Hello all. I am currently faced with the infamous valve cover/cam tensioner seal leak. There seems to be alot of literature on this subject but what i am having a problem finding isanything on what causes these leaks. Is there any underlining issue with the pcv system(crankcase breather) or do these seals just normally go because they are weak. 2KS4.

 

When you remove the gasket you will see why they leak. It's not a flat gasket, it has all kinds of little end points, & goes around the cam chain tensioner. It's these corners, valleys & end points that leak. When you replace the gasket, put some sealant on the ends & on the valley.

 

Looks like I have the same leak. Terry Griffin at Griffin Motorwerks in Berkeley says without looking at it yet that it is not a valve cover gasket leak and is definitely a leak from the cam tensioner seal. Its a $1k job and he says make sure not to drive the car. He had a customer drive it with the leak and his car caught on fire along with his house. I'm not driving my car till my appointment on Tuesday and its pretty painful. Now is he right? Is it definitely a cam tensioner seal or can it be a valve cover gasket leak? BTW. The oil is leaking to the point that it smoke a little. Thanks.

 

Cam chain tensioner gaskets can be done in a couple hours with the valve cover gaskets as long as you have the tool needed to compress the tensionser. Don't waste 1,000$ on it, do it yourself for about 100$ in parts

 

I agree it's not hard to do, but a couple of hours? Not the first time. It took me over 5hrs for the valve covers, part of that was due to my combi valves! They are a PITA to get out. Even with the tool, it still takes some time. You might as well put in some new plugs while you are in there.

First time, I would put it into a all day job.

 

New plugs it is. Something good has to come out of this...Thanks for the replies!