I don't know if there is a special tool, you could ask at a Toyota dealership what they use but most use the smallest socket wrench /ratchet they can find and have to pull the ratchet off 'halfway' otherwise it gets jammed in there,
Unless recently done I would change the cam belt and tensioner and spring etc. and the water pump too whilst you are 'in there', you'll also have the opportunity to check-out the other suggestion from Mikester that the o ring on the oil pump may be where the leak is comming from,
I forget where you are but all this sounds like a job for warmer weather...... Good luck!

[4x4 rav]

thank you for the advice
i'm in michigan, and it gets cold sometimes.
i already changed the TIming belt ( or cam belt as you call it), and the cam seal about three weeks ago. my plan is to get in there and stop the leak. i'm not going to bother with the water pump, as it hasn't given me trouble and the low temperatures of the winter season.
i got myself a "dogbone wrench", which is slim enough to get in that tight space for the lower three bolts, and i'll use the same techniques i used before.

[Mikester]

If you've already changed the belt and seal, then I'm betting it's that o-ring on the oil pump. If you tear it down and clean that area real good, start the engine and let it run for 20 seconds and see if the oil is starting to leak. Even though the engine mount is out, you can still do this. As for the darn center bolt on the engine mount, I was told to "sacrifice" an old 14mm socket and grind it down a 1/4 of an inch or so, to get that center bolt out. I didn't do it, because I managed to get it out using a thin ratchet instead.

[4x4 rav]

i changed the cam seal only ( but not the crank seal), and the belt.
the seeping seems to be coming from the crank area. it's more than likely the crank seal that needs to be changed.
i also used a thin ratchet the first time i took out the engine mount. i found this unique ratchet at harborfreight tools. it definetely helped me some.

thanks for the reply.

[Ken Allistone]

Thanks for the Harbor Freight 'heads up', i'll be shopping there again next trip over, any chance you can show pictures of the ratchet and dogbone wrench, sounds like we should all own them!
Good luck, I believe it is colder there than here .....

[4x4 rav]

Originally Posted by Ken Allistone

Thanks for the Harbor Freight 'heads up', i'll be shopping there again next trip over, any chance you can show pictures of the ratchet and dogbone wrench, sounds like we should all own them!
Good luck, I believe it is colder there than here .....

Harbor Freight Tools

T-handle flex ratchet is item # 98484
8 in 1 metric (dogbone) wrench is item # 65497

i haven't tried the 8 in 1 wrench yet.
but the slim ratchet was helpful.

i'll take pictures after work.