Kind of a dumb question but as I think my seal at the rear of the timining cover is leaking on the drivers side by the vacuum pump :{
I was wondering if crazy strong silicone or jb weld could work to plug the leak. I have to pull the vacuum pump anyway to put a new seal on but am dreading having to replace the seal at the rear of the timing cover. My truck has 434 k kilometres on the clock so it doesn't seem worth the time and money to do all that...
How about retorquing around that side even??
Should I just break the bank and have it done... ????

 

I have that same leak. Not a permanent fix but if you can clean it super clean then put some silicone on the outside around the leak it should stop.

 

My truck has this same leak too. 171,000 miles. Leaks about 1 quart of oil per tank full of fuel. Looks like its coming from the vacuum pump seal or somewhere in that area of the rear timing cover. The undercarriage on this truck will never rust

Brian

 

Who makes the best silicone for the job? I heard there was some good ford gasket maker stuff around......
What do you think about jb weld ?
What about putting some of those leak stopper additives in there? I believe they only contain seal conditioners so not some crazy snake oil stuff? Guess it is worth a try... Anything is better than taking the whole front end off
When I rebuild the vacuum pump next week I will be cleaning her up real good... hopefully the main leak is from the vacuum pump seal to the timing cover. Even with dye in there it is impossible to see exactly where it is coming from....
Maybe one of those farming boys who frequent this site can chime in with a good quick fix. If anyone'll know it'll be a farmer
to be continued!

 

There is no rear timing case seal - the case is mounted to the block with a gasket ( on my engine) or RTV.

Inj Pump and Vacuum Pump get a gakset, and power steering pump adaptor has an o-ring seal, any one of which will leak engine oil if deteriorated.

Could be leaking around the Inj Pump gasket or the Vacuum Pump gasket, or the timing cover gasket or the timing case gasket, which may be caused by loose cover-to-case or case-to-block bolts.

This could indicate the entire timing case is shifting due to the dowel pin unseating, or loosened bolts.

If you want to take the chance that it is not, wash the cold engine with hot soapy water, blow it dry, then use lacquer thinner to clean any and all oil from the area of leakage - lacquer thinner evaporates very quickly, leaves no residue, so RTV will adhere to the block.

Crank the engine, run it at operating temp about 15min to determine where the actual leak is, then re-clean the area with the lacquer thinner.

If there are no loose case bolts in the area it is possible to seal it externally

Apply a bead of permatex black RTV to the area. squish it in with your finger so the bead fills the case-to-block joint, which should stop the leak when cured.

If you can do it one evening, so the RTV can cure overnite, it will seal better.

Remember - determining the source of the leak and the cause of the leak is the primary goal - sealing it is secondary, particularly if only patching the leak.

Had similar problem with mine - tightened adjacent bolts to cure the leak temporarily.

Later, when I opened the timing case to reseat and secure the dowel pin, I tightened the inner case-to-block bolts, as well.

Timing cover gasket was not deteriorated, so I cleaned it, RTV'ed both sides and re-used it.

New crank seal, of course.

I hate leaks!

 

Dealer warranty fix is to remove the timing cover, loosen the case to block bolts, pry the case out a bit and squirt in some RTV around the leak area after using brake cleaner. Doesn't work if the leak is in the pump area though, not enough access.

When it's not under warranty and the owner pays they remove the case and install a new gasket.

 

I need to do the KDP on my truck anyway so I'll look into my leak then. Until then I'll keep adding oil to it.
Thanks,
Brian

 

One more potential leak in that area - seldom used, never thought of - is the timing pin , used for setting the valves and other important stuff .

The oil seal is an o-ring which will leak when heat-hardened.

Check it out

 

If the leak can't be stopped the removal of the timing case to replace the gasket between the case and block is time consuming and expensive if you hire someone to do it like I did. Requires removing the cam.Good luck with external fix.

 

Thanks for all the replies... I am really tired of this oil leak but I would rather fix it myself and know what was done exactly. When my kdp was fixed I doubt the shop I went to bothered to take the time to retorque anything under the timing cover...

 

I have an oil leak in this discussed area........I plan to fix it myself.
Question... what are the steps needed to remove and clean the timing cover and secure the dowel pin?
Does the harmonic balancer need to come off??
BIG Block Mopars I can do...diesel work is new to me.
THX.
GCSS

 

REmoving the timing cover involves removing the following parts:

Harmonic balancer, fan, fan shroud, crankcase vent, upper radiator bracket.

If you buy a KDP tabbing kit from any one of the reputable sponsors of this site it will come with full instructions and a new front engine oil seal.

HTH

AlpineRAM

 

Are you sure it's the timing case. There are two lifter covers on the driver's side of the block. The front one is behind the injection pump. Mine is leaking but it requires removal of the injection pump to replace the gasket and I'm getting lazy in my old age. Cat litter on the garage floor is easier.

 

I had a very similar slow leak after doing the KDP. It was at the back of the timing case towards the bottom on the driver's side. I power cleaned the engine and applied a product called "The Right Stuff". I had also retorqued the timing case bolts even those behind the cam gear. I haven't had any problems since and that's 40,000 miles and 250 hp ago.

 

That product sounds pretty good... I will see if I can find it up here in canada.
Did you undo all the timing housing bolts and pry/slide it forward a touch to apply that gasket maker or did you just apply heavily over the top after a good cleaning?
I will be checking and looking into all the other suggestions once I get to this leak. Just waiting for the snow to melt and the sun to come out
Glad to hear there are other ways.....