I have been slowly eliminating the various little oil leaks from the engine.

I have a significant oil leak(enough for a couple of drops of oil on the ground every time I park) which seem to come from where the VP44 is mounted to the back of the aluminium timing case. There is a round boss on the rear of the timing case on which the VP44 mounts. Strangely enough the oil doesn't come from the bottom of this mount but from around the 3 O'clock position when looking at the back of the case. Of course I can't see the leak because it is hidden by the VP44 but feeling around with my fingers indicates the location of the leak.

Does this mean the o-ring on the VP44 where it goes into the timing case is bad and I have to pull the VP44 to replace this o-ring?

My tappet cover gasket is fine and not leaking at all.

 

The other possibility is that the gasket is leaking between the gear housing and the front of the block. To determine a leak like that, I try to hose the area clean with brake clean and compressed air, then idle the engine until I can just begin to see oil appear again. One of those small video inspection cameras can be real handy, if you can borrow one from somebody.

 

Thanks. I have a Ridgid inspection camera but I broke the head off. I will use an inspection mirror to see if I can pinpoint the leak.