Chris B
Veteran Member
I've got a small issue (maybe a large issue) that I noticed tonight while checking the oil.
I did the 80K timing belt replacement about two months ago at a fellow TDIer's house. I used the full 100K parts set from Dieselgeek. Everything went quite well. I did the change around 78K miles.
At around 80K, I did my usual oil change, and everything looked nice and dry, and timing belt tension was spot on.
Tonight, with about 82,500 on the clock, I checked my oil and found it about 1/3 qt. low. I topped it off and thought to myself that there has to be oil going somewhere as this car doesn't burn that much in 10K miles. I looked under the belly pan and saw a fairly large area of oil. Shoot!!
I pulled off all the covers and had a look. The oil is definitely coming from the top passenger side of the engine, but I can't tell if it's valve cover or cam seal (which was replaced during the timing belt job).
Inside the timing belt cover is dry, the cam pulley is bone dry, no oil on the belt, etc. It doesn't appear the oil is coming out the camshaft portion of the seal, but maybe it's coming around the outside of the seal and running down the block?
What's my next course of action? Pull the valve cover and check the cam seal? Anyone replaced the cam seal without having to tear anything else apart? I realize the cam pulley will have to come off, but I assume I can just release timing belt tension, lock the cam, etc. to remove the cam pulley and replace the seal?
Any tips for installing the new seal so I don't have to repeat this?
Thanks!!
Chris
I did the 80K timing belt replacement about two months ago at a fellow TDIer's house. I used the full 100K parts set from Dieselgeek. Everything went quite well. I did the change around 78K miles.
At around 80K, I did my usual oil change, and everything looked nice and dry, and timing belt tension was spot on.
Tonight, with about 82,500 on the clock, I checked my oil and found it about 1/3 qt. low. I topped it off and thought to myself that there has to be oil going somewhere as this car doesn't burn that much in 10K miles. I looked under the belly pan and saw a fairly large area of oil. Shoot!!
I pulled off all the covers and had a look. The oil is definitely coming from the top passenger side of the engine, but I can't tell if it's valve cover or cam seal (which was replaced during the timing belt job).
Inside the timing belt cover is dry, the cam pulley is bone dry, no oil on the belt, etc. It doesn't appear the oil is coming out the camshaft portion of the seal, but maybe it's coming around the outside of the seal and running down the block?
What's my next course of action? Pull the valve cover and check the cam seal? Anyone replaced the cam seal without having to tear anything else apart? I realize the cam pulley will have to come off, but I assume I can just release timing belt tension, lock the cam, etc. to remove the cam pulley and replace the seal?
Any tips for installing the new seal so I don't have to repeat this?
Thanks!!
Chris