1994 3.0 v6 oil leak - front crankshaft seal?

[BrettNJ]

I purchased an old Pajero from a retired mechanic who did the heads, and replaced the timing belt, cam seals, water pump etc.

Everything was sweet for two weeks, then noticed a big oil leak coming from the front of the engine. I also note that the oil he used was high viscosity (probably to reduce the likely hood of oil leaking when I inspected the car?)... see pic



I called him up to ask him about it, and he mentioned didn't do the crankshaft seal. I'd like to hear people's opinions judging from the photos.

If I am to replace the front camshaft oil seal, are there other parts I require? I have a backyard mech willing to work on her, I just need to make sure I have all the parts I need. He mentioned I will need the timing belt cover gasket. reading the forums it looks like this is a multitude of different little seals.

Advice and suggestions are much appreciated.

[PajeroNL]

Looks like it.

Replacing involves stripping down the front of the engine including the timing belt so you are going to find out what else was or wasn’t done.

Consider a new harmonic balancer, bolt to the crank shaft and the crank and cam sensors - all are a major effort to change if they fail.

eBay and AliExpress for cheap parts. They are all Chinese who were still making Gen 2s until 2012 under license from Mitsubishi.


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[disco stu]

I'm a bit confused why a supposed professional would pull all that apart and replace every seal bar one. A lot of work for a cheap seal.

There are workshop manuals available with a bit of googling (might even be a link on the forums here somewhere) that might help with jobs like this. I find it a bit vague for some jobs though-there might be some particular way to remove a part, but the manual just says to remove it, not tell you how to do it. It will then go into great detail about how to do the rest of the task that is highly self explanatory! Still, worth having around

[BrettNJ]

Yes I couldn't believe it that he decided not to replace a cheap part when doing all the rest. When I called him up he felt really bad about not doing it ... but I also felt bad that he was heading off for cancer treatment and may not return from it.

I have found a pdf for the manual and the old fella I brought it from said he'd leave a workshop manual on his door step for me, I haven't made the trip because I have been too busy (45mins to his place).

The mechanic that is going to help me said I'll need timing belt cover gaskets and that is what I am finding trouble getting hold of at the moment, the front oil seal is easy to buy and in stock locally .... but have no idea about the timing belt cover seals from memory the workshop manual I had seen doesn't make mention of replacing the cover gasket?

[BrettNJ]

Yep PajeroNL,

I know there is a lot of work to do to get to it... also wondering if it was something not put back together properly and the oil coming from somewhere else?

:-/

[disco stu]

If it was a mistake then I can understand that. We all make them, and I've certainly made the wrong call not fixing things when I've got things apart. I guess in my mind I was getting the impression it was a rush job and was deliberately ignored, or he was screwing you around. Glad to hear I've got the wrong impression

I've not played with the 3l personally, but I was under the impression they were pretty similar to the 3.5l. If that is the case then the timing cover is all plastic, and the seal or gasket would just be some foam tape. The reason it would be hard to find if that is the case is because its not needed-no fluid needs to be kept in etc, its just a cover

[PajeroNL]

You can find workshop manuals for gen 2 Pajero on line. Alternatively PM with a link to drop box or similar and I will give you a couple

The timing cover seal isn’t much of an issue and is really dust protection rather than a seal. And is no more than a rubber strip. You could use tape as mentioned. I fashioned a replacement using windscreen wiper rubber... You can probably buy somewhere buy to have found it.

As a general tip anything original made from rubber or plastic on a 20 year old car is at end of life is going to fail, so replace while you hav it apart. Fan belts, radiator hoses, seals, o-rings as examples.


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[BrettNJ]

thanks, I'll try to get some foam tape from clark rubber or something. just not sure on the size I'd be looking for is all

And no worries I have a couple of links for the workshop manual ... thanks for the offer.


Wish me luck !!

[PajeroNL]

About 10mm wise


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[PajeroNL]

Wide


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[BrettNJ]

thanks for that... the mechanic I am getting to do the job said not to to that and order the proper parts .... so I have been painstakingly trying to hunt down the rubber seals. nobody seems to carry them. It has me wondering where mechanics in Australia source the timing cover seals when they do the timing belts etc?

I'm like 2 weeks off the road so far ! ... wondering what I have gotten myself in for owning an old beasty like an NJ

[nj swb]

This may sound a bit left-field, but can you check under your bonnet for a "Chassis number" or "frame number"? I don't expect you'll find it on your compliance plate, but there should be another aluminium plate somewhere under the bonnet that might have it.

I'm working on a theory for finding Gen 2 parts on Amayama, but my NJ is an hour away, so I can't check it.

[disco stu]

thanks for that... the mechanic I am getting to do the job said not to to that and order the proper parts .... so I have been painstakingly trying to hunt down the rubber seals. nobody seems to carry them. It has me wondering where mechanics in Australia source the timing cover seals when they do the timing belts etc?

I'm like 2 weeks off the road so far ! ... wondering what I have gotten myself in for owning an old beasty like an NJ

It's literally because no one bothers buying them, because they don't achieve much at all in the way of sealing. Other engines you need a timing cover gasket, but that's if it has chain and needs to seal oil in. Surely this guy understands that it's the equivalent of keeping the front door of your house sealed-you want to keep dust out and that's all. You will achieve the same seal by just bolting it back together with the old one there in 99% of cases. Don't keep it off the road for the sake of some foam rubber. Are you sure about this guys credentials?

You might be lucky and get some in a top end rebuild kit. I've had that happen for other engines I've done. But seriously, keeping the car off the road for trying to find that.........

[PajeroNL]

Second that. The seals are really not important. One of my covers has a crack in it - makes no difference.

This YouTube will give you an idea of what you are about to do. https://youtu.be/aJlVz9SawEE. You don’t need to remove the rocker covers and spark plugs unless you have oil leaks or the plugs need replacement.

Get a manual. You can find several free on the internet. The timing belt timing is critical.

Check for leaks on the of the water pump as the pump and a seal on the back of the pump fails. The previous owner may have only changed the front half of the pump which is what is mostly for sale. Usually this results in pulling it all out again as the o ring to a coolant tube the goes across the valley to the back of the engine and the gasket on the back of the pump inevitably fail.


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[Roofchop]

As others said the seal on the cover is just a foam dust seal, if yours is totally disintegrated, go to Bunnings and get some weather seal stuff, (self adhesive foam tape, Raven brand springs to mind)


Go for it1
Dave