Mechanics 101 - Replacing cam cover bolt seals

[ill-minded]

Back when I first discovered Toymods (a while back now, haha), I was what I'd consider to be a bit of a mechanic n00b and found articles such as this a handy little guide for anyone who is a bit daunted by doing work on their car. So as you've probably already gathered, this is aimed more at the young fellas who are just getting into cars. The older and more senior members I'm sure should already know how to do what is entailed in this thread, but if I've missed something that you think should be added, feel free to leave input. I've started with something rather easy and quick, not to mention cheap and also an issue which seems to be rather frequent - cam cover bolt seals leaking oil.

My housemate recently came into acquisition of a '96 AE101R Corolla, which suffered this problem, so all the images will be relevant to the 4A-FE/7A-FE engines, but will apply to others where a similar setup is used.

Here's what the busted old seals look like on the top of the motor. Notice how the previous numpty hasn't bothered to try and replace them but instead just used liquid gasket in an attempt to seal them again.




The first thing you'll want to be doing, is making a trip to your local Toyota parts counter and getting some new seals. If the last person who tried to fix this had realised that a set of four seals cost a whopping $6.45, they probably might have thought again about doing it properly. The seals in the next picture are actually the old ones, as I forgot to take a picture before I put the new ones in. The part number (90210-06010) can clearly be seen on the packet, and applies to the previously mentioned motors, but may also apply to others. There's also a comparison between the new and old seals. It's not hard to see why the old ones were leaking.




Now, the actual work. The only tools you'll likely need are:

a 10mm socket or spanner
a flat head screwdriver
a rag

Start off by removing the nuts and then using the screwdriver to gently pry the old seals away from the cam cover. If they're still the original seals, they'll probably be hard and crumbly. Take your rag and wipe down any debris or oil left around the bolt and remove any liquid gasket if it has been used previously. You should be left with something like this.



Take one of your new seals and wipe a little bit of clean oil on the top and bottom surface of the seal before placing it back over the bolt with the metal side upwards.



Screw the nuts back on and tighten them just enough. they won't need to be super tight, so just gauge how much to tighten them by remembering how tight they were when you undid them.



Now take a step back and give yourself a pat on the back for fixing something properly because some halfwit before you couldn't

[jonathan yee]

easy as.....only thing i'd disagree with is the "remebering how tight they were when you undid them" as the last numpty that did them up prob overtightened them to stop them leaking.

i'm surprised his cam cover seal wasn't leaking as well, cuase they normally go hand in hand.

[ill-minded]

Normally I'd agree with you there, but it wasn't really the case this time around. If I had to put a description as to how tight, it'd be "tight enough to compress the seal ~0.5mm" maybe. In any case, it isn't very tight

Funnily enough, the cam cover seal is also leaking. In my mental lapse, I forgot to order it when I went to order the bolt seals. Expect a Pt. 2 in the near future!